language and culture语言与文化
Relationship between Language and Culture,语言和文化的关系
The Relationship between Language and CultureLanguage Phenomenon:Due to the differences between Chinese and western culture tradition and customs, the way of greeting is, of course, not the same. Because China is a long period of farming community, there is lot of ‘food’ in the daily expression. When people meet with each other, they will say ‘have you eaten?’ for greeting. This way of greeting is just the same as ’hi’ or ‘hello’ in western country. In China, it is a common way to say ‘hello’, but th e western people do not think so. They may think this greeting seems to be saying:’ I have nothing to eat. Come on. Let’s go to eat something.’ Or ‘I was going to ask you to my house for a dinner.’ All in all, this means that say ‘hello’ invitation to dinn er sometimes. Another way of greeting in china is’ where are you going?’ or ‘where have you been?’ In China, this greeting is just polite formula. But if you use these sentences to greet to western people, they will feel unhappy. Their reaction is likely to be: it is none of your business! Western people always talk about the weather when they meet. Such as‘the weather is fine.’ They respect the privacy of others, and will not ask others privacy issues.Analysis:So what is the relationship between language and culture? Before that, we should first know what language is and what culture is. Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication; culture refers to the patterns of customs, traditions, social habits, values, beliefs and language of a society. Every language is inseparable from a culture, it has to serve and reflect cultural needs.Different countries have different cultures, and different language. Language and culture are interdependent and interactional. Language is one of the most important carriers of culture. On the other hand, culture have a great impact on language, that is culture conditioning. People from different cultural background find themselves with different customs, such as the different greeting ways when they meet each other, in the conversation, western people are unwilling to say their age, income, marriage, love, fat and so on. But in China, it is very normal to talk about marriage, income, love, age and so on.Every society has its own culture, which is record, reflected and symbolized by its language. Language and culture evolved and developed together, and thereforehave been interwoven and mutually dependent throughout their history. Neither of them can exist without the other. So without language, culture would not be possible. On the other hand, Language is influenced and even shaped by culture. It is well recognized that language is not only a scientific system of linguistic symbols, but also a sociocultural activity. This view can account for the statement that language is culturally transmitted. Cultural transmission is one of the important characteristics of human language.Relationships:The relationship between language and culture can be summarized as the following:Firstly, language is part of culture. Due to the Chinese agriculture tradition and customs, the way of greeting is ‘have you eaten?’ like other cultural phenomenon, language is also a social phenomenon, it occurred with the production of society, and develops with the development of society. We can say that language has all the attributes of culture, so language is also a kind of culture, one of the many cultural phenomena. It has been clear that language is a part of culture and influenced by culture. If languages are molded in part by the ideas processing capacities and social factors all people have in common, they should have certain feature in common---linguistic universals. But to the extent that language is molded by accidental properties of thought, technology and culture, features will also differ from language to language.Secondly, language is the foundation of the development of culture. When we said the cultural development, it is pointing to the development on the original basis which is preserved and spread by language. The development of culture can’t do without thinking, and thinking activity can’t do without the language: the development of culture must rely on the collection of creation of social members. Only by using language which is good communication tool, can social members communicate and achieve mutual understanding. Different culture should learn from each other through language. Above all, culture must use language as tools to develop. So the language is the foundation of the development of culture.Conclusion:In short, language is part of culture and the also foundation of culture development, it can reflect the characteristics of national culture and the cultural differences between different nationalities to a maximum extent. From different nationalit ies’languages, we can find the evidences of different nationality’s values, is or not standard, customs, and religious beliefs, social system, and so on. Language is one of the most important carriers of culture has a great impact on language in conditioning. They both can’t survive with each other. On the other hand, the difference of language and culture may arouse inconvenience and misunderstanding.Therefore, learning the difference of cultures between different countries is very important. Realizing the difference of cultures between different nations is good for us to communicate with different language.(881words)。
language and culture 语言与文化
Historical Linguistic Techniques
When tracing the history of language, linguists have no writing to rely upon Several techniques have been developed to trace the probable changes Glottochronology: the reconstruction of past languages on the assumption that 14% of a language changes every 1000 years Core vocabulary: Comparison of words for common objects based on similarity A list of words is compiled for each of two languages that refer to objects that are common everywhere: body parts, sun, rain, stones, trees, and others The closer the vocabulary—cognates or similar words between two languages, the more closely related the two languages are thought to be.
Language Origins: Interspecies Comparison
When
language began is anyone‟s guess Defining communication and comparing different communication systems is a first step Chimpanzees have used American Sign Language and computer buttons to convey messages somewhat like languages But speech organs have long since deteriorated, so we have at best indirect evidence.
语言与文化~课程教学大纲
《语言与文化》课程教学大纲课程名称:语言与文化课程代码:1906920课程类型: 公共选修课学分:4 总学时:64 理论学时:64 实验(上机)学时:0 先修课程:基础英语适用专业: 英语语言文学一、课程性质、目的和任务《语言与文化》是全校学生的公共选修课程。
外语教学不仅要向学生传授语言知识,还应让学生了解目的语国家的文化背景知识。
其教学目的在于帮助学生解决在跨文化交际中因文化的差异而产生的种种困惑,促进学生对英美文化有较为深入的了解,对中西文化之间的差异有敏锐的感知力。
本课程涉及日常谈话中的文化差异、成语、谚语和格言、典故、委婉语和禁忌语以及敬辞和谦辞等,以实例深刻地揭示了文化在语言交际中的作用,它告诉学生在跨文化交际中如何才能做到得体,如何才能不出“洋相”。
本课程教学任务是,通过学习本课程,逐步提高学生跨文化交际的实际能力,使学生能够用文化的眼光,认识自己,包容他人。
二、教学基本要求1、知识、能力、素质的基本要求:通过本门课程的学习,使学生对中西方日常交际、风俗习惯、价值观念等有一个较系统和清楚的了解,并就自己感兴趣的某一领域能够写出较高水平的论文。
2、教学模式基本要求:本课程的教学环节主要包括:课堂教学、辅导答疑、课外作业、考试等。
教学以课本为依据,通过对课文的详细讲解使学生达到一定的知识储备,同时积极开展课堂讨论,同时还要注意培养学生的文化意识和英语学习兴趣,进一步扩大学生的英语词汇量,提高学生的文化修养和跨文化交际能力,使学生能够学以致用。
3、考核方法基本要求:考核方式:期末闭卷考试考核总成绩为100分,其中过程性成绩占10%,期中考试占20%,期末测试占70%。
无故缺课每达到三次,扣平时成绩2分;书面作业出现雷同,所有相关人员扣平时成绩1分;考试作弊,成绩为零。
三、教学内容及要求Chapter 1 Introduction教学目的和要求:了解The examples of language and culture difference between China and U.S.; The structure of the book;理解The reason causing these differences;掌握The concepts of language and culture; The relationship between language and culture.Chapter 2 Words---Same, Similar, Different?教学目的和要求:了解:The examples of words used in translating of Chinese and American version;理解:The differences caused by different cultures;掌握:How to deal with the difference when translating.Chapter 3 More on Words---Cultural Distinctions and Connotations教学目的和要求:了解:The examples of words used in translating of Chinese and American version;理解:The differences caused by different cultures;掌握:How to deal with the difference when translating.Chapter 4 Cultural Differences in Everyday Conversation教学目的和要求:了解:The examples of cultural differences in daily life between Chinese and the American;理解:The differences in greetings and farewells; The differences in ways of address; The differences in compliments and praises; The differences in miscellaneous social amenities;掌握:The differences in greetings and farewells; The differences in ways of address; The differences in compliments and praises; The differences in miscellaneous social amenities;Chapter 5 Idioms, Proverbs and Sayings教学目的和要求:了解:The functions of idioms, proverbs and sayings in Chinese and English;理解:The concepts of idioms, proverbs and sayings in Chinese and English.掌握:The examples and translation of idioms, proverbs and sayings in Chinese and English.Chapter 6 Metaphor and Association教学目的和要求:了解:The functions of Metaphor and Association in Chinese and English;理解:The concepts of Metaphor and Association in Chinese and English.掌握:The examples and translation of Metaphor and Association in Chinese and English.Chapter 7 “Colorful” language---More on Metaphor and Association教学目的和要求:了解:The differences of “Colorful” language in Chinese and English理解:The reason causing these differences掌握:The different meanings of “Colorful” language in Chinese and EnglishChapter 8 Allusions教学目的和要求:了解:The sources and concepts of allusions;理解:The functions of allusions;掌握:The examples of allusions in China and the USA. Chapter 9 Euphemisms教学目的和要求:了解:The concepts of euphemisms;理解:The functions of euphemisms;掌握:The examples of euphemismsChapter 10 Taboos教学目的和要求:了解:The concepts of taboos;理解:The functions of taboos掌握:Different taboos in different culturesChapter 11 Language of Respect and Humility教学目的和要求:了解:The concepts of Language of Respect and Humility;理解:The functions of Language of Respect and Humility;掌握:Different expressions of Language of Respect and Humility. Chapter 12 Some Differences in Writing Style教学目的和要求:了解:The reasons causing Chinglish理解:The differences of Writing Style掌握:Some aspects should be noticed in translationChapter 13 Varieties of English教学目的和要求:了解:The concept of variety;理解:The reasons causing different varieties;掌握:Different varieties of EnglishChapter 14 Body Language----Nonverbal Communication教学目的和要求:了解:The concept of body language;理解:The functions of body language;掌握:Different embodiments of body language.四、实验(上机)内容无五、学时分配六、推荐教材和教学参考书教材:《语言与文化——英汉语言文化对比》,邓炎昌刘润清编著,外语教学与研究出版社,1989年。
nida,_e._a._(2001)._language_and_culture的主要内容
nida, e. a. (2001). language and culture的主要内容1. 引言1.1 概述本文将探讨Nida, E.A. (2001)的著作《Language and Culture》中关于语言和文化之间相互影响的观点和理论。
语言和文化是人类社会中不可分割的两个要素,它们相互交织、相互影响,并共同塑造着我们的社会生活和认知方式。
通过深入研究Nida的论述,本文将展示语言如何塑造文化,以及文化又如何影响着语言使用。
1.2 文章结构本文主要分为四个部分:引言、Nida, E.A. (2001). Language and Culture背景介绍、语言与文化的关系以及Nida的观点和理论、正文(包括语言对文化的影响、文化对语言的影响以及跨文化交流中的挑战和解决途径)和结论。
每一部分都将详细阐述相关内容,并根据作者的观点进行阐释和探讨。
1.3 目的本文旨在通过研究Nida, E.A. (2001)所提出的有关语言和文化之间相互关系的理论,增进我们对这一领域认识的理解。
