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THANG LONG UNIVERSITYENGLISH DEPARTMENT---o0o---LANGUAGE AFFECTS THE WAYSCULTURAL COMMUNITIESTHINK AND WORKSupervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van ĐoStudent’s name: Duong Thi Van Student’s code: AHanoi, October 2021TABLE OF CONTENTINTRODUCTIONLanguage is the primary form of communication in every cu...

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THANG LONG UNIVERSITY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ---o0o---

LANGUAGE AFFECTS THE WAYS CULTURAL COMMUNITIES THINK AND WORK

Supervisor:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van

Đo Student’s name: Duong Thi Van Student’s code:

A34362

Hanoi, October 2021 TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1. LANGUAGE, CULTURE, THOUHGT.................................2 1.1. Language..................................................................................................2 1.1.1. Definition of language........................................................................2 1.1.2. Functions of language........................................................................2 1.2. Culture......................................................................................................3 1.2.1. Definition of culture............................................................................3 1.2.2. Some characteristics of culture...........................................................4 1.3. Thought....................................................................................................6 CHAPTER 2.

LANGUAGE DOES AFFECT THE WAY CULTURAL

COMMUNITIES THINK AND WORK...........................................................8 2.1. Language and culture in comparison....................................................8 2.2. Language in relation to culture..............................................................9 2.3. Culture in relation to language............................................................10 2.4. The effect of language on the way cultural commnunities think and work........................................................................................................11 2.4.1. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis..............................................................11 2.4.2. How language affects the way cultural communities think and work 13 2.4.3. The connection between thought, feelings and behaviours..............15 CONCLUSION..................................................................................................17

INTRODUCTION Language is the primary form of communication in every culture. Language conveys the speakers’ cultural reality in every society. Language not only embodies cultural reality, but it is also viewed as a symbol of social identity. Mae Brown once stated that: “Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going”. In other words, language is a component of culture that makes it distinguishes.

Because

language

and

culture

are

always

interwoven, the saying “language is culture and culture is language” is frequently used when the two are addressed. This indicates that the language you use represents your values and beliefs. According to anthropological linguist Daniel Everett “Language can be considered a cultural tool to relate a community’s values and ideals and is shaped and molded by these residents over time”. In this assignment, I will present several principal theories about language, culture, and thought in chapter one. Then, I will investigate how does language affect the way cultural communities think and work in chapter two.

1

CHAPTER 1.

LANGUAGE, CULTURE, THOUHGT

1.1. Language 1.1.1.

Definition of language

Language can be defined in a variety of ways, one of which is: “Language is a structured system of communication used by humans consisting of speech (spoken language or linguistic communication) and gestures (sign language or non-linguistic communication).” Most languages have a graphical or visual representation encoded in symbols, or a writing system that describes the original sound or gesture and its meaning. However, language is more than just a system of signals that convey meaning; it also about how to interpret semantically. “A language associates sound and meaning in a particular way; to have command of a language is to be able, in principle, to understand what is said and to produce a signal with an intended semantic interpretation” (Chomsky, 2006). 1.1.2.

Functions of language

“Language in general can be interpreted as a symbol of the human vocal system that used as tool for thinking, forming our mind and to understand the mind of other people” (Kunjana Rahadi, 2001:159). Language is used to convey messages, ideas, and emotions. People can express their identities, cultures, and academic levels through language. Culture's customs, values, and norms can only be passed down down the generations and from country to country through language, allowing people to adapt and integrate to various social forms. In addition, language aids humans in describing the “real world”. To illustrate, arbitrariness, which is defined as the way 2

people in a society agree to label a random object that is either concrete or abstract with a word, but basically the word is merely related to the meaning of that object. For instance, the term "rose" is commonly used to refer to a red flower with sharp prickles that is largely utilized in cosmetics. However, the name “rose” has no connection to the flower, and no one knows why that particular bloom is called “rose”. Edward Sapir claimed that “language does not reflect reality but actually shapes it to a large extent”. As a result, he recognizes the objective nature of reality; nevertheless, because our linguistic habits influence our perception of reality, language plays an active part in cognition. “The fact of the matter is that the “real world” is to a large extent unconsciously built up on the language habits of the group” (Sapir, 1929b, P.207). 1.2. Culture 1.2.1.

Definition of culture

The word “culture” derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin “colere”, which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation or nurture. Culture is a notoriously difficult term to define. According to Dahl, culture is a collectively held set of attributes, which is dynamic and changing over time. It is the totality of values, beliefs, basic assumptions as well as code of social behaviour in a society. Individual are made by culture on one level and culture is made by individuals on the other (Dahl: 2001). Culture is the whole communication system that binds and allows operation of a set of people called the public. Thus, culture can be defined as a “system of rules of communication and interaction that allows a society occurs, preserved, and 3

preserved”. Culture gives meaning to all business and human movements

(Nababan,

1984:

49).

