The relationship between language and culture 语言与文化的关系.docx

The relationship between language and culture 语言与文化的关系.docx

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Therelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture语言与文化的关系

Therelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture

Introduction

Languageistheimportantmeansofcommunication,anditisthecarrierofcultureandapartofculture,anylanguagewasbornwithformationofitsculture,developswiththedevelopmentofculture,andinmostcases,perisheswithdeathofitsculture.

1.Language,asaconcretesystemofsigns,hasitsownsignificanceintheculturecommunication

Ithaslongbeenrecognizedthatlanguageisanessentialandimportantpartofagivencultureandthattheimportanceofcultureuponagivenlanguageissomethingindispensable.

1.1Languageisasystem

TheimportantoflanguagetothestudyinterculturalcommunicationisclearlycapturedintheAmericanpoetRalphWaldoEmerson’ssimplesentence“Languageisthearchivesofhistory.”Hisdeclarationtakesonaddedsignificancewhenwerealizethatoneofthemajorcharacteristicsidentifyingusashumanisourabilitytouselanguage–tomakesoundsandmarksserveassubstitutesforthingsandfeelings.

Overmillionsofyears,wehaveevolvedtheanatomynecessarytoproduceandreceivesoundshavetakenonmeaningbyrepresentingthings,feelings,andideas.Thiscombinationofevolutionandculturehasledtothedevelopmentofafour-partprocessthatenablesusshareourinternalstateswithotherhumanbeings.Inshort,wecanreceive,store,manipulate,andgeneratesymbolstorepresentourpersonalizedrealities.

1.2Theimportanceoflanguage

Languageisextremelyimportanttohumaninteractionbecauseitishowwereachouttomakecontractwithoursurroundings.Ifweweretosurveyanormalday,wewouldsoonseethatweusewordsforawidevarietyofpurposeswemayuselanguagewhenwefirstawake:

“Goodmorning!

”Weusewordsasawaytowritewiththeoutsideworld.Orwemayusewordstoshareanunpleasantexperienceandtogetsupportfromother:

“LetmetellyouaboutthehorribledreamIhadlastnight.”Thisexamplealsodemonstrateshowweemploywordstorelatetothepast,thatis,totalkaboutsomethingthathasalreadyhappened.

Weusewordssothatwecanexperiencesomecontroloverthepresent:

“pleasepassmethesaltandpepper.”Weeachseektoaffectourenvironment,toinfluencemanylfthedailysituationsinwhichwefindourselves.Words,andhowwemanipulatethem,permitustomakethosealterationsthroughsymbolictransactionswithothers.

Wealsousewordstoformimagesofthefuture:

“IhavemeetwithJaneatworktoday,butIdreadseeingher,becauseIknowshe’sgoingtobeupsetaboutthechangesI’mmakinginherworkschedule.”Ourwordingabilityallowsustopredictanddescribethefuture.Weusewordstopersuadetoexchangeideas,toexchangeideas,toexpressviews,toseekinformation,andtoexpressfeelings.Whenwestudyanotherlanguage,wesoondiscoverthatthesymbols,thesoundsforthosesymbols,andtherulesforusingthosesymbolsandsoundsaredifferent.

2.Language,asacultureinstitution,isbornwithculture.Itdevelopsandinteractswiththeculture

Topreservethelanguageofanationistopreserveitsspecialcultureandhistory.Whenpeoplecannotunderstandtheoldlanguage,theywillbelesstightlyconnectedtoorevengraduallylosetheirculturesandhistories.Theirenemiesknowmuchmoreclearlythanthemselvesastothispoint.

WestillrememberthatinthefamousarticleTheLastLesson,thefirstthingPrussiansdidwhentheyintrudedFrance,wastoreplaceFrenchwithPrussianintheschooleducation.Japanesealsotookthesamestrategyinordertocutofftheconnectionbetweenpeopleandtheirhistoriesandcultures.Thisevilrefusedtoonlystayinpeople'smemoryandisstillthreateningcertainculturesandnations.ThusbothJewsandTibetansarestillfightingtopreservetheirlanguagesforthesakeoftheirculturesandhistoriesattheedgeofbeingextinguished.

2.1Explainthemeaningoftheculture

Whendeliveringdailyspeech,theword"culture"referstopursuitssuchasliteratureandmusic.Morebroadly,wecandefine"culture"asallthemodesofthought,behavior,andproductionthatarehandeddownfromonegenerationtothenextbymeansofcommunicativeinteraction──speech,gesture,epic,construction,andallothercommunicationamonghumans──ratherthanbygenetictransmissionorheredity."Culture"isanessentialconceptforitiswhatmakeshumansuniqueintheanimalkingdom.Allfamiliarformsofsocialorganizations,rangingfromthesimplestfamilytothemostsophisticatedcorporationdependupon"culture"fortheirexistence.Nevertheless,"society"and"culture"mightbeconfusingforonetodistinguish."Society"ispopulationthatisorganizedtocarryoutthemajorfunctionoflife.Asociety's"culture"consistsofallthewaysinwhichitsmembersthinkaboutitamongthemselves

Culture