通过实证研究和案例分析,本文将探索语言如何塑造文化,以及文化对语言的影响,并讨论跨文化交流中的挑战以及可能的解决途径。
通过深入理解语言和文化之间的互动关系,我们可以更好地理解多样性、发展跨文化教育方法并促进更有效的跨文化交流。
综上所述,本篇文章旨在探讨语言与文化之间的紧密联系并阐述Nida, E.A. (2001)在此领域的观点和理论。
以下部分将详细介绍Nida, E.A. (2001). Language and Culture的背景、语言与文化之间的关系以及相关问题。
2. Nida, E.A. (2001). Language and Culture:2.1 背景介绍:Nida, E.A.是一位著名的语言学家和翻译家,他对多种语言及其文化之间的关系进行了深入研究。
在他的著作《Language and Culture》中,他探讨了语言与文化之间的紧密联系,并提出了一些重要观点和理论。
中考英语话题复习(14)社会文化礼仪复习(含答案)
十四、社会文化礼仪 (Society, Culture & Manners)【考纲要求】1、语言与文化(Language and culture)2、故事与诗歌(Stories and poems)(1)故事(Stories)(2)诗歌(Poems)(3)短剧(Short plays)(4)作家(Writers)【学习目标】1.掌握关于社会、文化和礼仪的基本词汇。
2.了解中西文化的一些差异。
3.掌握两个基本句型:(1) be(not) supposed to do sth.;(2) It's (not) polite to do…4.听:能听懂有关文化、文明礼仪的对话。
5.说:简单说说中西文化的一些差别。
6.读写综合:能读懂介绍不同国家文化礼仪的区别的文章,并且能运用所学的词汇和句型写一篇80个词左右的英语短文。
重点词汇社会society, 文化culture, 行为,举止behavior, 筷子chopsticks, 叉子fork, 汤勺spoon, 小刀knife, 节日festival, 外国的foreign, 传统的traditional, 邀请invite, 庆祝celebrate,礼物present/gift, 礼貌的polite, 国家的national, 指着,指向point to/at, 举行聚会have a party, 把……插在……里面stick into, 习惯于做某事be/get used to doing sth., 聚会get together, 与某人共度时光spend time with sb., 社会活动social activities, 餐桌礼仪table manners, 传统的节日traditional festival, 与…… 不同be different from, 对……友好be friendly to sb., 在公共场合in public 重点句型1.…have…不同国家有不同的餐桌礼仪。
语言与文化(Language and Culture)
Language and CultureI firmly believe that language and culture are familiar with everyone on earth. Nevertheless, I don’t think everyone is clear about the real meaning of language and culture. On this basis, this essay will explain some basic information about language and culture, including what is language, what is culture and the relationship between language and culture. What’s more, quite a number of examples will be cited to help you have a better understanding of language and culture.Let’s begin with the concept of language. When we put a key word “language”into the online Wikipedia(维基百科),which is a free encyclopedia to people all over the world, we find that language is defined as the human capacity for acquiring and using complex system of communications , and a language is any specific example of such a system. From this definition, we have a clear consciousness towards language. When we look into the Oxford English-Chinese Dictionary, Language is divided into several meanings as follow:1. use of words in an agreed way as a method of human communications 2. system of words of a particular community or country etc. 3. faculty of speech 4. system of symbols and rules for writing computer programs 5. any method of communication.6. professional or specialized vocabulary. Besides, I have also learned the definition of language from my linguistics class. In the book A New Concise Course in Linguistics for Students of English(新编简明英语语言学教程). Langue is thought to be a system of arbitrary vocal symbol used for human communication. Short as it is, this definition has captured the main features of language. First of all, language is a system, that is, elements of language are combined according to rules. Second, language is arbitrary in the sense that theme is no intrinsic connection between a linguistic symbol and what the symbol stands for. This conventional nature of language is well illustrated by a famous quotation: A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. This quotation means rose is still rose even it is called by another name.For my part, the definition of language is varied. Generally speaking, it is a series code that facilitates human communication. And beyond a specific context, language has no intrinsic meaning.After finishing talking about what is language, let’s know more about culture. Similarly, in the Wikipedia, culture is defined as fallowing meanings, Firstly, culture is deemed as a modern concept based on a term first used in classical antiquity by the roman orator Cicero: Cultura animi ( cultiration of the soul). Secondly, the term “culture”in American anthropology had two meanings: the evolved human capacity to classify and represent experiences with symbol, and to act imaginatively and creatively. Thirdly, Hoebel describes culture as an integrated system of learned behavior patterns and which are not a result of biological inheritance. Besides, we learn the meaning of culture from theIntercultural Communication course. Culture is defined as the group of people who share the same ancestry. There are also many renowned socialists give culture several definitions. For example, E.sapir once said that culture may be defined as what a societu does and thinks.Shortly, culture is involved in so many aspects that it is hard to give it an accurate definition. Put in another way, for different people, culture has very different meaning, according to their own value, education background, social status and so forth. So there is nothing to criticize when other’s understanding of culture is different from yours.Having known so much basic information about language and culture, we will have look at the relationship between language and culture. In the book Intercultural communication in English(新编跨文化交际英语),there is a description of the relationship between language and culture. It goes like this: culture and language are intertwined and shape each other. Language is not a matter of neutral codes and grammatical rules. Each time we select words form sentences, and send a message, either oral or written. We also make cultural choices. We all agree that language helps in communication with people from different backgrounds. However, we may be less aware that cultural literary is necessary to understand the language being used. Personally speaking, language and culture is not two totally different subjects with no relevance. On the contrary, they are tightly related. That is to say, onlywhen language is put into a specific environment of cultural context does it have some real meaning.To have a better understanding of language and culture, several typical examples of the language and cultural difference between China and the western countries will be cited. We all know that the Chinese culture is both profound and extensive which leads to numerous idioms, allusions, proverbs and sayings, which is hard for foreigners to understand. Take some of them for instances. Firstly, take “过着牛郎织女的生活” for example, it can be literally translated as the Herd-boy and the spinning maid(mythical lovers separated by the Milky Way). But a foreigner may feel puzzled when look at this allusion, for they do not have the cultural background of the allusion. Actually, it is a folk tale of ancient China which means husband and wife living apart. If you want a foreigner fully understand this allusion, you’d better to tell him the whole tale, which also help him to know more about Chinese culture.There are also other four-character allusions in Chinese. Such as 三顾茅庐—make three calls at the thatched cottage(as Liu Bei did when he sought the aid of Zhuge Liang, a master straight then living in seclusion)—repeatedly request someone to take up a responsible post.完璧归赵——return the jade intact to the state of Zhao—return something to its owner in perfect condition.拔苗助长—stand by a stump waiting for hares to come and dash themselves against it—trust to chance and waiting forgains without pains.对牛弹琴—play music to an ox—cast pearls before swine.Most of the allusions come into being according to china’s long history. That’s why many foreigners find it hard to know comprehensively about Chinese language and culture. Nevertheless, there are some equivalents between these two different cultures. For example, in Chinese , there is an allusion called “画蛇添足” , in English, there is a similar proverb called gilding the lily. What’s more, it takes two to make a quarrel can be found in Chinese 一个巴掌拍不响. Hopefully, these make it easier to understand each other’s culture.In short, language in different cultures is hard to understand to most foreigners. The only thing to do is try one’s best to know more about each other’s culture, including all walks of life.。
请用英语论述语言与文化的关系作文
请用英语论述语言与文化的关系作文全文共6篇示例,供读者参考篇1The Link Between Language and CultureHi there! My name is Emma, and I'm going to tell you all about how language and culture are connected. It's a pretty neat topic if you ask me. Language and culture go together like peanut butter and jelly!First off, what even is culture? Culture is the way people live, what they believe in, the foods they eat, the clothes they wear, the music they listen to, and all the traditions they follow. Every group of people has its own unique culture. That's what makes the world such an interesting and diverse place!Now, language is a big part of culture. The words we use, the way we say things, it all comes from the culture we grow up in. Let me give you an example. In English, we say "cheese" when we take a picture. But in Spanish, they say "whiskey!" Isn't that funny? It's because "whiskey" kind of sounds like the Spanish word for cheese, which is "queso."Language also reflects the values and beliefs of a culture. Like, in some cultures, they have different ways of addressing elders or people in authority to show respect. In English, we might call our grandparents "Grandma and Grandpa," but in other languages, they might use special titles or honorifics.Another way language and culture are linked is through idioms and expressions. Idioms are phrases that mean something different from the literal meanings of the words. For instance, in English, we might say "It's raining cats and dogs" to mean it's raining really hard. But in other languages, they might use a completely different expression for the same idea.Imagine if you grew up speaking a language and practicing the culture associated with it, and then you moved to a new country with a different language and culture. It would probably feel pretty strange and confusing at first! That's because your language and culture are so deeply connected to who you are and how you see the world.There are also some cultures that have more than one language. Like in Switzerland, they speak German, French, Italian, and Romansh. And in India, they speak hundreds of different languages! But even within the same country, the differentlanguage groups often have their own unique cultural traditions and practices.Sometimes, when two cultures come together, their languages can influence each other too. This is called language borrowing. For example, the English word "algebra" actually comes from Arabic, and the Spanish word "nacho" comes from the name of a Mexican guy named Nacho who invented the dish!Preserving languages is important for preserving cultures too. When a language dies out, a part of that culture's identity and history can be lost forever. That's why there are efforts to revive endangered languages and keep them alive.Okay, I could go on and on about this topic, but I think you get the idea. Language and culture are like two peas in a pod –you can't really have one without the other. The way we communicate through language is shaped by our cultural backgrounds, and our cultures are expressed and passed down through language.So the next time you learn a new word or phrase in another language, think about what it might reveal about the culture it comes from. And remember, learning about different languages and cultures is a great way to expand your understanding of the world and the people in it.That's all from me, folks! I hope you found this essay informative and maybe even a little bit fun. Let me know if you have any other questions about language and culture. I'm always happy to chat more about this fascinating topic!