英语语言学自编教材第九章

Chapter 9 Language and Culture 1．General Introduction

1.1 The Relationship between Language and Culture

●Relevant Language Use Observations and Questions to Ponder over

1) In the following two conversations, the second speaker responded

differently towards the same question. And what do you think a

Chinese speaker will answer the same question?

Conversation 1: between English speakers

A: I like your sweater!

B: Thank you!

Conversation 2: between an English speaker and a French

speaker.

A: I like your sweater!

B: Ah bon? Mais c’est très vieux ! (Oh, really? It’s very old!)

2) Look at the following English words. Is there some connection between these words?

bash, mash, smash, crash, dash, lash, clash, trash, splash, flash

☺ /ʃ/: this sound suggests a sudden, violent movement/action for

an English speaker

3) The following lines are taken from a Singapore film I Not Stupid. Can you draw a conclusion from what you have read about Singlish?

☺ Singlish/Singaporean: an English variety popular in Singapore

Mom: Selina, where is all the ang pow that you got for your

birthday?

Selina（Daughter）: That’s my money. Why I must give it to you

every time?

Terry（Son）: Yeah, lah. 为什么都要给你？

Mom: 我知道这是你们的钱，but I will help you save, invest, hah. Don’t worry. I will give it back to you when you are old enough.

Selina: When can you give it back to us?

Terry: I know. 55岁。

Mom: Terry，you think you very funny, is it? Stop talking nonsense. Ai, girl, do you really think it that ai suitable for your room, huh? Don’t you think that this is much nicer? See, ai, make of cane, na.

Selina: Mom, I thought you see that I can decorate my own room in any way I want? I want to try this one. I don’t like that one, that’s old-fashioned.

Mom: Yes, yes.

Selina: So can I do it in my own way, please?

Mom: I know. Whatever I say you won’t like it. But one day you will appreciate it. This is for your own good. Trust me, hah!

●Summaries to Make and Linguistic Viewpoints to Learn

Every language is inseparable from a culture; it has to serve and reflect cultural needs. People from different cultural background find themselves with different customs, such as the different responses to the same compliment in the above observation. Culture, on the other hand, is constantly conditioning language with time, take the Singaporean for example, they have covered a long way to shape in form their own language; and it is too rash for us to take it for granted that their language is simply a variety of the English language. Language expresses, embodies and symbolizes cultural reality (Claire Kramsch: 2000), which we can find good illustration in onomatopoeias. Can you find other examples to demonstrate the relationship between culture and language?

The word “culture”, in its origin, means to cultivate, which can be taken to refer to any human knowledge. Any language will be unintelligible once it is taken out of the appropriate cultural context. The following quote, from the linguist F. de Saussure’s book Course in General Linguistics, is an explanation of the relationship between culture and language.

F. de Saussure (1857-1913)—It is the social part of the language, external to the individual, who by himself is powerless either to create it or to modify it. It exists only in virtue of a kind of contract agreed between the members of a community.