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About Me
- Dr. Sanders
- I teach college, conduct (and teach) social research, play soccer and basketball, perform piano and trumpet in my church, preach sometimes, take students on missions trip, teach sociology and various cross-cultural classes, help people start home businesses to supplement their job income, read tons of books (mostly on my iPad now), enjoy politics, and would like to be President someday and set the country straight!
In general, I feel like language has a huge impact on our culture because it is the main way in which we communicate with on another. Whether it be through face-to-face communication, text messages, emails, phone conversations, letters, or the likes, we use language on a daily basis as a means of communicating with one another. Language plays a huge role in our culture because it involved in our daily lives. In addition, I feel like the impact of language is also quite notable. Language can bring people together through conversations, it can invoke emotions, it can be used as a means of expressing feelings, it can tear people apart in the case of insults, it can elicit new ideas through brainstorming, and it can distinguish between groups or cultures, just to name a few. In general, I feel like language plays a huge role in culture.
ReplyDelete-amber
I agree with Amber wholeheartedly. I was also thinking about the rapid changes that take place in both language and culture and decided that they are intertwined. When one changes the other one also changes alongside it. Now, whether or not it is a cause-and-effect relationship I could not say, but simply that the aspects of change go hand in hand. In other words, I also feel that language plays a huge part in culture.
ReplyDelete-Diana Buchanan
I think that Diana has an interesting point that the changes in both language and culture are intertwined. Also, I agree with the fact that there is definitely a relationship between the two, although I cannot conclusively say what type of relationship, be it cause-and-effect or some other sort of relationship.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, language is the primary means of the transmission of culture. Whether orally or in written form, much of what we value is passed on via language. Secondly, I have long believed that to really know a culture, one needs to look at their stories (mythology). Without language, these stories would not exist. Finally, I think there is almost a binary, or maybe a symbiotic relationship between language and culture. The culture can shape the language, and the language can drive the culture. For what concepts are there many words in a particular language/culture? For what concepts are there no words? To me, these are tantalizing questions, and language becomes the entry portal into a culture.
ReplyDeleteI think that language really is the main way by which culture evolves. It is a huge part in communication which is vital for things such as values, beliefs, the transfer of knowledge, figuring out social norms, learning customs, reason, and developing technology.
ReplyDeleteI think that how Ansley described language as "vital" for things such as values, customs, beliefs, etc shows just how much of a role language plays in our culture. I guess I really like the term "vital" in describing the role of language in correspondence with culture.
ReplyDelete-amber
I feel like language strongly influences our culture. This is evident in the fact that it is our main means of communications. Furthermore though language influences our cultural on both a nationwide and a sub culture setting. For instance I have family in both Michigan and Alabama. Now in Alabama the term "y'all" is simply a way of using the Spanish vosotrious form where the person can address the group with an endearing and very personal means. Now when in Michigan this is just simply laughed at and thought of as hick. So it can be easily seen that language is such a part of our culture and even our sub culture that it can help relate more information about the individual, i.e. part of the country, intelligence, occupation, family traditions and so on. Our language is so apart of us that it develops us into a part of the community we find ourselves in. When I speak with someone learning English I must in some ways address them differently then I would my good friend, mostly because we speak in expressions frequently.
ReplyDeleteKaren, could you explain this sentence to me further? "The culture can shape the language, and the language can drive the culture." I in my simple mindedness am failing to understand how the meanings behind shape and drive in this context. Sorry for the inconvenience, I really liked your post and agree with it a great deal, that is if I am reading it correctly.
ReplyDeleteWhen I say culture shapes the language, I mean that our language reflects what is important and perhaps unique in our culture. It's a bit like the regional examples that you mentioned. I grew up in Chicago, although my parents were both southerners (Alabama and Kentucky). At home we always said, "Let's go get a coke" (lowercase intended). We meant "let's go get something to drink," not "We must all order Coca-Cola." When I came to Greenville and said "Let's go get a coke," I was met with blank stares and such comments as, "I don't like Coke." My cultural milieu had shaped my language. In terms of language driving the culture, I mean that HOW we say something--the language we choose to use--can be as critical as WHAT we say. In fact, sometimes the HOW can speak louder than the WHAT. In such cases, I would say the language is driving the culture.
ReplyDeleteI come from a background of music/fine arts, and it's kind of like the question "Does art/music reflect culture, or drive culture?" And I would say the answer is both. In the case of both art and language, I would say they are inseparable from the culture.
Does that clarify? I can get bogged down in detail sometimes.
