an analysis on the relationship between culture and language淺析語言與文化的關(guān)系

1、<p>　　An Analysis on the Relationship between Culture and Language</p><p>　　Introduction</p><p>　　In recent years， with the development of transportation and communication, the world is shr

2、inking to be a “global village”. Opportunities which people from different cultures may take to contact with each other are quickly growing. When they communicate, language becomes essential and the need for further unde

3、rstanding of cultural differences has arisen. Therefore, the relationship between culture and language has become a hot topic. There are at present many linguistics and cultural experts doi</p><p><b>　

4、　Culture</b></p><p>　　Definition of culture</p><p>　　Many philosophers, sociologists, anthropologists and linguists tried from different fields to make a definition for culture as perfect

5、as possible.</p><p>　　Geertz defines culture as a historically transmitted semiotic network constructed by human which allows them to develop, communicate and perpetuate their knowledge, beliefs and attitude

6、s about the world.(Geertz，1973:89)</p><p>　　Pioneering anthropologist Edward Tylor in 1920 put forward a classic definition of culture which defines that culture is a compound which</p><p>　　inc

7、ludes knowledge, belief, geography, art, law, morals, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.(Chang Zhonglin, 2003:21)</p><p>　　Kramsch offers three definitions

8、in her book language and culture in the following: 1.Membership in a discourse community that shares a common social space and history，and a common system of standards for perceiving, believing，evaluating and acting. 2.

9、The discourse community itself. 3. The system of standards itself. (Kramsch, 1998:127)</p><p>　　Culture is more or less synonymous with civilization. It rests</p><p>　　ultimately upon the classi

10、cal conception of what constitutes excellence in</p><p>　　art, literature, manners and social institutions. Culture refers to the total</p><p>　　pattern of beliefs, customs, and techniques that

11、characterize the life of a particular society. In a word it is the total way of life of a society.（張萊湘, 2005： 221）</p><p>　　The word “culture” in Chinese consists of two characters wen （文）and hua （化）? The fo

12、rmer meant: “texture” in old Chinese. Later its meaning was enlarged to mean extensively the codes and symbols, cultural relics and books, as well as notions of courtesy and morality. The latter meant “ turn to changes”.

13、 When they were first collocated together to mean knowledge, their meanings were not as inclusive as at the present time in contemporary Chinese. In the 19th century, the collocated Chinese word “w</p><p>　　

14、Importance of culture</p><p>　　From the above definitions of culture, it is easy to conclude the importance of culture.</p><p>　　Culture distinguishes us from animal. Every nation has its own di

15、stinctive culture. Human beings, carrying cultural features，pass over from generation to generation. On one hand, culture may have people identified. People from the same culture usually share some cultural features in c

16、ommon. That is to say they can cooperate and be united easily, especially when they are attacked by people from other cultures. On the other hand, people from different cultures usually can also enjoy a peaceful liv</

17、p><p><b>　　Language</b></p><p>　　Definition of language</p><p>　　Just like culture, language also has several definitions depending on the different approaches to the study

18、 of language.</p><p>　　For Saussure，language is a system or a structure of signs combined together to produce meaning and the meaning is determined by their relationships.（胡壯麟，2001： 24）</p><p>　

19、　In 1935，influenced by Behaviorist Psychology, Bloomfield presented language in terms of stimulus and reaction, meaning that language enables one person to make a reaction when another person has the</p><p>

20、<b>　　stimulus.</b></p><p>　　Chomsky considered language a set of sentences, each finite in length and constructed out of a finite set of elements, focusing on the purely structural properties of

21、language.</p><p>　　Language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas，emotions, and desires by means of a system of voluntarily produced symbols. These symbols are auditory and are

22、produced by the organs of speech.（楊達(dá)復(fù)，2002： 6）</p><p>　　Sociologists argue that language is social behavior and language has a social function, both as a means of communication and also a way of identifying

23、social groups.</p><p>　　Though the definitions for language are not unique，it is the consensus of most linguists that language is defined as a system of arbitrary vocal symbols designed for the purpose of hu

24、man communication.</p><p>　　Importance of language</p><p>　　Language is the product of the development of society and takes an important role in society. People can’t communicate without languag

25、e. It is not only the prime vehicle of human communication but also a crucial unifying and regulating force that forms people identity, binds them to their culture and enables every human society to function. Language ca

26、n help people express their understanding of the world.</p><p>　　Relationship between culture and language</p><p>　　Language and culture are closely related, they can’t be separated. They affect

27、 each other. Language is an important part of culture. Some social scientists consider it as the keystone of culture. They claim that culture would be impossible without language. Meanwhile, language is influenced and sh

28、aped by culture. And it reflects culture.</p><p>　　Culture affects language</p><p>　　From the definition of culture, we know that culture includes geography, religion, tradition, custom, value a

29、nd so on. In fact, culture often affects language through them.</p><p><b>　　Geography</b></p><p>　　Every nation lives and works in a certain natural environment, which is reflected b

30、y its language. People from different regions may have different languages. They use different words, metaphors to express their views towards their environment. In the following, I’ll give examples to explain my view in

