Exploring the Interplay of Language and Culture
Posted on May 7, 2024 in Chemistry
Language and Culture
Language, Communication, and Culture
- How is language related to culture?
- Both questions are valid, and we look at the issues through several lenses:
- Kinesics and paralanguage
- Ethnolinguistics and code switching
- Similarities and differences between human and animal communication.
Nonverbal Communication
- There are two basic types of nonverbal communication
- Kinesics involves body language: facial expression, gestures, and eye contact
- Paralanguage includes vocalizations that often accompany speech: slurs, tones of voice, and nonmeaningful utterances like “um” and “uh”
Kinesics: Gestures
- Kinesics is the system of analyzing postures, facial expressions, and “body language”
- Gestures can have different meanings in different cultures
Kinesics: Facial Expressions
- Social smiles are commonplace
- Frowns express frustration or cynicism
- Facial expressions and eye contact are the most widely used forms of kinesics; gestures are also frequent
Gesture Call Systems: Paralanguage
- Paralanguage consists of extralinguistic noises accompanying language
- Voice qualities: tone, slur, and other background noises
- Vocalizations: Identifiable noises like “uh,” “um,” and other hesitations
More Paralanguage
- Vocal characteristics: Sound production such as laughing
- Vocal qualifiers: Tone or pitch, like “Get Out!”
- Segregates: “Shh!” “Oh oh,” “hmmm!” among others
Historical Linguistic Techniques
- Linguists use several techniques to trace the history of language without written records
- Glottochronology: reconstructing past languages based on the assumption that 14% of a language changes every 1000 years
- Core vocabulary: Comparing words for common objects based on similarity
- The closer the vocabulary between two languages, the more closely related they are thought to be
Models of Language Change
- Language Family: A group of languages descended from a single ancestral language
- Family Tree Model: Emphasizes the derivation of language from a common source
- Wave Model: Emphasizes borrowing across contemporary languages
Ethnolinguistics
- Ethnolinguistics studies the relationship between language and culture
- The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis states that language influences how people perceive the world
Ethnolinguistics: Do Languages Structure Cultures?
- The Hopi language’s conception of time as processes, not discrete units, is an example of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
Or Do Cultures Structure Language?
- The Nuer people of Sudan have a rich vocabulary related to cattle, reflecting their culture as cattle herders
- Does language condition culture, or does culture condition language?
Ethnolinguistics: Some Areas of Research
- Kinship terms: The terms father and mother may be extended to uncles and aunts
- Gender-based meanings: How men and women use language differently
- Social dialects: Variations in language based on social groups or regions
Code Switching: Martin Luther King
- Code Switching: Switching style of speech according to occasion and audience
- Martin Luther King, Jr. was a master of code switching, using different styles in formal and informal settings
Language Origins: Interspecies Comparison
- Comparing communication systems of different species can provide insights into language origins
- Chimpanzees have used American Sign Language and computer buttons to communicate
Language Origins: Fossil Evidence
- Fossil evidence suggests that the development of language is complex and its origins are uncertain
Features of Language Shared with Other Species
- Language shares some features with the communication systems of other animals, such as gibbons, stickleback fish, and bees