I'd like to make an additional comment about something I've been thinking about all week. It relates to the Tower of Babel story. As we looked at it last week, it came to me that God is aware of the power or potential of language: Gen. 11:6--"The LORD said,'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.'"
ReplyDeleteLanguage is tremendously powerful--otherwise why would it be one of the first things attacked by conquerors? The Japanese tried to suppress the Korean language, the English tried to suppress the Gaelic language, and we Americans even tried to suppress the tribal languages of the Native Americans. Bryson quoted someone (I'm sorry--I cannot seem to find the page, so I can't quote it exactly) as saying that the difference between a language and a dialect depends on who was victorious. I chuckled when I read that, but it's really a deep and sobering thought.
Thank you for your clarification Karen, and yes it makes a great deal of sense. I think I would really agree with the HOW part in a sense, I mean it is the basis of sarcasm, which as a college student is part of my daily life. I took Spanish 101 and 102 this year and in doing so began to learn a great deal about English and some of its limits/benefits. One of the biggest things I picked up on was how much our media and our expressions shape our humor and to some extent, our norms. I do realize that this may vary depending on you age, sex and location but that being said as a 21 year old mid western male, when I converse with friends I would say that a majority of the time we speak in expressions and often reference movie quotes or lyrics, which would be a bare to understand one someone just learning English!
ReplyDeleteJosh-I love that you stated that in taking Spanish 101 and 102 this past year that you began to learn a lot about English and its benefits and limitations. While I haven't taken Spanish in college, when I took Spanish 4 my senior year of high school I, too, began to realize more of the limitations/benefits of English. I think that it is pretty intriguing how much we can grow to both understand and appreciate our own language when we are in the process of learning another.
ReplyDeleteAmber and Josh - This idea of learning a new language reminds me of the many parts in Bryson's book where he talked about how English contains simply plural and singular tenses of verbs compared to other languages that have 20 different tenses of one word. I liked how he said English was not necessarily the reigning/supreme language, but the one that all others turn to when needing to communicate. Like, in a board meeting of Japanese and French, they turn to English to put them both at a disadvantage. I thought that was a clever way to put the concept. (I hope I am looking at his writings and ideas in the write way!) Anyway, I feel very privileged to have grown up speaking English already simply because of the fierce complexity of it!
ReplyDeleteAlso, to reply to Karen, I really liked how you brought up the Bible verse and commented on how powerful language truly is. After all, God (being the enormous God that He is) was the one who separated their languages and drove them away from each other in order to fix the problem that occurred. I think the fact that a simple confusion in communication can cause plans and power to completely fall apart, proves how important language truly is to just about every aspect of life.
-Diana
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ReplyDeleteIt is difficult for me to determine what impact language has on culture, because oftentimes, language is an integral and defining part of that culture. By observing how a language has developed, one can draw some conclusions about what is of importance to that culture. The language also serves to unify a group of people, sometimes even more effectively than geography. The spread of the English language likely has gone hand-in-hand with the spread of American culture, and that seems to have impacted and changed some of the cultural dynamics in other nations.
ReplyDeleteI think that language and culture go hand in hand really. After reading about the beginnings of different languages and different components that have changed and evolved over the years, it is amazing to me how close some languages are to others, yet how different they are as well.
ReplyDeleteJosh, I love how you said that you reference movie lines when you talk with your friends. We do that, too. We also watch a lot of British comedy, and so a lot of Britishisms creep into my language as well.
ReplyDeleteTo everyone: I found the quote I was trying to reference. I was in the wrong book! It is in Conley, pp. 14-15. "It is often said the only difference between a language and a dialect is that a language has an army to back it up. In other words, deciding whether a spoken tongue is a language or merely a dialect is a question of power and ligitimacy."
I am not sure I agree with the idea that language and culture go hand in hand. What I mean by this is that I don't think people who speak English in America live the same way that people do in Australia. There is a different background to each country and that background has helped form that culture. I am sure that there are things we say here in the States that mean something different in Australia. I don't think that we share the same culture as other English speaking countries do.
ReplyDeleteI think that language's impact on culture is huge. Just to think how things would be without language is unthinkable. With words so many different emotions and thoughts can be conveyed in so many different ways. Without words we would have a much harder time communicating with others. If there was no language then what would the world be like today? Would we be as advanced as we are? I dont think we would be at all where we are now. Language has so much of an influence on our daily lives and sometimes I think we take it for advantage.