31、 details.</p><p>　　Christmas is the most important festival in Western countries. The American and some European people who live in the Northern Hemisphere, associate Christmas with cold winter, gray sky, th

32、ick snow</p><p>　　and beautiful decorations. However, the Australians who live in Southern</p><p>　　Hemisphere associate Christmas with enchanting sunshine, azure sky,</p><p>　　vast

33、 beach.</p><p>　　“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” in sonnet 18 was written by Shakespeare. It’s difficult for Chinese to understand. In China summer is a very hot and unpleasant season. But to Britis

34、h, summer is the best season. It means warm and pleasant weather.</p><p>　　Britain Island is surrounded by sea. That’s the reason that words or terms about sea and boat are rich, such as smooth sailing, all

35、at sea; ship, ferry, canoe, barge, yawl. On the contrary，Chinese people have been living in the Asia Island for thousands of years and agriculture has a long history. They have mysterious and awesome feeling toward sea.

36、We can know</p><p>　　from the terms海水不可斗量，海底撈針，茫茫大海，煙波浩淼，怒 '濤？閃涌。And there are many terms deriving from farming. For instance 枯木逢春，順藤摸瓜，斬草除根，解屮歸田。(金惠康，2002： 280)</p><p>　　The words “bamboo”

37、and “l(fā)otus” have special cultural connotative meanings in Chinese culture, which are not found in western culture. Many Chinese poets used them in their poems to speak highly of the exemplary conduct and nobility of char

38、acter. Idioms about these words are also common. For example,月匈有成竹(Have a well grown bamboo in one’s mind)，雨后春筍(Bamboo shoots after a spring rain);蓮， 出淤泥而不染(Though coming from the mud, lotus is not polluted). Since Engla

39、nd is not the native land of them, Englis</p><p><b>　　Burns.</b></p><p>　　It is known that Eskimos use different terms for different kinds of snow.</p><p>　　English peop

40、le have only “snow” in their language. It makes no different among falling snow，snow on the ground，and blowing snow. But Eskimos do not have a word inclusively for all kinds of snow. It is said that Aztecs generalize eve

41、n more than English people. They have only one term for cold，ice and snow in their language. （Chang Zhonglin，</p><p><b>　　2003:28）</b></p><p><b>　　Religion</b></p>

42、<p>　　Nearly every nation has its religion. Religion is an important part in culture. Many daily used words are from religion.</p><p>　　Most western people believe in Christianity. There are many words

43、 and idioms coming from Bible. So if you want to learn English well, you’d better learn Bible. Otherwise, you don’t understand what some idioms imply. For instance: Adam’s apple （喉結(jié)）；my rib（我妻）；bear one’s cross（背負(fù)十字架）；It

44、 is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.（zg 人進(jìn)天 堂比駱駝穿過針眼還難）；Judas’s kiss（背叛）。Chinese were once influenced by Buddhism, and that’s the reason that</

45、p><p>　　as佛法無邊；苦海無邊，冋頭是岸；看破紅塵；救人一命，勝造七級(jí) 浮屠。</p><p>　　When mention about holy land, different cultures associate different places. For Christians, they naturally associate Jerusalem. For Buddhist, t

46、hey think of India. For Islam, Mecca is regarded as their holy land.</p><p>　　4.1.3Habits and customs</p><p>　　Every culture has its specific features, which is reflected through language.</p

47、><p>　　Chinese people from some regions are accustomed to sleep on a “炕”（a heatable bed） ? They eat “冰糖葫蘆” （candied haws on a stick）. Whereas westerners go to “motel”，eat “hamburger”.</p><p>　　It i

48、s a traditional culture in China that before building a house or burying the dead, people will first survey the geographical features of a place so as to select an appropriate place to avoid misfortune. This is “風(fēng) zK” in

49、 Chinese culture. It is generally supposed that the location of a house or tomb has an influence on the fortune of a family. But in English speaking countries, the dead is buried in the graveyard in church without consid

50、ering “風(fēng)水”.</p><p>　　China and other Asian countries have complex kinship terms. Because they advocate 合家歡樂，子孫滿堂.However, in western countries， people are independent. After the children get married, they do

51、n’t even live with their parents, let alone other family members.</p><p>　　The views of different cultures toward animals are different. Western</p><p>　　people favorite dog and regard dog as a

52、family member or a friend. There is a proverb “Love me love my dog” （愛屋及烏）.But to Chinese, it is incredible to regard dog as a family member. They despise dog and use “dog” to describe some bad person or thing. For examp

53、le “狗急跳墻’’， “狗眼看人低”，“雞鳴狗盜”。Eating dog is common in China. But that’s unacceptable to westerners.</p><p>　　Owl is a sign of bad luck and death in Chinese culture. The mere sight of an owl or the sound of its

54、hooting is terrible to Chinese. However, in western culture, owl stands for wisdom. There is proverb “As wise as an owl.”</p><p>　　Dragon stands for evil in western culture. In Bible, Satan is called “the gr

55、eat dragon” But to Chinese, dragon is good. Therefore, people translate the term “亞洲四小龍’’ to “Four Asian Tigers”，not “Four Asian Dragons”.</p><p>　　4.1.4 Value</p><p>　　People from different cul