篇2Certainly! Here is an essay of around 2000 words, written in an elementary school student's tone, discussing the relationship between language and culture in English.The Magic of Words and TraditionsHi there! Have you ever wondered why people from different parts of the world speak different languages? Or why they have different customs and celebrations? Well, let me tell you all about the fascinating connection between language and culture!Language is more than just a bunch of words we use to communicate. It's like a magical key that unlocks the door to a whole new world – a world filled with unique beliefs, traditions, and ways of life. You see, every language is deeply rooted in the culture it comes from, and every culture has its own language that helps it grow and thrive.Let me give you an example. Imagine you're visiting a friend's house, and their family is celebrating a special occasion. You might see them wearing traditional clothes, eating delicious foods you've never tried before, and even participating in funny-looking dances or rituals. At first, it might seem a little strange, but that's just because it's different from what you're used to!But here's the cool part: the words they use to describe these traditions and celebrations are just as special and unique as the traditions themselves. They might have words in their language that don't even exist in yours because those words describe things that are specific to their culture. Isn't that amazing?It's like having a secret code that only people from that culture can fully understand. And the more you learn about their language, the more you'll understand about their culture, too!But it doesn't just work one way. Culture also shapes language in incredible ways. Think about all the sayings and expressions we use in our everyday conversations. Many of them come from our cultural beliefs, stories, and even the way we see the world.For example, in English, we say "it's raining cats and dogs" when it's raining really hard. That's because, in our culture, wehave a lot of funny sayings and stories involving animals. But in other cultures, they might use completely different expressions to describe heavy rain, based on their own traditions and beliefs.And that's not all! Even the way we pronounce certain words or the way we structure our sentences can be influenced by our cultural backgrounds. It's like our language is a mirror that reflects the rich tapestry of our customs, values, and histories.But don't worry, you don't have to be a language expert or a cultural scientist to appreciate this amazing connection. All you need to do is keep an open mind and be curious about the world around you.Whenever you meet someone from a different culture, ask them about their language and their traditions. You might be surprised to learn that the way they say "hello" or the way they celebrate a birthday is completely different from what you're used to. And who knows, you might even pick up a few new words or expressions along the way!So, the next time you hear someone speaking a language you don't understand, or you see them practicing a tradition that seems unfamiliar, don't be afraid to ask questions and learn more about it. Because every language and every culture has afascinating story to tell, and the more we understand each other, the more we can appreciate the incredible diversity of our world.And who knows, maybe one day you'll be the one teaching others about your own language and culture, and how they're both part of the same magical adventure we call life!篇3The Connections Between Language and CultureHi there! My name is Jamie and I'm going to tell you all about how language and culture are connected. It's a really interesting topic that I've been learning about in school.First, let me explain what language and culture mean. Language is the way we communicate with words, either by speaking, writing, or using sign language. Every country and group of people has their own language or languages that they use. Culture is all the beliefs, values, traditions, behaviors, and ways of life that are shared by a particular group of people. It includes things like their holidays, food, music, art, and more.Now, you might be wondering how language and culture are related. Well, they are actually super closely linked! The language that people speak impacts and shapes their culture. At the sametime, the culture of a group influences the language they use. It's like they go hand-in-hand and affect each other.Let me give you some examples to help explain. Different languages have certain words that don't exist in other languages because those words represent ideas, objects or traditions that are unique to a particular culture. Like in the indigenous language of Hawaii, there is a word "ohana" which refers to their concept of family being extended beyond just parents and siblings. It includes neighbours, close friends and other loved ones. Because this idea of an extended family is so important in Hawaiian culture, they have a special word for it in their language.Another example is how some languages have different ways to refer to people based on their age, status or gender to show respect. This reflects cultural values around hierarchy and manners. In Korean, there are specific honourifics and different verb forms you use with elders, teachers or your boss to be polite. But more casual language is fine with your peers. Their language encodes those cultural beliefs about showing deference.Food terms are another area where you can really see the culture-language connection. Cultures with particular signature dishes or ingredients will have very specific words for them intheir language. Like the French have around 400 words just relating to cheese because it's such a huge part of their cuisine and culture! Or how there are over 200 words for camels and their behaviors in Somali since camels are central to their nomadic way of life.Sometimes the words and metaphors we use can give insights into a culture's core values too. Expressions involving time reflect whether a culture has a more linear, future-oriented view or a cyclical, tradition-focused perspective. Languages also encode cultural attitudes towards concepts like individuality versus community, humanity's relationship with nature, and much more.Beyond vocabulary, even the grammatical structures and rules of a language can be shaped by cultural influences. Some languages' grammars emphasize hierarchical relationships more through complex systems of honourifics and formalities. While others place more value on egalitarian principles with simpler grammars that don't encode feudal-style hierarchies as much.Overall, you can see that language and culture have this amazing, intertwined relationship where they constantly influence each other. The culture impacts the language through imported words, metaphors, and structures. And in turn, thelanguage shapes the culture by highlighting certain ideas and viewpoints that then become central to that group's shared experiences and values. They really can't be fully separated.I find this topic so fascinating because it shows how language isn't just a neutral tool for communication. The words and grammar we use are imbued with deeper cultural meanings, assumptions and ways of thinking about the world. By learning about the language-culture connections, we can better understand different societies and appreciate the diversity of human experience and knowledge systems.Language is powerful - it doesn't just describe reality, it also plays a role in constructing our understanding of that reality. That's why preserving linguistic diversity is so important, since each language captures unique cultural wisdoms and perspectives that could be lost if those languages go extinct.Hopefully this has helped explain the deep, interwoven relationship between language and culture! Even though the details can seem quite complex, the core idea is simple - the words we speak don't exist in isolation, but carry with them entire worldviews, value systems and cultural DNA. The next time you're learning a new language, pay attention to those hidden cultural meanings too. There's a whole world of fascinatingconnections to explore between how people communicate and how they see the world around them.篇4The Connection between Language and CultureHave you ever thought about how the language you speak is related to your culture? Language and culture are like two sides of the same coin – they are closely connected and influence each other in many ways. Let me explain what I mean.Languages are more than just words and grammar rules. Each language carries its own unique way of thinking, expressing ideas, and viewing the world. The words we use, the way we structure sentences, and even the sounds we make all reflect the culture and history of the people who speak that language.For example, in English, we have many words that come from other languages like French, Spanish, and German. These words were introduced into English through cultural exchanges, trade, and migrations of people. The word "croissant" comes from French, and it reflects the influence of French culture on English-speaking countries. Similarly, words like "taco" and "fiesta" come from Spanish and reflect the influence of Spanish-speaking cultures.Languages also reflect the values, beliefs, and customs of their speakers. In some languages, there are specific words or expressions that don't exist in other languages because they represent unique cultural concepts. For instance, in Japanese, there is a word "omoshiroi" which means something is interesting or enjoyable, but it also carries a sense of appreciation and respect for the experience. This word reflects the Japanese cultural values of finding joy in simple things and appreciating beauty in everyday life.Different languages can also have different ways of addressing people based on their age, social status, or relationship. In many Asian languages, like Korean and Japanese, there are special honorific forms of speech used when talking to elders or people of higher social status. This reflects the cultural emphasis on respect for authority and hierarchical relationships in these societies.The way we communicate through language is also shaped by our cultural norms and expectations. In some cultures, it is considered polite to maintain eye contact during a conversation, while in others, direct eye contact is seen as rude or disrespectful. Similarly, the amount of personal space people prefer duringconversations, the use of gestures, and the volume and tone of voice can all be influenced by cultural factors.Just as language reflects culture, culture can also shape and influence the evolution of language over time. As societies change, new words and expressions are introduced into languages to describe new concepts, technologies, or social phenomena. For example, with the rise of the internet and social media, words like "selfie," "tweet," and "hashtag" have become part of our everyday vocabulary, reflecting the cultural impact of these technologies.Moreover, language can play a crucial role in preserving and transmitting cultural traditions, stories, and histories from one generation to the next. Many indigenous cultures around the world have rich oral traditions, where stories, myths, and legends are passed down through language. The loss of a language can also mean the loss of valuable cultural knowledge and identity.In conclusion, language and culture are deeply intertwined. Language reflects the unique cultural perspectives, values, and ways of life of its speakers, while culture shapes and influences the evolution of language over time. By learning and appreciating different languages, we can gain a deeperunderstanding and respect for the diverse cultures that exist in our world.