ReplyDeleteKaren, when you talked earlier about the Tower of Babel story it started to make me think about the English language. In "The Mother Toung", Bill Bryson says, "For non-English speakers everywhere, English has become the common tongue." When God seperated the people at Babel it was becuase they were all speaking the same language and they were becoming stronger and stronger. If more and more people start to speak English all over the world, what will keep us from becoming like the people at Babel? Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about the caveman illustration, I believe in Bryson's book, that said how for centuries the only things humans did was reproduce and survive. He said that "evolution" allowed the larynx to drop into the throat and allowed us to speak and actually create civilization. Even though I think evolution has no true base, I think the larynx idea is interesting. I wonder how humans actually began to communicate for the first time. Bryson spoke of the discovery of fire and other inventions that began civilization in relation to communication. I just think the whole idea of very early communication is fascinating!
ReplyDelete-Diana
I agree with Diana. I had always thought that humans spoke, but after reading Bryson’s chapter on evolution and how we developed a larynx to talk, I found it fascinating. I too questioned how a language came to be, because a “word” was never spoken before so how did the individuals decide on what to call things and develop a language. Also what about the older generation that still couldn’t talk, how did they communicate with the evolved youth? How does our older generation feel about the way we speak and communicate today, because it is different from when they were youth? I wonder if they feel left out of the picture or just think their grandchildren are crazy. I think it’s an interesting topic to do further research on.
ReplyDeleteI also thought that when Bryson was explaining the larynx situation that it was very interesting. It's pretty awesome to think how the larynx moving down more into the throat is the only thing keeping a dog from talking like a human. I'm not sure I even believe that if a dogs throat was made like ours that it would be able to talk but it's something cool to think about.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was doing the reading for this class and learning about how our language developed, I thought about all the different ways we communicate now. Language is not just used through person to person contact anymore, it is used through so many ways that we don’t have to next to one another to communicate. With all this new technology that does keep communication lines open for several people, I wonder if it actually helps or hinders our friendships. With talking through a text message or chat, the two people are not receiving the full benefits of being next to the person. They miss seeing each other’s facial expressions and being able to be completely honest without the worry of somebody seeing it on a screen. I’m not saying this new way of communication is bad, I’m just curious if our relationships are now hindered from this new way to communicate.
ReplyDeleteAnother thought that occurred to me, while I was reading was how vital language is for humans to survive. Sure we didn’t live with it before according to Bryson, but I think if we took it out of our lives and society today, our society would crumble and fail. This reminded me of the structural functionalism theory where it says society is an organism and that everything has a place to make it work and without it, it would stop working, not matter how small. So, structural functionalism shows that language is a necessity of life.
ReplyDeleteTricia-
ReplyDeleteI think that the way we communicate today does hinder our friendships. I can't even begin to count the times that I have gotten into a disagreement because someone has mistook my meaning or visa versa while on an instant messenger. The body language that accompanies the words is so very important. "Actions speak louder than words." however, I also agree with Tricia that if we removed language from society that it would crumble. I think language is at the heart of society. Imagine trying to build a building or play a new game if we could no longer talk to one another. It would be a pretty impossible situation. So, once again, I agree with Tricia in the idea that language is a necessity of life, especially life as it is today.
-Diana
Throughout the reading, I thought it was really cool how they think that all languages came from one language and cognates that we have today are proof of that. You can link words in our language to ones in another language, but yet our cultures evolved much differently. This is crazy to me! Take french and American English for example...
ReplyDeleteI just can't believe that story about the English sailors not recognizing their own language just 50 miles away. Something like that could easily lead to civil war. Even the strength of a nation could count on its ability to understand each other.
ReplyDeleteI liked what Bryson had to say about the larynx and how he said that evolution had apart in this. If in fact evolution did occur then I can could see the tie in the formation of one language having a part in every other language. At first I thought it would be nearly impossible to communicate without words but Bryson also mentioned that in modern Greek there are over 70 hand gestures used to communicate. He also states that "we have the ability to communicate about 700,000 distinct elementary style gestures." this is hard to even comprehend. I think in a small community, where distance isn't an issue, we could communicate effectively without words...it just wouldn't be practical. just saying
ReplyDelete-jordan
Evolution--now there's a loaded word in our language. At one point I had to take biology to get an elementary teacher's certificate so I could move from music into the classroom. The teacher made a distinction between evolution (change over time) and origin (evolving of all species from a common source). I really appreciated that distinction. I think evolution does happen--for example, humans are generally getting taller and living longer. So I think Bryson's example of the larynx dropping is possible, although no one will ever know for sure. However, I don't believe in evolution from a common source.
