Brief on Language and Culture
As a unique form of communication, language is embedded with a few characteristics that distinguish itself from others. First of all, language depends upon the use of symbols that contain arbitrary meanings, which allows us not only to communicate information in general but particularly certain messages that other forms of communication fall short of delivering precisely, including to negate things, talk about things that do not exist or present. With arbitrary meanings, language allows us to discuss abstract qualities. For instance, we can use language to illustrate abstract concepts about tones, colors, love, and intelligence and so on. Additionally, we can also use language to disguise and lie.
By arbitrary meanings, we mean that the relationship between words and meanings are arbitrary. As the creator of language, human instill the meanings into words. In different cultures and societies, the same words may contain different meanings. For example, in American English, the word “pants” usually refer to trousers, whereas in British English, “pants” is primarily associated with men’s underwear. It’s explained through various examples as such that words are essentially random.
Another characteristic of language is the use of syntax. Syntax is the organization of words into meaningful phrases, sentences, etc. Individually, each word contains finite information, syntax is the catalyst that multiplies the uses of a limited number of words in any given language’s vocabulary and turns them into an infinite number of possible statements. One example can demonstrate how syntax puts words into motion. In the journalism industry, a popular saying that goes “‘Dog bites man’ is not news, the news is when ‘man bites dog’.” When we change the order of the three words “dog”, “bites”, and “man”, the second sentence conveys a different meaning than the former.
Individual words are assigned with arbitrary meanings and they can be turned into phrases or sentences through syntax to convey a broader sense of literal meaning, it is possible, however, for such phrases or sentences to communicate information beyond the literal. Language achieves this through illocutionary events. Illocutionary events, commonly known as an illocutionary speech act, refers to saying something to state an opinion, make a prediction, give advice, issue an order, etc. We do so by manipulating the unspoken tone, emphases, gestures, facial expressions and so forth, which modifies our speech and allows us to communicate simultaneously multiple complex messages.
The language also differs from other forms of communication in terms of the physical organ it uses to deliver information. For instance, the sign language communicates through hand gestures while oral language depends on speech organ for vocalization. Because communicating through oral language does not necessarily involve other parts of the body besides the speech organ, humans can simultaneously do other tasks, such as keeping their eyes and hands available to detect if there are predators nearby, therefore, communicate more efficiently.
All these aspects of language enable human to communicate at an effective and precise level, through which human probe issues, discuss solutions, innovate tools, imagine possibilities, express emotions, etc. Altogether, language helps humans adapt to a new environment, form cultures and societies. As the primary adaptation of modern humans, culture is responsible for organizing and making sense of our life. Language makes culture possible in various ways. First, as a form of communication, language serves as the medium for humans to learn and develop culture. For instance, arbitrary meaning as one of the characteristics of language enables us to explain abstract ideas such as “Marxism”. Without the language medium, it is difficult to describe the theoretical ideas, let alone expand to further debate and discussion based on these theories.
Moreover, the illocutionary events, including concepts, feelings, emotions that are embedded in the language shape our notions of the world. The notions, in turn, constitute the culture that each individual possesses and will pass on to the next generation. In particular, Petersen mentioned in class that individuals have their home-based language that they feel most comfortable with and will always turn to during special moments of life despite their mastery of multiple languages. Petersen’s example illustrates that language exists not solely as a medium for communication, more importantly, it influences, and to a degree, defines our identity, value, personality and so forth, which collectively constitutes what we claim as our culture.
Finally, yet importantly, the continuity characteristic of language allows us to trace historical ties among human societies and cultures that have been existing before our times, hereby, allows us to inherit the knowledge of cultures. According to descent with modification, a phenomenon addressed by Darwin, our ability to inherit is crucial to modern human’s primary adaptation, that is culture, because of cultural development demands modifications on cultures acquired from the past. In essence, language makes culture possible by serving as the verbal expression of culture and allowing humans to create, modify, maintain and convey culture.