56、tures have different values. Sometimes, the differences cause misunderstandings. People should pay attention to the</p><p>　　different values of different cultures.</p><p>　　First, I will talk a

57、bout compliment. People in different cultures have different reactions to compliment. To westerners, it’s polite for a man to praise the beauty of a woman, and the woman will accept the compliment joyfully. A Chinese gir

58、l may get irritated if a man expresses his appreciation of her beauty in public because she will think the man’s compliment as skittish behavior. Chinese politeness principle is to be modest, to show respect to others. W

59、hen praised, Chinese people usually deny</p><p>　　more valued.</p><p>　　Once, an American visited the home of a Chinese. As the visitor saw the</p><p>　　host’s wife, he said: “Your

60、wife is beautiful”. The host smiled and said:</p><p>　　“Where，where”，which cause the American’s surprise，but still answered: “Eyes，nose, hair” Then the host was puzzled. The both sides’ misunderstandings in

61、language were caused by different cultures. Each was expressing and understanding what the other said according to his own culture. “Where, where”（哪里，哪里）in Chinese is a kind of humble saying. In fact, he shouldn’t expres

62、s in this way. The American understood as “Which parts of the body are beautiful?”</p><p>　　There is a dialogue also showing different views about compliment. An English teacher said: “Oh，what beautiful call

63、igraphy!” The Chinese student answered: “No, no, not at all. You must be joking”. As a result, the conversation ended with the teacher’s puzzlement and</p><p>　　embarrassment.</p><p>　　Thinking

64、patterns are different from culture to culture. In Chinese culture,</p><p>　　“/］有陰晴圓缺” is used to symbolize “悲歡離合”(sorrows and joys, partings and reunions) .So full moon always arouses happy emotions. But to

65、 French people, full moon is just like a “big, round and fat face”</p><p>　　Culture background determines a man’s native language. For example, if a Chinese infant is adopted by an American couple who live i

66、n American, he or she will grow up speaking perfect English.</p><p>　　4.2 Language affects culture</p><p>　　Just as culture affects language, language also affects culture.</p><p>　

67、　Without language, there is no culture. And there is no human civilization. It is strongly believed that the way people view the world is determined wholly or partially by the structure of their native language.</p>

68、;<p>　　4.2.1 Language can help spread culture</p><p>　　Language is the carrier of culture. It plays an important role in spreading culture.</p><p>　　England once was occupied by Roman, Fr

69、ench. So, English vocabulary was broadened by absorbing French and Latin. At the same time, Christianity was widely spread at that time.</p><p>　　When England became powerful, it built many colonies around t

70、he world. People in colonies had to learn English. Meanwhile, English culture was spread. Spanish and Portuguese have the same situation.</p><p>　　China is becoming more and more powerful and playing an impo

71、rtant role in the world. So, more and more foreigners learn Chinese. In order to spread Chinese culture, China government has sent many Chinese teachers abroad and built many “Confucius College” there.</p><p&g

72、t;　　4.2.2 Language can record culture</p><p>　　Language can record the development of a society. People can learn culture left behind by their ancestors through language, and leave their culture to descendan

73、ts through language. For example, if we want to know the Chinese culture 1000 years ago, we can research the records of that time. And if our descendants want to know about our culture, they can read books or other mater

74、ials that record our culture. Therefore through language, civilization passes over from generation to generation. The so</p><p>　　In fact, we can know other cultures by reading books. We don’t need to go to

75、go abroad to know about cultures of foreign countries. Language brings us convenience to learn different cultures. For example, American National Geographic magazine often introduces different cultures to readers. Perhap

76、s, we never go to Africa, but we can learn much information about African culture through reading the magazine.</p><p>　　5.Problems caused by separating culture and language</p><p>　　Many peopl

77、e understand language literally. They don’t link the cultural background and language, which causes misunderstandings and even jokes.</p><p>　　When some Chinese people read 第一夫人(First Lady, the title for the

78、 wife of the American president) , they might think the president has two or more wives just like emperors of ancient China had.</p><p>　　There are other terms easily understood by people. For example, “mad

79、doctor” is a psychological doctor but not a doctor who is mad. “Dead president” is US dollars but not the president who is dead.</p><p>　　If people don’t link language with culture, they won’t understand lan

80、guage well.</p><p>　　Conclusion</p><p>　　Since we have made the relationship clear between culture and language, we know that learning a foreign language well means more than merely mastering th

81、e pronunciation, grammar, words and idioms. It also means learning culture. That’s to say learning the ways in which foreign language reflects the ideas, customs and behavior of the society. In this way we can contact wi

82、th people of different cultures efficiently avoiding misunderstanding and can learn a foreign language well.</p><p>　　References</p><p>　　Krasch. Context and Culture in Language. Oxford: Oxford

83、University</p><p>　　Press, 1993.</p><p>　　Geertz. The Interpretation of Culture. New York: Basic Books, 1973.</p><p>　　常宗林《英漢語言文化學(xué)》，青島：中國海洋大學(xué)出版社，2003。</p><p>　　胡壯麟《語言學(xué)教