ReplyDeleteDiana commented about our high-tech communication actually hindering our friendships. I do agree that sometimes written communication can be misunderstood, and it's hard to correct when you are not face to face. I think these forms of communication are also hindering our general social skills, speaking from the perspective of a teacher observing students. When a child does all his communicating at a computer and doesn't talk to people face-to-face, I believe he slows his social maturity. Also, even though they are warned against it, kids think they can say anything in an e-mail or a text message and get away with it because no one sees them actually do it. It's led to some complications even in my fifth grade classroom this year. Don't get me wrong--I love e-mail and Facebook--they allow me to keep in touch with my far-flung friends and family. But this type of technology is truly a double-edged sword. I had to decide when I joined Facebook that I would NOT talk about school or school events in my posts, because I am friends with teachers and parents in my district. My daughter-in-law is an attorney, and she has the strictiest possible controls on her Facebook account. She says it was drummed into them that indiscriminate postings can ruin your career. I think many people don't think before they post, just the same as they don't think before they speak.
ReplyDeleteErin, What an interesting thought, about linking the Tower of Babel with the reverse process of English becoming a world language! I had not thought about that connection at all. I don't know, though--the way communication is going, I'm not sure we humans will be "unstoppable." It seems there is more misinformation and misunderstanding out there than ever before!
ReplyDeleteI am just about caught up in the reading (due to my books being late) but I just read that English was considered the language of the peasants? How crazy is that? It went from nearly being shut down to the "world language" My how the tables have turned!
ReplyDeleteJordan, I was reading your thoughts about the culture/language in Australia vs. America, and I think you actually proved your own point. The culture is different in Australia, and so the language is different. Language definitely isn't the only thing that affects culture. Geography plays a role, because it determines how and where we live and how we make a living there. Also contact with other cultures affects culture and language, as Bryson so often points out. Contact with the aboriginal cultures of Australia changed the way the culture of the Englishmen who colonized it. Similarly, very nearby, contact with the Maoris of New Zealand affected the culture of the Englishmen who settled there, and the cultures of those two places are slightly different.
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking Chapter 2 in Conley. He talks about both quantitative and qualitative research. When I look at Bryson's book, I see that language is very hard to quantify--look at all the conflicting figures regarding the number of words in the English language, the number of speakers, etc. I'm very "fed up" with the quantitative approach right now, because everything we do in public schools currently has to be "data driven." So we test kids and attach enormous significance to those numbers. Specifically in Reading, we test kids three times a year or more for fluency--that is, number of words read correctly per minute. Comprehension (understanding) is not really quantifiable, so we focus on fluency. I do understand that there is a connection between reading words correctly and comprehension, but it's not the only goal. In fact, in the case of reading a Social Studies or Science textbook, it actually mitigates against comprehension, because the reader thinks that if he has said every word on the page correctly and quickly, he is automatically going to understand, and that just is not the case. I cherish a quote that is attributed to Einstein. I've found it attributed to him in several places, but can't seem to find where or when he said or wrote it. But I often throw it out in meetings when I get frustrated with our "data driven" emphasis: "Not everything counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." Maybe this is a case of language (because math and numbers are a language) driving the culture.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy the chapter on spelling in Bryson. I had the opportunity to study one summer at the University of Lancaster in England. You know how the computers here will sometimes correct your spelling automatically. Well, in Lancaster, the computer would not let me type "color" or "center"--it automatically changed them to "colour" and "centre."
ReplyDeleteI would also like to recommend a book, which I am surprised Bryson did not reference. It is "The Meaning of Everything," by Simon Winchester. Winchester details the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. It sounds stuffy and boring, but I found it fascinating. The OED always has the final say on matters of word meanings and origins in my classroom.
Another thing that Bryson points out that I really thought was interesting is that even though we claim english as our main language, the Irish seem to have been more creative with it. At the end of chapter 3 there are some Irish folk listed that contributed to a good amount to English literature. Bryson considers us lucky that they decided to not use "the fringe language" like the poets of Iceland or Norway, otherwise we would not have what we have today. English really does have a huge effect on more cultures than just ours.
ReplyDeleteCaxton was surprised how much the langauge had changed since Chaucer had died, and Caxton was born 22 years after Chaucer. I know it took awhile for Caxton to build up a vocabulary but in the example given on p 60, there was a pretty big change in such a short while. Back then is when the language was still making drastic changes and evolving at an incredible rate. I highly doubt that we will experience such a change in the next 2 or 3 decades but, if we were to be invaded and the US was to collapse under the rule of another country maybe then, this could happen. Other than that I don't really see a way.
ReplyDelete