篇5Certainly! Here's an essay of around 2000 words on the relationship between language and culture, written in English from the perspective of an elementary school student.The Link Between Language and CultureHave you ever wondered why people from different parts of the world speak different languages? Or why some words and phrases sound strange or funny to you? Well, the reason is that language is closely tied to culture, and they both influence each other in many ways.Let me explain what I mean by using some examples. Imagine you're learning a new language, like Spanish or Chinese. You'll quickly notice that some words or expressions don't make sense when you translate them directly into English. That's because those words or phrases are connected to the culture and traditions of the people who speak that language.For instance, in Spanish, they say "¿Cómo estás?" which means "How are you?" But if you translate it word-for-word intoEnglish, it would be "How are you standing?" That sounds a bit odd, doesn't it? But in Spanish culture, it's just a polite way of asking how someone is doing.Similarly, in Chinese, they have a phrase that translates to "Have you eaten rice yet?" which is a way of saying "Hello" or "How are you doing?" This phrase comes from the importance of rice in Chinese culture and the idea that ensuring someone has eaten is a way of showing care and concern.These examples show how language reflects the values, beliefs, and practices of a particular culture. The words and expressions we use are not just random combinations of letters and sounds; they carry deeper meanings and histories that are tied to the way people in that culture live and think.But it's not just words and phrases that connect language and culture. The way we communicate and interact with others is also shaped by our cultural backgrounds. For example, in some cultures, it's considered rude to interrupt someone while they're speaking, while in others, it's seen as a sign of engagement and interest.Similarly, the way we use body language, gestures, and facial expressions can vary greatly across cultures. In some cultures,maintaining eye contact is seen as respectful, while in others, it's considered impolite or even confrontational.Language and culture are also intertwined when it comes to storytelling, literature, and the arts. The stories, poems, and songs that are passed down from generation to generation often reflect the values, traditions, and beliefs of a particular culture. They use language in ways that are meaningful and relatable to the people of that culture.For example, in many Native American cultures, stories and legends are used to teach important lessons about respecting nature, honoring ancestors, and maintaining a balance between humans and the natural world. These stories are told using specific language, metaphors, and imagery that resonate with the cultural beliefs and experiences of the people.Similarly, in African cultures, oral traditions and storytelling play a significant role in preserving history, passing down wisdom, and celebrating cultural identity. The language used in these stories is rich with proverbs, riddles, and figurative expressions that convey deeper meanings and cultural values.Learning a new language can also give you insights into the culture it's connected to. When you study a language, you learn about the customs, traditions, and ways of life of the people whospeak it. This can help you understand and appreciate different cultures better, and even develop a deeper respect and understanding for people from diverse backgrounds.For instance, when you learn Spanish, you might learn about the importance of family, hospitality, and celebrations in many Spanish-speaking cultures. When you learn French, you might learn about the cultural significance of food, art, and fashion in French society.In conclusion, language and culture are deeply intertwined. The words and expressions we use, the way we communicate, and the stories and traditions we pass down are all influenced by our cultural backgrounds. Learning a new language can open up a window into different cultures and help us develop a greater understanding and respect for the diversity of human experiences. So, the next time you encounter a word or phrase that seems strange or confusing, remember that it's likely connected to a deeper cultural meaning and history.篇6The Connections Between Language and CultureHi everyone! My name is Emily and I'm going to talk to you today about languages and cultures. Have you ever thoughtabout how the language you speak is connected to your culture? It's really interesting to learn about!Every culture around the world has its own language or languages that developed over many years. The words, grammar, sayings and way of speaking in a language grew out of the beliefs, traditions, environment and experiences of that cultural group. So in a way, a language captures the culture's view of the world.For example, some languages have lots of words for different types of snow, while others might have more words about the desert or the ocean depending on where those people lived. The Inuit people who live in the Arctic regions have dozens of words in their language for the different types of snow and ice because it's such an important part of their environment and lifestyle. They need a way to describe the snowy world around them very precisely.Or think about how we say "It's raining cats and dogs" in English when there is heavy rain. That's a funny expression that doesn't make much sense if you think about it literally! But it reflects how English has developed lots of colorful idioms and sayings over time as part of the culture. Other languages willhave their own unique expressions that might not translate directly.The way people speak and the exact words they use can give you clues about their culture and heritage. If you hear someone use certain phrases or talk about particular cultural traditions, you can start to guess where they or their family is originally from. The language holds secrets about their background.When I was younger, I remember struggling a bit with my grandparents' accents when they spoke English. I realized later that was because the way they pronounced certain words was influenced by the Native American language of their tribe. Their accents reflected that cultural heritage carried through the generations, even as they learned to speak English too.Languages and cultures don't just influence each other's vocabulary and pronunciation over time - they can also share fundamental thought patterns and views of the world. The grammatical structures and rules of a language can reveal how its speakers typically organize their thoughts and see the world around them.For instance, some languages assign gender to every noun by calling it "she" or "he" - even for objects like keys or tables! That could suggest those cultures perceive everything as havingmasculine or feminine traits in a way English doesn't. Other languages have a different concept of time built into the grammar, describing events as ongoing or already completed differently than we do in English. So the core structure of a language can shape its speakers' perspective.When children learn a language from birth, they start seeing the world through the patterns and mindsets embedded in that language's system. That cultural view gets passed down from parents and communities as an integral part of how the language is spoken and understood. Fascinating, right?Of course there are exceptions to these generalizations, and language and culture don't match up perfectly for every individual. But in broad terms, the languages and cultures of communities around the globe have grown togetherhand-in-hand over centuries. They have influenced and reinforced each other through shared philosophies, experiences, traditions and environments.That's why languages can be so difficult to translate between - you often can't find a perfect word-for-word match because the deeper cultural context is different. And it's also why learning a new language can give you a window into understanding how other cultural groups view the world in their own unique way.Pretty interesting stuff, isn't it? Languages and cultures are kind of like two tightly woven strands of yarn that make up the tapestry of human diversity on this planet. I find it amazing how the evolution of spoken and written communication has been shaped by cultural influences for every society, and vice versa! Let me know if you have any other thoughts on this topic.。
语言与文化的关系The relationship between language and culture
Questions:
1. Does language form culture? 2. To what extent does language influence culture?
3. Language is influenced and shaped by culture.
The most obvious influence of culture on
The relationship between language and culture
---Introduction
2014-10-22
The same one word may stir up different associations in people with different backgrounds
nguage is part of culture.
Culture is a wider system
Culture
Language
that completely includes language as a subsystem. The relation of language to culture is that of part to whole.
apartment
• Chinese + English = Chinglish ---English with Chinese chracteristics
The appearance of Chinglish also reflects the relationship between language and culture. It shows a special kind of relationship between English language and Chinese culture.