“Culture

encompasses

religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things”, Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London, told Live Science. The culture that distinguishes a group is the outcome of each member's creativity and thought in the language community, and it reflects the society's attitude. Culture, according to numerous definitions, is all that surrounds us in life and is the result of human thought that influences the level of knowledge and ideas in the human mind. It is impossible to define any culture in only one way. According to De Rossi, “Culture appears to have become key in our interconnected world, which is made up of so many ethnically diverse societies, but also riddled by conflicts associated

with

religion,

ethnicity,

ethical

beliefs,

and,

essentially, the elements which make up culture”. As a result, when defining a culture of a group of people, the context and norms of the culture must be taken into account. “Cultural understanding is becoming even more important because of the call to interact with many individuals from other countries and other cultures” (Lee, 2006). Bodley (1999) further adds three basics components of culture, namely: what people think, what they do, and the material products they produce. All forms of culture exhibit unique ways and value systems that aid and affect individuals in their perception and reaction to different life circumstances. 4

Different groups may have different cultures, implying that people from various cultures will have different perspectives, beliefs, and ideas. Learning passes on a culture to the next generation, whereas heredity passes on genetics. What is acceptable or unacceptable, important or trivial, right or wrong, practical or unworkable is determined by culture. It involves all learned and shared , implicit or explicit a ssumptions, beliefs, knowledge, norms, and values, as well as attitude, behaviour, dress, and language. 1.2.2.

Some characteristics of culture

There is no “backward” culture or “advanced” culture. They are simply different and unique in their own setting, and their social members believe and follow their values and norms. Though all nations culture might bear different concept, they still have some similar characteristics: - Culture is learned: Culture is learned, not inherited, and it derives from one’s social environment, not from one’s genes. There was no culture involved until a person observe and listen to his/her parents or others to know what is right, what is wrong, and how to do it right. - Culture is transmitted:  It is shared across generations. It is transmitted mainly through communications among individuals, their social practices, the food they eat, the appropriate clothes, the activities they participate in and so on.  Every human generation potentially can discover new things and invent better technologies.

The new

technologies are added onto what the next generation will

learn.

For

example, 5

mathematical

solutions

discovered by ancient Greeks such as Pythagoras, or traditional Vietnamese holiday like Tet are found by ancient people and exist from generation to generation. - Culture is collective: As it is the result of creativity and thinking of a community and is shared within group's members, it is not individual but social in nature. Through culture, people and groups define themselves, conform to society's

shared

values,

and

contribute

to

society.

Common institutions in a culture like family, education, work and religion run with collective rules and norms that allow members to cooperate, function as a united society and live together in peace and harmony. - Culture is a descriptive not an evaluative concept: Culture is not value-laden, and "advanced" and "backward" cultures do not exist. Some cultures may be considered as civilized and polite, while some others are rude. However, they are reasonable to their social members as well as context, and they have their own uniqueness and distinction. - Cultures change: No culture is static overtime. Whether the changes are huge or small, to be better or not, they are still counted. The regular addition and subtraction of cultural traits results in culture change. However, the rate of change and the aspects of culture that change varies from society to society. For instance, the Germans today generally seem eager to adopt new words from other languages, especially from American English, however, the French are just as eager as the Germans to adopt new technology. 6

- Culture is an integrated whole: Culture is an integrated and interrelated whole; it is a system in which all the parts are related to one another. If one part of the culture changes, this necessitates change in all other related parts. Language is considered to be the most important symbolic aspect of culture. 1.3. Thought Mind or thought is a mental tool of thinking. The thought process is the brain's reaction to what has occurred in the present, and future. Humans' minds or thoughts caused them to think about everything, and the result is expressed in speech or action, causing other people to notice us and understand that we used language. When stimuli that are either intrinsic (arising from within) or extrinsic (arising from the environment) are sensed, human will perceive them and start to process and convert symbols in the brain to response. Generally, thought is the period of physical awareness, and the mental manipulation takes place in the brain, which is different from perception. The food of thinking is the concept and the contribution of memory, reasoning, and decision-making ability. Understanding the

physical and

metaphysical origins,

processes, and effects of thought, which underlies many human actions and interactions, has long been a goal of many academic

disciplines,

neuroscience,

including

philosophy,

artificial

linguistics,

psychology,

intelligence,

biology,

sociology, and cognitive science. Humans can make sense of, interpret, depict, or model the world they experience, as well as make predictions about it, 7

which distinguishes them from animals thanks to thinking. It is thus beneficial to an organism with needs, aims, and aspirations when it makes plans or strives to achieve those goals in various ways. Any three steps of thinking process that is: - Make formation of concept about something in we are mind, in this step we analyze the characteristics of some objects; - Forming the opinion about that, in this step we make and arrange the concept of idea in language with a sentence; - Make conclusion and forming the decision, in this step we make conclusion about the opinion, that is: agreement, disagreement, and analogical (comparison).

