Language and Culture Osher - PowerPoint Presentation

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Language and Culture

Osher Class, Spring, 2016

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Topics for the Class

Brief History of LinguisticsBrief History of Cultural Studies

Aspects of Language

Properties of Language

Language competence vs Language performanceLinguistic components of LanguageNon-linguistic components of LanguageBody language and animal language

Language vs dialectNumber of languages todayStatus of languages todayWhat is Culture?Aspects of CultureWhere is Culture?Numbers of Cultures todayPast cultures and their influenceCultural competence vs cultural performanceLanguages with no CultureTranslationCan language influence culture?

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Definitions

Language The words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used and understood by a community

A systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings (non-verbal)

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Definitions (con’t

)Culture

Acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science

The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations

The customary beliefs, social forms and material traits of a racial, religious, or social groupThe set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization

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Definitions (con’t

)

-- Communication

A process by which information is exchanged thru a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior

Information transmitted or conveyedA verbal or written message

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CULTURE

Communication

Language  Linguistic Components Non-linguistic components

 Sounds Words Syntax Kinesics Gestures Proxemics  Semantics 

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A Brief History of Linguistics

Sumarians

Hindu

Greeks

RomansArabsHebrewsEurope in the Middle AgesEuropean explorers

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History of Linguistics (con’t

)

Grammars of known languages (19

th

century)20th centuryFerdinand de Saussure – father of modern linguistics

Noam Chomsky – created generative grammar of universal rules9Slide10

A Brief History of Cultural Studies

Franz Boas – father of American anthropology

Creation of Centre for Cultural Studies (1964)

Richard Dawkins proposed the term “meme”

Can be a word or concept – STOP or Can be a sound, picture, movie, a speech, etc.

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Aspects of Language (Bollinger)

Language is:

Human

Behavior

SoundHierarchic

Embedded in gestureBoth arbitrary and non-arbitraryVertical and horizontalLanguage changes to outwit changeLanguages are similarly structuredLanguage is heard as well as spoken11Slide12

Properties of Language (Bolton)

Language is productive/creative

Language is arbitrary

Language has duality

Language is discrete12Slide13

How we know and use Language

Ferdinand de Saussure

Langue + parole =

language

Noam ChomskyCompetence + performance = language

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Linguistic Components of Language

Phonology (sounds) - /map/ /cap/

Morphology (words) – map-s

Syntax (grammar) – The map is big.

Semantics (meanings) – John wears a cap. There is a salary cap.

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Why we need the IPA

Cough EnoughDough Through

Thought Plough

Hiccough Hough

Lough ThoroughA rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed.

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Three levels of meaning

Lexical – the dictionary meaning

Structural or grammatical meaning

Socio-cultural meaning

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Non-Linguistic Components of Language – Body Language

Kinesics

Gestures

Proxemics

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Dialects of the U. S.

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Dialects of Spain

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Dialects of England

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Number of World Languages

Population of the world - 7,106,865,254Number of Living Languages – 7,102

95% of the world’s people speak fewer than 100 of the world’s different languages

By 2050, many linguists predict that half of the world’s languages will disappear

An entire way of thinking is lost each time a language becomes extinct24Slide25

Definition of Culture

Acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science

The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations

The customary beliefs, social forms and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group

The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization

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Guernica by P. Picasso

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Aspects of Culture

It is learned

Language is the medium of transmission

It

is applicable to all people It is active and dynamicIt changes over timeIt is multilayeredIt is malleable/adaptive

It is always considered within a contextIt is thick, thin, or compartmentalizedIt structures our perceptions27Slide28

Where is Culture?

Food/healthPersonal hygiene

Transportation

Personal space

Moral codeModestyMealsSocial gatheringsBirthdays/holidays

ClothingFamilyTimeReligionHumorAttractions/revulsionsEntertainmentGender rolesEtc.28Slide29

Examples of 21st

Century Language

Texting

OMG

IMHOBAYBTWCULOTOHPAWBRB

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Examples (cont.)

Totesing (short for “totally”)

Totes

tradge

(tragic)Totes emosh (emotional)BluebsSubconchAphrodeez

ImposhFosh30Slide31

Cultural Competence vs Cultural Performance

Knowing about – the gathering of cultural information

Knowing how – acquiring cultural behaviors

Knowing why – discovering cultural explanations

Knowing oneself – developing self-awareness

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Dialects of the U. S.

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Cultures of Europe

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Cultures of the U. S.

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Past Cultures and their Influence

Celts – whiskey, bog, shindig

Anglo-Saxon – be, strong, water, the, you

Latin & Greek – bishop, angel, demon

Vikings – get, hit, leg, low, root, want, wrongNormans/French – many New World – hurricane, hammockSpanish – rodeo, avocado, algebra, arroyo

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Origins of English Words

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Created Languages

The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien

Lapine

–

Watership DownNewspeak – 1984 by George OrwellAtlantean – Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Ku – The InterpreterKlingon, Vulcan – Star TrekNa’vi - AvatarValyrian – The Game of Thrones38Slide39

Esperanto

Alphabet – 26 letters: a b c ĉ d e f g ĝ h ĥ i

j ĵ k l m n o p r s ŝ t u ŭ v

z

Sample structures: Good morning – Bonan matenonGood evening – Bonan

vesperonWhat is your name? – Kio estas via nomo?Thank you – DankonExcuse me – Pardonu min39Slide40

Basic Principles of Language

Language consists of a systematically organized set of oral/aural symbols.

Writing only imperfectly represents language

Associations between symbols and referents are essentially arbitrary.

The segmentation of experience by speech symbols is essentially arbitrary.No two languages exhibit identical systems of organizing symbols into meaningful expressions

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Grammar Differences

La leche

es

buena. El hermano de David es guapo.Milk is good

. David’s brother is handsome.Correspondence              Differences

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What is involved

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Language Influences Culture

Use of geographical location to express all locations and lapse of time

Perceptions, e.g., color affected by mother tongue

Gender-system languages where animate and inanimate things must have gender

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Recap

Language and culture are inexorably intertwinedThe combination allows us to communicate and be understood

We are linguistically and culturally competent

L & C can and do influence each other (more research needed)

Languages and Cultures are unique44