The relationship between language and culture (语言与文化的关系)
The relationship between language and cultureIntroductionLanguage is the important means of communication, and it is the carrier of culture and a part of culture, any language was born with formation of its culture, develops with the development of culture, and in most cases, perishes with death of its culture.1. Language, as a concrete system of signs, has its own significance in the culture communicationIt has long been recognized that language is an essential and important part of a given culture and that the importance of culture upon a given language is something indispensable.1.1 Language is a systemThe important of language to the study intercultural communication is clearly captured in the American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson’s simple sentence “Language is the archives of history.” His declaration takes on added significance when we realize that one of the major characteristics identifying us as human is our ability to use language –to make sounds and marks serve as substitutes for things and feelings.Over millions of years, we have evolved the anatomy necessary to produce and receive sounds have taken on meaning by representing things, feelings, and ideas. This combination of evolution and culture has led to the development of a four-part process that enables us share our internal states with other human beings. In short, we can receive, store, manipulate, and generate symbols to represent our personalized realities.1.2 The importance of languageLanguage is extremely important to human interaction because it is how we reach out to make contract with our surroundings. If we were to survey a normal day, we would soon see that we use words for a wide variety of purposes we may use language when we first awake: “Good morning!” We use words as a wa y to write with the outside world. Or we may use words to share an unpleasant experience and to get support from other: “Let me tell you about the horrible dream I had last night.” This example also demonstrates how we employ words to relate to the past, that is, to talk about something that has already happened.We use words so that we can experience some control over the present: “please pass me thesalt and pepper.” We each seek to affect our environment, to influence many lf the daily situations in which we find ourselves. Words, and how we manipulate them, permit us to make those alterations through symbolic transactions with others.We also use words to form images of the future: “I have meet with Jane at work today, but I dread seeing her, because I k now she’s going to be upset about the changes I’m making in her work schedule.” Our wording ability allows us to predict and describe the future .We use words to persuade to exchange ideas, to exchange ideas, to express views, to seek information, and to express feelings. When we study another language, we soon discover that the symbols, the sounds for those symbols, and the rules for using those symbols and sounds are different.2. Language, as a culture institution, is born with culture. It develops and interacts with the cultureTo preserve the language of a nation is to preserve its special culture and history. When people can not understand the old language, they will be less tightly connected to or even gradually lose their cultures and histories. Their enemies know much more clearly than themselves as to this point.We still remember that in the famous article The Last Lesson, the first thing Prussians did when they intruded France, was to replace French with Prussian in the school education. Japanese also took the same strategy in order to cut off the connection between people and their histories and cultures. This evil refused to only stay in people's memory and is still threatening certain cultures and nations. Thus both Jews and Tibetans are still fighting to preserve their languages for the sake of their cultures and histories at the edge of being extinguished.2.1 Explain the meaning of the cultureWhen delivering daily speech, the word "culture" refers to pursuits such as literature and music. More broadly, we can define "culture" as all the modes of thought, behavior, and production that are handed down from one generation to the next by means of communicative interaction── speech, gesture, epic, construction, and all other communication among hu mans── rather than by genetic transmission or heredity. "Culture" is an essential concept for it is what makes humans unique in the animal kingdom. All familiar forms of social organizations, ranging from the simplest family to the most sophisticated corporation depend upon "culture" for their existence. Nevertheless, "society" and "culture" might be confusing forone to distinguish. "Society" is population that is organized to carry out the major function of life.A society's "culture" consists of all the ways in which its members think about it among themselvesCulture, in a broad sense, means the total way of life of a people, including the patterns of belief, customs, objects, institutions, techniques, and language that characterizes the life of the human community. As culture is so inclusive, it permeates virtually every aspect of human life and influences predominantly people’s behavior, including linguistic behavior. In a narrow sense, culture may refer to local or specific practice, belief or customs, which can be mostly found in folk culture, enterprise culture or food culture etc.Generally speaking, there are two types of culture: material and spiritual. While material culture, as the term itself suggests, is concrete, substantial and observable, most of spiritual culture, the products of mind, is abstract, ambiguous, and hidden. In contrast with nature in the sense of what is born and grows, culture refers to what has been grown and brought up with, in other words, what can be nurtured. Culture, especially material culture, is reproduced and preserved through the maintaining of beliefs, traditions, education and other institution mechanisms, mean while, it changes slowly with the development of the society.2.2 The relationship between language and cultureWe begin our preview of language by noting that it is impossible to separate our use if language from our culture. In its most basic sense, language is a set of symbols and the rules for combining those symbols that are used and understood by a large community of people. When we study another language, we soon discover that not only are the symbol and sounds for those symbols different, but so are the rules (phonology, grammar, syntax, and intonation) for using those symbols and sounds.Word different are obvious in various language. In English, we live in a house. In Spanish, we live on a case. In Thai we live in a ban. Phonology also varies culturally. In English, we have 21 consonant sounds and 5 vowels that combine to from 38 various sounds. “Vie tnamese has 34 segmental phonemes consisting of vowels, semivowels and consonants.” The Filipino language has 16 consonants and 10 vowels forming 26 phonemes. Portuguese has 21 consonants and 13 vowels that form 34 basic phonemes. Grammatical structures are unique to each language as well. In English verb tenses express contrast between past, present, and future acts, but in Vietnamese, the same verb reflects all three and the time of action is inferred from the context. Syntax, or theword order and structure of sentences, also varies depending on the language. The normal woes order for simple sentences in Filipino is the reverse of the word order in English. That is, the predicate is followed by the subject. For example, the English sentence “The teacher died” would be “Namatay ang guro” or “died the teacher” in Filipino. In English, the subject is followed by a verb and then an object, but in Korean, the subject is followed by the object and then the verb. So in English we might say, “The cat ate the mouse,” but in Korean, “Cat mouse ate” would be correct.These examples indicate that if we want to communicate in another language, it is important for us to know not only the symbols of that language, but also the rules for using those symbols. As you know language is much more than a symbol and rule system that allows us to communicate with another person-language also shapes the process by which people became introduced to the order of the physical and social environment. As Nanda indicates, “language, therefore, would seem to have major impact on the way an individual perceives and conceptualizes the world.”2.2.1Language not only express a person’s meaning but also express a nation’s cultureWe can have different meanings for the same word. For instance, to one person, the woes grass might mean something in front of then house that is green, has to be watered, and must be mowed once a week: to another person, grass may mean something that is rolled in paper and smoked. All people, drawing on their backgrounds, decide what a word means. People have similar meanings only to the experience includes baseball, to us a rope is a line driver. If our background lies in the world of jazz music, the word ax does not indicate something used to chop wood but any horn or woodwind instrument. And it is likely that we and a physician respond differently to the woes cancer.If we include culture as a variable on the process of abstracting meaning, the problems became all the more acute, for culture teaches us both the symbol and what the symbol represents. When you are communicating with someone from your own culture, the process of using words to represent your experience is much easier because within a culture people share many similar experiences. But when communication is between people from distinct cultures, different experiences are involved and the process is more troublesome. Objects, events, experiences, and feelings have the labels or names they do because a community id people arbitrarily decided to so name them. If we extent this notion to the intercultural setting, we can see that diverse cultures can have both different symbols and different responses.There are even differences between British and American usage in word meanings. Although some words are spelled and pronounced the same, they have different meanings. For instance, the words boot, bonnet, lift, and biscuit in British English translate into American English as car trunk, car hood, elevator, and cookie. In the area of business, there are also some interesting differences. For example, the British term annual gunnel meeting translates in American English as annual meeting of shareholders; scheme translates as pension plan. From these examples, we see that culture exerts an enormous influence on language because culture teaches not rules for using those symbols and rules for using those symbols, but more important, the meaning associate with the symbols. Further, culture influences the way people use language.2.2.2 Language and its culture influence are exemplified in the theoretical formulations of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesisLanguage and its culture influence are exemplified in the theoretical formulations of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which in essence states that language is a guide to “social reality.” T his hypothesis implies that language is not simply a means of reporting experience but, more important, it is a way of defining experience. Sapir wrote:Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their society …The real world is to a large extent unconsciously built up on the language habits of the group. No two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality. The worlds in which different societies live are distinct worlds, not merely the same world with different labels attached. Nanda provides an excellent example if the Sapir-Whorf concept in practice: If my language has only one term-brother-in-law- that is applied to my sister’s husband, my husband’s brothers, and my husband’s sisters’ husbands, I am led by my language to perceive all of these relatives in a similar way. Vocabulary, through what it groups together under one label and what it differentiates with different labels, is one way in which language shapes our perception of the world.3. Linguistic evidence of cultural differenceAny linguistic may be simultaneously of a denotative, connotative, or iconic kind of meanings. To begin with, any sign has a meaning that can be found in a dictionary, this is the denotative meaning. For example, “rose” is a flower that has a pleasant smell and is usually red,pink, white, or yellow etc. On most occasions “rose” means more than a flower, it also triggers many associations mostly good ones such as love, fragrance, passion and beauty etc. These are its connotations or connotative meanings. Moreover, the word “rose” also invok es image to people. The famous line “my love is a red rose” stirs up vividly the imagination if a beautiful young lady. This is the iconic meanings.All these types of meanings are bound with culture encodings from their associations. Each language has its own metaphors that provide semantic cohesion within its boundaries. Motivated by the need and desire to influence others, people choose to use words which emphasize denotative meaning, connotative meaning or iconic meanings or all of them, during the same process its cultural meanings are created.The following are some illustrations of the cultural differences in language use which we may often come across in our daily life.3.1 A Comparison of Chinese and British Hospitality in Treating GuestsIn China, people’s hospitality is shown by the number of the dishes offered as well as by the eagerness to impress the guest with the most expensive and nutritious food.While in Britain, people value equality. Their hospitality is shown by treating the guest as an equal with the host. Believing in simplicity regarding food, they may offer their guest the same type of meal they usually eat. Part of the reason is their egalitarianism and other reason is that the host wants to introduce the foreign guest to British food and eating customs, and make the guest feed comfortable.The foreign guest might think of the saying. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”3.2Different Topics between China and West Common topics in China3.2.1Common topic in ChinaSince there is not much privacy that is found in China. People feel free to ask almost any question without being offensive. The most common topics are age, income, property, family life, especially children, politics and religion. Also, when a purchase, is made, Chinese people will often ask or voluntarily tell the item’s price in order to share the happiness of shopping. But most Westerns feel it very inappropriate to talk about the price of products they have purchased. That information is considered private, so question about price should not be asked.Elderly people are highly respected in China, of “old” means wisdom and experience, theolder the better. Males especially will often ask about each other’s age to show respect for the elder one. And the elder one feels very happy to be addressed as “lao” plus surname.Today, more and more Chinese women, who have been influence by the Western cultures, do not want to give their ages.However, it is very rude for person to address the senior or the elder only by their family names. Some topics concerning the death will always be avoided.3.2.2 Common topics in the westPeople in the West like to talk about the weather, sports, news, traveling, interests and hobbies. Do not ask personal questions about age, weight, illness, income, property, religion and politics. In general conversations asking about these political issues. Beware that politics is an “emotionally changed” topic because the people in the conversation may have differing viewpoints within the group.General question about family can be asked to start a conversation. You may ask if a person is single or married. Depending on how the conversation is going, you can either ask directly by saying, “Are you single?” or “Are you married?” or indirectly by saying, “Do yo u have a family?”3.3 Friendship3.3.1 Friendship in ChinaIn China most people expert their friends to do for then when they are in need. There is an obligation to a friendship. People feel obligated and a duty to do for their friends. We have a lot for Chinese sayings concerning friendship:“为朋友两肋插刀”(people can take any risks, even risk of their lives, especially among male friends, to do everything for their friends disregarding whether it’s right or wrong);“有难同当,有福同享” (people can not only share bitterness ,hardships but also happiness with their friends). Other proverb and sayings such as “一个篱笆三个桩,一个好汉三个帮”(As one fence needs three stakes, a good guy needs three fellows.)“在家靠父母,出门靠朋友”(It is your parents that you can rely on at home, but it is your friends that you can count in when out in the society ), show that friendship really counts or is very important to a person in the society.Having friends reflects having a good personality you have and more sociable you are. Your life will be better if you have more friends, and will be worse without friends. One needs a friend to help him or her out when difficulties occur, and one needs a friend to offer financial supportwhen there is a lack of money. So in other words, one cannot be without friends in his or her life. Actually, there is a lot to say about Chinese friendships, and I am sure you have more explanations you can add to this list because of a better understanding of your own personal friendships.3.3.2Friendship in the United StatesIn general, American has causal, friendly relationships with many people, but deeper, closer friendships with only a few. Friendship requires time and commitment (The state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action or to another person or persons) and depending on the American is commitment to family, which is a priority, and time require for work or school, various types of friendships will be developed.3.3.3 Different ways of Expressing FriendshipPeople in the west apologize to their friends over things like asking for help in some small matter or telephoning late at night. They tend to use polite forms such as “could you”, and “would you” even with their friends. They may sound cold and distant when they feel perfectly friendly.Chinese people tend to make more direct requests to their friends. They address those they know quite well in a very direct way. They may sound rude and demanding when they intend to sound friendly.3.4 Greetings and term of addressIt is estimated that in English there are at least a dozen different g reetings, from “Hi” and “Hello” to more specific and longer ones like “How are you getting on?” or “How is everything with you?” People choose the proper one to greet different people they meet on different occasions. For example, people greet a new acquai ntance with “How do you do?” and expect the same in answer, but they greet an old friend differently. When friends meet, you may find more than once they are uttering” How are you?” at the same time to each other, and they both answer “Fine, thank you.” Di fferently, a Chinese speaker may greet his friends or new acquaintance with “Nin hao” or “Nihao”, whether they meet for the first time or anytime in the day.Another noticeable difference between the two greeting systems is that most Chinese people tend to greet acquaintances with “have you eaten?” or “Where are you heading for?” Obviously, if we greet the native speakers of English in this way, it will certainly cause misunderstanding.Sometimes different terms of address can be equally misleading for Chinese learners ofEnglish or English learners of Chinese. While in China “Tongzhi” was once used for all people irrespective of sex, position or marital status, in English –speaking communities “Mr.” “Mrs.” “Miss.” “Ms.” would be appropriate in similar situa tions. It is also interesting to note that in recent years “Mr.” and “Miss.” Are picked up again to replace “Tongzhi” with the changes in society. Meanwhile “shifu” is frequently used to show respect for strangers. English speakers, on similar occasions, w ould use “Sir” or “Madam”.The extension of kinship term is another feature of Chinese culture . Term such as “uncle, aunt, grandpa, and granny” are used as honorific titles for senior people or strangers, as in “ Granny Li” and “Uncle “Zhang”. Native spea kers of English would be puzzled if they are addressed in this way by people outside the immediate family. Similarly, the use of respectful titles-Chair-man Jiang, Premier Zhou, Director Ma-to indicate people’s influential status is typical of Chinese culture. Such practice, however, is less common in English –speaking cultures.3.5 Natural environmentIn Chinese, "the east wind" makes one feel warm genial, the grass long hawk flies, mixed peanut tree, but "the west wind" then just right is opposite, some one kind the flavor which sends the human to the bone to inter the body or bones of a monk. Yan Shu had written that “last night the west wind withered the blue tree”, Ma Zhiyuan had written that “ancient road, the west wind and thin horse.” All these are illustrations. However English situation is actually different from Chinese. We can read to Samuel Butler’s poem that” biting east winds”. Charles Dickens had written that “How many winter days have I seen him. Standing blue nosed in the snow and east win d! “About the west wind, then has John Milton’s line from his poem” And west winds with musky wing”. John Masefield had written that “It is a want wind the west wind full of birds ' cries. “The meaning of the two kinds of wind association of summer is so d ifference in Chinese and English people’s mind. The reason is also the geographical position. China is located in the Asian mainland. Because of the continental climate in China, the four seasons are distinct. In summer the most obvious characteristic is a scorching sun and unendurable hot. But England is located in the North temperate zone. Because of the marine climate, the summer in England is so beautiful, temperate and satisfied.3.6 manners and customsIn English there is only a word “cousin” but in Chinese there male cousin, younger male cousin, younger female cousin to express the same meaning. We can find that, Chinese relates unexpectedly the cousin obtains so strictly. It must say the sex and branch out the size. That is different from using only one word in English .The reason of this language phenomenon should attribute to the Chinese 23,000 years long time feudal rule. This kind of feudalism patriarchal society takes the blood relationship relations highly. It emphasized specially rank difference, and advocated the precedence and maintained between seniors and juniors. Westerner’s ideal is everybody pursues equality .They want to obtain the equal standing with the dialogue person. So westerners always directly shout the name of their sisters, brothers even their father and mother.3.7 Thanks and complimentsCulture differences are also evident in the ways gratitude and compliments are expressed. It is noted that people in the West tend to verbalize their gratitude and compliments more than Chinese speakers and that the westerners tend to accept thanks and compliments more directly and frankly than we Chinese do.When a native English speaker expresses to us his gratitude, a Chinese speaker may feel embarrassed and would sometimes say “no, no” t o decline whatever expressions of gratitude. However, English speakers, in a similar situation , would say something like “I am glad to hear it “ or “I am glad to be of help “ to acknowledge and accept the thanks. To native speakers of Chinese, expressions like “Not at all” or “It is nothing” which are sometimes used by Englishmen to turn down thanks may sometime lead to misunderstanding.Similarly, many native Chinese speakers will feel embarrassed when they hear compliments like “you speak excellence English” or “You have acquired a native English speaker accent.” To show their modesty and that they do not deserve a compliment, is sincere, they tend to use an emphatic “no”. English speaking people, unlike Chinese, will accept compliment. Therefore, they think it is inappropriate to show false humility, or pretended modesty.3.8 Privacy and taboosAlthough people of different culture have many common areas of privacy or taboos, there are also areas where our culture differs from western culture. As the sa ying goes “A man’s home is high value on privacy. It is not appropriate for us to ask questions about personal information like age, family background, salary, or questions on personal activities. It is advisable we shouldnot talk about such things, when conversing with English –speaking people unless they indicate clearly that they do not mind or they talk about them first themselves. Some of these questions are listed below:How old are you?What are your wages?How much do you earn?You make a lot of mo ney, don’t you?What’s you name?How much did that pair of shoes cost you?Moreover, we should be careful to avoid expressions related sexual intercourse, some organ of human body, four-letter words and racism etc.In China when two people first meet each other, they will ask many questions to each other. After three minutes, they will know each other very well. They have got much privacy information clearly from each other. Include family situation, individual condition. This also is the different cultural context which both sides locates is having an effect. The English beautiful women pay great attention to individual privacy specially. They thought individual matter shouldn’t let others know. And they wouldn’t others to intervene. Since 1100 years Chines e people live in a village near to each other and contact each other very often. So their privacy affair was difficult to let other persons know. Therefore they very are willing to understand others good and bad in life, others also want honestly to consider.3.9 Culture –relate idioms, proverbs and metaphorsDifferent languages may reflect different culture, different cultures entail different language expressions. Idioms, proverbs and saying and metaphors in different languages, derived from different origins, also demonstrate cultural differences. Different languages may have different idioms owing to different living environments, social conventions and literature tradition etc. A constellation of examples could be picked up from different levels of language analysis to illustrate the interplay of language and culture.When you get your hands dirty, it does not necessarily mean in the American culture that you have done some manual work and need to wash your hand.When you have enough dumbbells, it does not necessarily mean that you keep pair if this instrument for regular physical practices.Another example that since English people view dog as human being’s best friend, we can find more English people view dog as human being’s best friend, we can find more English expressions with dog than in Chinese.Luck dog: a luck personClever dog: a clever boy or smart ladDumb dog: silent person or a person who keeps secretsLead a dog’s life: to live an exhausted and unhappy lifePut on the dog: put in airAnd some proverbs and saying with dogs are listed as fellows.Every dog has his day.Dog does not eat dog.Give a dog an ill name and hang him.Barking dogs seldom bite.Beware of a silent dog and still water.Love me, love my dog.As to metaphor, we can easi ly find that in Chinese anger id compared with “liquid” or “qiti” as in “wo qi si le”(I am anger to death)while in English anger is more compared with “fire” as in “he is outraged.” “His face turned red with anger.” “She lost her temper.”, to mention just a few.3.10 Color wordThere are many color words in our language, such as red, white, black, yellow, purple and so forth, which are used frequently. In the first place, I’d like to introduce the common usages of the color words.English abounds with phrases containing color words. Colors may convey different messages to people of different cultures. Due to the respective cultural background and tradition, some phrases containing color words have far surpassed their original meanings, forming different connotations.What does see red mean? If he is in a blue mood, what kind of mood is he in? Is he happy, sad, or what? Obviously, red and blue do not mean just the color. Each has additional meanings-certain cultural associations-that are hidden behind the word. The following part will be devoted to the discussion of cultural differences of certain color words.In both Chinese and English, red is usually associated with happy occasions. On calendar,。
语言与文化language and culture
• What is the meaning of this sentence? • When spoken and written , language takes on tangible (可触摸到的)and perceptible (看得出的)forms. These tangible forms, as with any cultural product, can be described through language. We constantly employ metalamguage (元语言) to disscuss language itself.
How can we use the right language in the right way according to the author?
It is based on direct experience in the culture and interactions with members of the culture, in all the complexity this entails.
and of itself. Practices: It perhaps the most obvious use of language. Cultural practices almost always
Perspectives: Language also reflects and embodies perspectives. The perspectives are indeed embodied in words, phrases, and sentences, but the perspectives are not always immediately obvious.
