语言学导论-第9章Language & Culture

Language and culture
What is culture?
In a broad sense,
the total way of life of a people the patterns of belief, customs, objects, institutions, techniques, and language that characterizes the life of the human community
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf, proclaimed that the structure of the language people habitually use influences the ways they think and behave, i.e. different languages offer people different ways of expressing the world around, they think and speak differently, this is also known as linguistic relativity. Sapir and Whorf believe that language filters people’s perception and the way they categorize experiences. This interdependence of language and thought is now known as Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis.
Strong version & weak version
Strong version believes that the language patterns determine people’s thinking and behavior; Weak version holds that the former influence the latter. ----The study of the linguistic relativity or SWH has shed two important insights: There is nowadays a recognition that language, as code, reflects cultural preoccupations and constrains the way people think. More than in Whorf’s days, however, we recognize how important context is in complementing the meanings encoded in the language.
Iconic meaning 图像意义
the image or icon invoked in mind by a word.
E.g., “rose”
Cultural differences in language use
Greetings and terms of address Thanks and compliments Color words Privacy and taboos Rounding off numbers Words and cultural-specific connotations Cultural-related idioms, proverbs and metaphor
Language both expresses and embodies cultural reality Language reflects and affects a culture’s way of thinking and helps perpetuate and change the culture and its influence.c
Greetings and terms of address
Thanks and compliments
Color words
wk.baidu.com
Privacy and taboos
Rounding off numbers
Words & cultural-specific connotations
Cultural-related idioms, proverbs & metaphor
Cultural overlap
the identical part of culture between two societies owing to some similarities in the natural environment and psychology of human beings E.g., (in Asia, e.g., Japan, China) the superior tends to refer to himself by means of the same kinship-term or title with which he is addressed: “Have daddy/mummy/teacher told you that?”
Cultural diffusion
through communication, some elements of culture A enter culture B and become part of culture B E.g., loan words:
Science from the Arabs (Middle Ages): zero, algebra, alkaki Music from Italy: opera, soprano, piano, virtuoso Christmas, Mother’s Day, St. Valentine’s Day, … Ladies in China: ages, weight, other private information
holidays of foreign origins: concepts from other cultures
cultural imperialism owing to linguistic imperialism
Cultural teaching & learning
Learning a foreign language is inseparable from learning its culture. to achieve not only the linguistic competence but also the pragmatic or communicative competence as well
two types: material and spiritual
relationship (language & culture)
the same word different associations in people under different cultural background E.g., the word “dog”
In a narrow sense,
local or specific practice, beliefs or customs, which can be mostly found in folk culture, enterprise culture or food culture, etc
Intercultural communication
cross-cultural communication
communication between people from different cultures their cultural perceptions and symbols systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event 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
Linguistic evidence of cultural differences
Denotative meaning 外延意义
a meaning that can be found in a dictionary
Connotative meaning 暗含意义
a meaning or idea suggested by a word or thing in addition to the formal meaning or nature of the word or thing