Exploring the Relationship between Language and Culture

Culture is inextricably linked to language; that is to say, without language, culture cannot be completely acquired nor can it be effectively expressed and transmitted. And without culture, language cannot exist.

 Language and culture are so interconnected that it is difficult to define the parameters of language and culture, and whether language impacts culture or vice-versa. However, we could say that is a broader umbrella concept, and that language is a part of culture. In the early years of socialization, both the language and cultural symbolic systems that an individual has raised in play a fundamental role in socializing as individual person, and in shaping his perceptions and his personality.

Language can be defined as the system of communication comprising codes and symbols which are used by humans to stored, retrieve organized, structure and communicate knowledge and experience. Language is not a static process. It is the primary instrument in the expression, transmission, and adaptation of culture. Language is used to maintain one’s own culture and acquire a new culture and new knowledge. The learning of a second language or foreign language enables one to view life through another cultural lens, respect all people and their culture.

Culture is a set of believes, values, norms, customs, traditions, rituals, and a way of life that differentiates one group of people from another. Also, culture is to complex that includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of a specific group of society.

It is generally agreed that language and culture are closely related. Language can be viewed as a verbal expression of culture. It is used to maintain and convey culture and cultural ties. Language provides us with many of the categories we use for expression of our thoughts, so it is therefore natural to assume that our thinking is influenced by the language which we use. The values and customs in the country we grow up in shape the way in which we think to a certain extent.

Cultures hiding in languages, examines the link between Japanese language and culture. An Insight into Korean Culture through the Korean Language discusses how Korean culture influences the language.

Languages spoken in Ireland, focuses on the status of the Irish language nowadays and how it has changed over time. In our big world every minute is a lesson looks at intercultural communication and examines how it can affect interactions between people from countries and backgrounds.