英语教学中语言和文化的关系
The Relationship Between Language and Culturein English TeachingAbstract:This study was conducted with the relationship between language and culture in English teaching.We have tried to find out what’s the best way to improve the students' English level. Maybe,there is someone who is very good at English exam, that one could be a mechanical memorizing person. Butlearning a language also entails learning about its culture, in addition to teaching the language itself.Teachers might need to inform their students when,where, and how the discourse should be used in English-speaking contexts. This study illustrates the relationship between language study and cultural sense, what a kind of relationship, and the influence.Key Words: language;culture;English teaching;language-culture relationship英语教学中语言和文化的关系摘要:本文阐明了语言和文化的关系在英语教学中的应用。
language and culture
在汉语中一般只用“公”和“母”(或“雌”和“雄”)二字来区分禽兽的性别。在英语中则往往各有单独名称,小动物也另有名称。见下表:
总称
雄性名称
雌性名称
小动物名称
chicken
鸡
cock, rooster
hen
chick
duck
鸭
drake
duck
duckling
goose
鹅
gander
goose
gosling
在表示自然现象的语言中,汉语中“节气”的概念在英语中是没有的。(应当指出,把“节气”译成solar terms,大部分西方人仍然不懂。)如一部常用的现代《汉英词典》中,把“雨水”译成Rain Water(2nd Solar Term),把“惊蛰”译成Waking of Insects(3rd Solar Term),把“清明”译成,Pure and Brightness(5th Solar Term)。这些名称不另加解释就没有什么意义。但有些“节气”的名称在英语中确实有对应词:春分=Spring Equinox;夏至=Summer Solstice;秋分=Autumnal Equinox;冬至=Winter Solstice。
日常生活中的用语也有类似现象。多数英美人从来投有睡过中国的“炕”(kang, a heatable bricked bed),没有吃过“冰糖葫芦”,(candied haws on a stick),也没有用过中国的“秤”(steelyard)。大部分中国人没有住过美国的motel(专为开汽车的游客开设的、有停车场的旅馆),没有吃过pasta (通心粉),也不需要在上班时由time clock,(出勤记录钟)证明他们是否按时上班。类似这样的英语词在汉语中都找不到对应词,连词义相近的词也没有,因为根本没有这种概念。
胡壮麟《语言学教程》笔记和考研真题及典型题详解(7-12章)【圣才出品】
1 / 147
圣才电子书 十万种考研考证电子书、题库视频学习平台
different languages may probably express their unique ways of understanding the world. Following his argument, two important points could be captured in this theory. On the one hand, language may determine our thinking patterns; on the other, similarity between languages is relative. For two different speech communities, the greater their structural differentiations are, the more diverse their conceptualization of the world will be. For this reason, this hypothesis has alternatively been referred to as linguistic determinism and linguistic relativity. 【考点:名词解释;指出该假说的两种版本】
②To help the students transcend their own culture and see things as the members of the
【英语听力】Language and Culture 语言和文化
Language and Culture语言和文化Languages are marvelously complex语言是极其复杂and wonderfully complicated organs of culture:难解的文化工具:they embody the quickest and the most efficientmeans of communicating 它们是最快捷最有效的交流思想的方法within their respective culture.在各文化中。
To learn a foreign language is to learn another culture.学习外语就等于学习另一种文化。
In a words of a poet and philosopher,一位诗人兼哲学家曾经这样说过:"As many languages as one speaks, so many lives one lives.""你懂几种外语,你就过着几种不同的生活。
"A culture and its language are as inseparable as brain and body;文化及其语言正像人脑与人体一样不可分割。
while one is a part of the other,neither can function without the other. 虽然其中一个是另一个的部分,但是失去一部分,另一部分就不能运作。
In learning a foreign language, the best beginning学习外语最好的开始是is with the non- verbal linguistic elements of the language,从这种语言的非语言的语言成分开始,its gestures,its body language.即从手势,体语开始。
language and culture
Genesis 11:4–9
Go to, let us go down, and there confound their
language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. —Genesis 11:4–9
What is the nature of the relationship between
signs and what they signify?
What are the elements of a language, and how
are they organized within words, sentences, and discourse?
Language and Culture (语言与文化)
• 谭颖 • tanyingrosa@
当我们研究人类语言
时,我们正在走进被 一些人成为本质的东 西,也就是心智的特 性。据我们所知,这 种特质是人类所特有 的。
语言与文化的关系
语言与文化的关系
语言的背后是有 东西的。而且语 言不能离开文化 而存在。
(1884~1939) ~
美国人类学家、语言学家。1884 年1月26 日生于德国劳恩堡(今波兰勒博尔克)。 1939年2月4日死于纽黑文。萨丕尔 5岁时 移居美国。1907年起先后在加州大学、宾 州大学从事研究与教学。1909年获哥伦比 亚大学博士学位。1910~1925年任渥太华 加拿大国立博物馆人类学部主任。1925年 起任芝加哥大学人类学与语言学副教授、 教授。1931年到耶鲁大学,任刚成立的人类 学系主任。他担任过美国语言学会会长 (1933)和美国人类学会会长(1938),还 被选为美国艺术和科学院院士。
他发展了音位理论,根据语音的分布模式 分析语音,是形态音位概念最早提出者之一, 他把在词形变化表中能互相替代的音位都归 为一类。在历史比较语言学方面,他做了大 量研究工作,探索语言之间的亲缘关系。他 提出结构压力论,说语言变化(音位变化、 形态变化)是由于受到语言本身固有的有关 模式的影响。他根据吐火罗语的材料,按喉 辅音假说研究古印欧语。他还认为印欧语言 和闪族语言可能同出一源。萨丕尔认为不同 语言的表达方式会对同一客观世界提出不同 的分析和解释,这种观点后来被B.L.沃尔夫 绝对化,成为“萨丕尔-沃尔夫假说”。他的 语言人类学研究包括以下3个方面:美洲印第 安民族及其语言、人类一般概念、文化和个 性的关系。主要著作有《语言论》(1921)和 《萨丕尔选集》(1949)。
Chinese :叔 伯 叔 夫 姑父 Engli约着思 维的方式,范围和深度; 维的方式,范围和深度;间接地影 响文化。 响文化。 • 语言作为文化的传播工具,对文化 语言作为文化的传播工具, 的传播有着极大的制约作用。 的传播有着极大的制约作用。 • 文化的传播,尤其是异族文化的传 文化的传播, 语言中又会出现一些新的词语, 播,语言中又会出现一些新的词语, 新的表达方式, 新的表达方式,这样文化又影响和 制约着语言。 制约着语言。
Lecture 2 introduction to culture language and Culture 语言与文化 教学课件
(1) In the broad sense, Culture refers to the combined material and spiritual wealth created by human in the process of social and historical development.
9
4. Based on different time periods, culture can be classified into ancient culture, Edwardian culture, late Qing culture, etc.
5. Based on the functioning of groups and organizations, culture can be classified into corporate culture, school culture, class culture, etc.
(The classification is used by the UNESCO to classify the World Cultural Heritages.)
8
3. Based on the relative position in the world,
culture can be classified into eastern culture and western culture; Asian culture, European culture, African culture… Chinese culture, American culture, English culture, Italian culture… southern culture, Northwestern culturvs. Western culture
英语语言学 第九章 语言与文化
▪ How the Chinese and the Europeans state their age differently. I'm ten and a half years old. The baby girl will be thirteen months old next Friday. Chinese use a round number(整数) followed by the measure sui.
▪ 所有这些类型的意义都与文化编码或联想有关, 因为词语的意义与它们的联想是不可分割的,而 这些联想的解释是约定俗成的。每种语言都有自 己的隐喻,这些隐喻在其范围内提供语义上的理 解。
Some cultural differences in language use
▪ Greetings and terms of address ▪ Gratitude and compliments ▪ Color words ▪ Privacy and taboos ▪ Rounding off numbers ▪ Words and cultural-specific connotations ▪ Cultural-related idioms, proverbs and metaphor
▪ There are generally two types of culture: material and spiritual.