8

CHAPTER 2.

LANGUAGE

DOES

AFFECT

THE

WAY

CULTURAL COMMUNITIES THINK AND WORK 2.1. Language and culture in comparison Language and culture are inextricably intertwined. In general, a separate language refers to a certain group of people. You are dealing with the culture of the language's speakers when you communicate in another language. Without direct access to a culture's language, it is impossible to comprehend it. Learning a new language includes not only learning the alphabet, word order, and grammatical rules, but also learning about the unique community's conventions and behaviors. Because language is deeply rooted in culture, it is vital to refer to it when studying or teaching a language. Language is the verbal expression of culture. Culture is the idea, custom and beliefs of a community with a distinct language containing semantics - everything a speaker can think about and every way they have of thinking about things as medium of communication. Language is, at its most fundamental level, a way of expressing ideas. That is, language is a form of communication that can be verbal, visual (through signs and symbols), or semiotics (via hand or body gestures). Culture, on the other hand, is a set of ideas, practices, customs, and beliefs that come together to form a functioning society. Because paralanguage is utilized to transfer messages, one term that might be used to describe human communication is complex.

Since

paralanguage 9

is specific

to

a

culture,

communication with various ethnic groups might lead to misunderstandings. When you grow up in a certain culture, you will undoubtedly learn how to use glances, gestures, small changes in voice or tone, and other communication tools to emphasize or shift what you

want

to

do

or

say.

These

culturally

distinctive

communication techniques are mostly acquired by imitating and observing others, initially from parents and intimate relatives and later from friends and others outside the tight family circle. The most visible sort of paralanguage is body language, also known as kinesics. These are the postures, expressions and gestures used as non-verbal language. Changing the character or tone of the voice, on the other hand, might change the meaning of various words. When language and culture are discussed, the expression "language is culture and culture is language" is frequently used. It's

because

they

have

a

similar,

albeit

complicated,

relationship. Language and culture co-evolved and affected one another as they progressed. Using this context, Alfred L. Krober, a cultural anthropologist from the United States, stated that culture started when speech was available, and from that beginning, the enrichment of either one led the other to develop further. If culture is the result of human interactions, then acts of communication

are

the

cultural

manifestations

of

those

interactions within a specific community. According to Ferruccio Rossi-Landi, an Italian philosopher whose work centered on philosophy, semiotics, and linguistics, a speech community is made up of all the messages that were exchanged with one 10

another using a given language that is understood by the entire society. He also added that young children learn their language and culture from the society in which they were born. They improve their cognitive abilities through the learning process. Culture's communicative pressure, according to Professor Michael Silverstein, who teaches psychology, linguistics, and anthropology at the University of Chicago, represents aspects of reality while also connecting diverse contexts. It means that using symbols to represent events, identities, feelings, and beliefs is also a way of bringing them into the present context. 2.2. Language in relation to culture One of the most essential parts of culture is language, which allows people within a culture to communicate with one another. J.A. Fishman – sociolinguist – considered language as a part of culture, as an index of culture and as symbolic of culture. To begin with, language is an important component of culture. Those who want to thoroughly immerse themselves in and comprehend a culture must, therefore, master its language. For example, in order to fully understand Mexican culture, one must first be able to communicate in Spanish. No one can comprehend a culture unless they are familiar with its language. Secondly, language serves as a cultural index. The quantity of words, phrases, and idioms in a language can be used to determine its cultural index. It reflects how diverse a culture is, as well as how rich one culture or country is. Finally, language is as symbolic of culture. It means that language movements and conflicts use languages as symbols to mobilize people to defend (or attack) and foster (or reject) the cultures they are linked

11

with. In America, we raise our hands to say "Hello," whereas in Greece, putting our hand up means "screw you". All aspects of culture, including the physical area occupied by society, are reflected in language. A society living in the subarctic region, for illustration, may have several different words to describe various types of snow. Those words, on the other hand, would be useless in a civilization which lives in a place without snow. Language, such as slang, is used by everyone in a community to create their own unique experience. Teenagers nowadays enjoy making up slang terms to interact with others in sim...