Is Language Influenced by Culture?
The University of Hong Kong
CCHU9042
Human Language: Nature or Nurture?
Final Report
Is Language Influenced by Culture?
Culture and language have long been believed to be intimately interrelated. Defined by anthropologist Tylor (1871, p.1), culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society." People learn culture through language. Language, one of the most distinctive characteristics of human, is unique to human with its productive and creative nature (Hockett, 1960). This essay aims to discuss how language is influenced by culture. CL7 and Gossophilia groups’ works, which investigate the relationship between language and culture, will be discussed in the entire paragraphs.
CL7 focuses on the effect of culture on human’s vocabularies. They raise a number of examples of different places, such as Japan, Hong Kong and North America, providing audience with adequate convincing evidence and clear explanation to understand their viewpoint that vocabularies could reflect distinct cultural characteristics of different cultures. An interesting, yet the only arguable, point would be loan words in Hong Kong. Though it is claimed that this unique loan word language is caused by the unique history of Hong Kong (Lin, 2003), it also shapes Hong Kong’s, but not the Mainland’s, unique culture of using loan words (Sun, 2013). It can therefore be perceived that culture and language, especially vocabulary, has a mutually influential relationship.
Glossophilia emphasizes the effect of social environment, which they defined as cultural milieus within defined groups of people, on human’s language. They divide social environment into physical environment, social beliefs and social status. Although social environment includes culture that people are born in and live in (Barnett & Casper, 2001),
CCHU9042
Human Language: Nature or Nurture?
Final Report
Is Language Influenced by Culture?
Culture and language have long been believed to be intimately interrelated. Defined by anthropologist Tylor (1871, p.1), culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society." People learn culture through language. Language, one of the most distinctive characteristics of human, is unique to human with its productive and creative nature (Hockett, 1960). This essay aims to discuss how language is influenced by culture. CL7 and Gossophilia groups’ works, which investigate the relationship between language and culture, will be discussed in the entire paragraphs.
CL7 focuses on the effect of culture on human’s vocabularies. They raise a number of examples of different places, such as Japan, Hong Kong and North America, providing audience with adequate convincing evidence and clear explanation to understand their viewpoint that vocabularies could reflect distinct cultural characteristics of different cultures. An interesting, yet the only arguable, point would be loan words in Hong Kong. Though it is claimed that this unique loan word language is caused by the unique history of Hong Kong (Lin, 2003), it also shapes Hong Kong’s, but not the Mainland’s, unique culture of using loan words (Sun, 2013). It can therefore be perceived that culture and language, especially vocabulary, has a mutually influential relationship.
Glossophilia emphasizes the effect of social environment, which they defined as cultural milieus within defined groups of people, on human’s language. They divide social environment into physical environment, social beliefs and social status. Although social environment includes culture that people are born in and live in (Barnett & Casper, 2001),
References: Barnett, E., PhD, & Casper, M., PhD. (2001). A Definition of “Social Environment”, American Journal of Public Health, 91, 3 Cross, F.L Crystal, D. (1965). Linguistics, language, and religion. Language and Religion (pp.11-28). Bristol: Hawthron Books. deGroot, A. M. B. (2010). Language and Cognition in Bilinguals and Multilinguals: An Introduction. UK: Taylor & Francis. Hawkes, J. (2003, October 23). The Link Between Culture and Environment. Keynote speech at the Outback Summit of the 15th National Conference of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, Broken Hill. Hockett , C Lin, W. C. (2003). Loan words and code-mixing in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: The University of Hong Kong. Meadow, R.H., & Kenoyer, J. M. (2000). The Indus Valley Mystery. Scientific American Discovering Archaeology, March/April 2000, 38-43 Russell, W Sun, Z. H. (2013). Loanwords in Hong Kong. Retrieved December 1, 2013 from http://ihome.ust.hk/~lbsun/hkloan.html Tsujimura, T. (1992). Keigo Ronko. Tokyo: Meiji Shoin. Tylor, E. B. (1871). Primitive Culture.