- 1、下载文档前请自行甄别文档内容的完整性,平台不提供额外的编辑、内容补充、找答案等附加服务。
- 2、"仅部分预览"的文档,不可在线预览部分如存在完整性等问题,可反馈申请退款(可完整预览的文档不适用该条件!)。
- 3、如文档侵犯您的权益,请联系客服反馈,我们会尽快为您处理(人工客服工作时间:9:00-18:30)。
英语语言学论文Language and cultureClass:English class 2Name:Number:20Language and CultureAbstract: Language is the carrier of culture, the main expressional form of culture, which develops along with nation, country and society's development. Language is a part of a nation’s culture. The different nationality has different culture, history, manners,customs and so on, but various nationalities' culture and the social custom all display in this nationality's language. This article, by analyzing dialect,idioms and Chinglish, mainly reveals the relationship between language and culture is interdependent and interactive. Culture has a restricted effect on language and others outer factor according to the form and structure of language. As a word, Language is a mirror, in front of which Culture is reflected. There are many ways in which the phenomena of language and culture are intimately nguages are all influenced by cultural characteristics, and have a certain influence to the respective language and nationality's culture.Key Words: language;culture; dialect; idiom; Chinglish;teaching language.Language and cultureAs we all know, language is a kind of tool which is used for communication. So far, a lot of linguists have made researches on all aspects of language and come out a grate deal of theory books which provide some relevant reference for us, especially about the relationship between language and culture.In the past years, I just only took all the concentration on the language and neglected culture to a certain extent. After reading some relevant theory books, I have a much more systematic understanding. Now let us discuss culture at first.What is culture? It can be approached from different perspectives and consequently defined in quite different ways. If we look for the word in dictionary, we will know that culture refers to the customs and beliefs, art, way of life and social organization of a particular country or group. As a matter of fact, there is no satisfactory definition that enjoys a general acceptance by scholars of all sciences. However we still can give it a general notion. In a broad way, culture means the total way of life of a person, including the patter of belief, customs, objects, institutions, techniques, and language that characterizes the life of human community. In a narrow sense, culture may refer to local or specific practice, beliefs or customs, which can be mostly found in folk culture, enterprise culture or food culture and so on. Culture is an inclusive complicated system, and can be broadly divided into material culture and spiritual culture. Material culture refers to all the concrete and substantial cultural aspects of human society. Spiritual culture, on the contrary, refers to abstract and implicit cultural aspects of human society, including ideology, patterns of thought, values, beliefs, conventions, traditions, social norms and customs, assumptions, interpersonal relationships, etc.Through mentioned above, we can have a general understanding of culture. Then what is the relationship between language and culture on earth? As far as I know, there exists a close connection between language and culture. No one would deny the relation of language to culture. Language expresses cultural reality, reflects the people’s attitudes, beliefs, world outlooks, etc. The culture both emancipates and constrains people socially, historically and metaphorically. Culture also affects its people’s imagination or common dream s which are mediated through the language and reflected in their life. On the one hand, language as an integral part of human being permeates in his thinking and way of viewing the world, language both expresses and embodies cultural reality; on the other, language, as a product of culture, helps perpetuate the culture, and the changes in language uses reflect the cultural changes in return.Language plays an important role in all the social activities and is indispensable part of people’s activities in society. However human being’s linguistic phenomena is so mysterious that people have not known a lot yet. Since ancient times, linguists have tried to do research into the language in many ways, forming many kinds of linguistic school.At the early start of the 20th century, people had realized that language was a basic and important component of certain culture and has intrinsic and indispensible effect. As we will refer to, although in the Long River of language science’s development, exploring the relationship between language and culture never took up any leading or dominant position. From the 1960s on, the language rooting in social and culture has long been the focus of everlasting linguists study. The anthropological approach to the study of language and culture laid a firm foundation in the history of linguistic development. Eugenc.Nida, a well-known linguist and translation theorist,also made some brilliant views, concerning the relationship between language and culture: if we want to do a good job in cross-cultural communication, there are five types of sub-culture we should be fully aware of ecologic culture, linguistic culture, religions culture, material culture and social culture. In other words, language and culture are in a dialectical relationship. Every language is part of a culture, and it severs and reflects culture needs firstly. The relationship between language and culture reflects on words. The same word may stir up different associations in people under different cultural background. e.g. the word “dog”.Language is closely related to culture and can be said as a part of culture. For many people, language is not just the medium of culture but also is a part of culture. It is quite common for immigrants to a new country to retain their old customs and to speak their first language amid fellow immigrants, even if all present are comfortable in their new language. This occurs because the immigrants are eager to preserve their own heritage, which includes not only customs and traditions but also language. This is also seen in many Jewish communities, especially in older members: Yiddish is commonly spoken because it is seen as a part of Jewish culture. From a dynamic view, language and culture interact with each other and shape each other. Language is the carrier of culture which in turn is the content of language. We can dig out cultural features from language and explain language phenomena with culture.There are many ways in which the phenomena of language and culture are intimately related. Both phenomena are unique to humans and have therefore been the subject of a great deal of anthropological, sociological, and even mimetic study. Language, of course, is determined by culture, though the extent to which this is true is now under debate. The converse is also true to some degree: culture is determined by language - or rather, by the replicators that created both, memes. Dialects, idioms and Chinglish all are the concrete embodiment of language and culture.Dialect is a mirror of culture. It reflects different culture in different area. Dialect is the form of language that is spoken in one area with grammar, words and pronunciation that may be different from other forms of the same language. The language different associated with dialect may occur at any level of language, including pronunciation, grammar, semantics, and language use. A language spoken by more than one small homogeneous community found to consist of two or more dialects. There are different ways of saying the same thing. Dialect is a reflection of the culture. The form of dialect has lots of reasons. Such as difference caused by education, occupation, status, age, race, gender, situations, region and other more language related issues. Dialects refer to different language variety used in different geographical region. When people are separated from each other geographically dialectal diversity develops. Geographical barriers like mountain ranges, big rivers, glaciers or other natural factors usually cause great transportation problems for people living in an out-of-way place. In addition, economy and politic are also important factors. With the time flies, dialects appear when language with its own characteristics develops. In China, dialects are very common. Different town has different dialect. If 2 persons coming from different place do not learn Putonghua, they will be confused by separate dialect. In college, there are many students coming from all over the country. They all have their own dialects.Idioms as a special form of language exist in both of them and carry a large amount of cultural information such as history, geography, and religion, custom, nationality psychology, thought pattern and etc, and therefore are closely related to culture. They are the heritage of history and product of cultural evolvement. Consequently, we can know much about culturethrough studying idioms and in turn get better understanding of idioms by learning the cultural background behind them. Idiom basically comes from the folk, and to a great extent, reflects a nationality’s cultural characteristics, the different nationality’s experience of life and the national character. Same as novel, poetry and other literary work, idiom is the essence of various national languages. The very many idioms are even very difficult to find in common dictionaries, but have vivid life feature and trueborn national characteristic. This is also a phenomenon which worthy of the language researchers and learners’ attention. Idiom is also an important rheto ric method of language, the independence, anomalistic but the fixed factor of language. The idioms of different languages are both influenced by cultural characteristics, and have a certain influence to the respective language and nationality's culture. Like Chinese idiom, English idiom is also a vivid language form. It is brief and to the point, vivid, harmonious, and so on. If we are not familiar with the human custom of one country, cultural or historical background, this kind of meaning in the characters will be ignorant. Especially this kind of meaning of word is the most difficult to deal with in translation. The production of the idiom is related to people’s living environment, custom, religious belief, and historical allusion and so on For example, to rest on one's oars(暂时歇一歇), to keep one’s head above water(奋力图存), all at sea(不知所措), a pack of rogues(狐朋狗党), you are a lucky dog(你是一个幸运儿),every dog has his 3 day(凡人皆有得意日),old dog will not learn new tricks(老人学不了新东西), “God helps those who help themselves”(天助自助者), “Go to hell”(下地狱去), Between Scylla and Carbides(进退维谷), Pandora's box(潘多拉的盒子:无穷的灾难)and so on. If we don’t know the origin of the idioms, we can not understand them correctly. Idioms are a kind of language block which carry rich cultural elements. They are even called as the live fossil of culture.Chinglish is more and more popular in Chinese lives. The appearance of Chinglish is also reflecting the relationship between language and culture. Certainly, it shows a special kind of relationship between English language and Chinese culture. We all know that every country has its own mother language and particular culture. With the teaching of English popular with the youth in China, young boys and girls begin to use it in our daily lives. Using single words or phrases substitute Chinese character. For example, we translate “好好学习,天天向上”into “day day up, good good study” , “让我看看”becomes “let me see see”, “好久不见”is “long time no see” and so on. The wind of Chinglish sweeps across the country especially on the internet. Now almost all the people know it and will use it once in a while. Even the westerners start to accept it gradually. As a new kind of communicative ways, Chinglish maybe become a kind of new language and new culture. Although we do not know whether it would exist or not for a long time, we can get a conclusion: different language merges into different language and different culture, which is likely to develop a new kind of language. Language is a communicative tool and has been staying develop and change. As long as we can understand the meaning of people’s words and have no trouble to normal conversation. The coinage of Chinglish is also a perfect language to a certain extent. It is much simpler than English. We do not need to worry about the grammar and sentence structure. It has arbitrary nature.A language does reflect the culture of a society, but only in certain aspects, especially in its hierarchy of vocabulary and its discourse patterns. A language may boast an abundance of terms in certain domains, which may indicate the focus of culture. Changes in culture result in new types of discourse. The popularity of certain types of discourse may also reflect cultural concerns.The significance of cultural teaching in teaching language is very important. Learning aforeign language is inseparable from learning its culture. We need to learn enough about the language’s culture so that we can communicate in the target language properly to achieve not only the linguistic competence but also the pragmatic or communicative competence as well. Through communication, some elements of culture A enter culture B and become part of culture B, this phenomenon is known as cultural diffusion. One typical example of cultural diffusion is the appearance of loan words. Intercultural or cross-cultural communication is communication between people from different cultures (their cultural perceptions and symbols systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event.) In cross-cultural communication, we need to pay special attention to the significant differences regarding social relations and concept of universe from different perspectives such as language, food, dress, attitude towards time, work habits, social behavior and religious belief that can cause frustrations in communications and contacts.In any culture or region, language is much more than semantics, much more than what the written page or the spoken word can contain. This especially becomes clear when studying a foreign language and learning the ways of a particular culture. e.g. the use of introductions, salutations, everyday sayings, etc. This area in particular gives more weight to culture then to the words themselves. Anyone studying a foreign language has to be bicultural as well as bilingual to speak the new language in a way that it is not disparaging to the culture and its origin. Language does not end at the meaning or the use of words associated to a culture" words represent beliefs, history, and the culture of their origin and they must be used accordingly.In a word, Language is the carrier of culture, the main expressional form of culture, which develops along with nation, country and society's development. Language is a part of a nation’s culture. Language and culture are closely related to and depend on each other through their history. The native language is acquired along with the ways, attitudes and patterns of behaving of the social group, and these ways, attitudes and patterns of behaving patterns find their expression through language. In the view of this, we can know that language is an inseparable or integral part of culture, and the medium through which culture is acquired.Reference:杨信彰:2008.《语言学概论》An introduction to linguistics,高等教育出版社凌征华:2006.《英语语言学》English linguistics,湖南人民出版社李瑞华:1997.《英汉语言文化对比研究》,上海外语教育出版社顾嘉祖、陆昇:1990.《语言与文化》language and culture,上海外语教育出版社戴炜栋:1989.《新编简明英语语言学教程》,上海外语教育出版社。