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Theories in Language and Culture

The document discusses the relationship between language and culture. It explores several theories on how culture is reflected and shaped by language, and how language both conveys and is influenced by cultural norms, perceptions and identities. Key thinkers discussed include Sapir, Kramsch, Whorf, Vygotsky, Piaget and Chomsky and their varying perspectives on the connections between language acquisition, thought, social interaction and cultural learning.

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407 views21 pages

Theories in Language and Culture

The document discusses the relationship between language and culture. It explores several theories on how culture is reflected and shaped by language, and how language both conveys and is influenced by cultural norms, perceptions and identities. Key thinkers discussed include Sapir, Kramsch, Whorf, Vygotsky, Piaget and Chomsky and their varying perspectives on the connections between language acquisition, thought, social interaction and cultural learning.

Uploaded by

mercy
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Theories in Language and

Culture
Look for the meaning of idioms in Column A
from the list in Column B.

____1. Think outside the box a. Listening attentively


____2. All ears b. Become extremely angry
____3. piece of cake c. Very easy
____4. go bananas d. Think creatively
____5. hit the roof e. Very excited or energetic
f. Very tired
The Interconnectedness
between Culture and
Language
1. Language and culture are inseparable
since language is closely related to
culture.
2. Language and culture are
independent because speech is a means
of exchanging information which can be
used in aspects that are not connected to
culture.
3. Culture and Language are partly
interconnected.
Kramsch (1998) pointed
three ways by which
language and culture are
related.
1. Ways of doing things and perceptions
can be manifested through the use and
arrangement of words. Considering this,
people in society convey culture.
2. People postulate meaning in their
daily activities and experiences through
language, and thus language
personifies cultural reality.
3.The context of communication where
language is used embodies cultural reality
and speakers distinguish themselves using
their language as their identity.
Culture as Part of Language
“Language is a purely human and non-
instinctive method of communicating
ideas, emotios and desire by means of
voluntarily produced symbols”
(Sapir,1921)
(Risgar (2006) claims that language is a part
of culture and a part of epidermal behavior.It
is predominantly held that the task of
language is to put thoughts into words,
communicate pieces of information and to
express feelings
Kramsch(1962) phrased the main functios of language in
three aspects :

• Langauage is the primary vehicle of communication.


• Language reflects both the personality of the individual and the culture
of history. In turns, it helps in shaping both personality and culture.
• Language makes possible the growth and transmission of culture, the
continuity and the effective functioning and control the social group.
LANGUAGE, THOUGHT AND CULTURE

Benjamin Lee Whorf shared his theory on the significance of


language in organizing our thoughts. He espoused that our ways
of looking at the world depend on the type of language that we
use.His example on his word “snow”.The word may mean
differently to and English person and an Eskimo person who may
have 50 ways to describe the snow.
CULTURE AND ITS ELEMENTS

It is undeniable that we learn culture through interaction


with people. Culture is not born rather learned as it is a
social product. Words are the best tools of cultural
symbols, such as epics, myths, and stories. This help
connect people.
VYGOTSKY’S THEORY

Lev Vygotsky, a psychologist, believed that social interaction


between and among people are a key element in acquiring
knowledge, just like how a child watches and learns from adults.
The more experiences a child has to imitate the greater his
intellectual skills and language development compared to those
with less experience and exposure.
PIAGET’S THEORY

Jean Piaget contends that when children are born they


have an embedded basic structure for cognition as well as
for language. As they mature, their built-in structure also
adjust to let them learn more about complex language
and other high-order concepts.
CHOMSKY’S THEORY

Noam Chomsky is known for his Language Acquisition


Device (LAD) which is a built-in box in the brain
responsible for creating and learning the language. For
him, practice is not important important as a children
never acquire language through it.
Activity

 As idioms speak of culture. Write 20 idioms


in your local language. Beside each, write
its meaning.(1 whole sheet of paper)
THANK YOU !!!

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