How does language affect culture

Document Type:Essay

Subject Area:English

Document 1

Words used together with their meaning influences or change the culture of people. The language we use has an impact on the relationships we have with other people and the environment. In return, the created relationship influences how we interact and live by upholding distinct values and leaving others. The shared values become part of the culture that we get into. The paper discusses how the language affects the culture and influence on how we think, habits and traditions plus lifestyle we live in. Both language and culture shape one's personality. The way a person argues operates and associates with other people is rooted in the culture and language that they have. Language a function of culture A language is a form of culture in that it is part of verbal and non-verbal cues which a member of a group can communicate freely with another member of the same group.

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Language brings a bond between people of the same community or cultural identity. It is often that individuals who share the share the same language have the same beliefs, behaviors and feelings (Lazear & Edward). At any time language changes so the culture does change. For example, if a meaning of a word is changed the new symbolism is being created. For instance, the English word “nice” means kind and agreeable but in the 15th century, it meant wicked and foolish (Ochs, Elinor). This shows that language can evolve in regard to social and historical conditions. Socialization of people from different countries brings a need for learning the new culture of the other parties. The Russian language, for example, has an extra distinction between dark blues and light.

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In reality and tests, the Russian people are much better to discriminate visually shades of blue than other people from different cultures. The Caitlin Fausey from the University of Stanford illustrates that language can be able to shape our understanding of cause and effect thus affecting the memory of eyewitness. For instance, the English speakers often use passive voice than other languages does. If a glass of water accidentally breaks, English observer can say that; “Edwin broke a glass” on the other hand, a Spanish observer can say that “the glass was broken” when talking about the accident (Al-Issa, Ali). Through the songs, certain aspects such as marriage and circumcision are conveyed and passed in creative and simple ways. Conclusion In conclusion, language is the form of communication that is understood a certain group and passed to pass a message.

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