The idea of linguistic influence on cultures was first officially stated in Whorfian theory by Whorf. Whorfian theory is categorized into two: the strong and weak version. The strong version says that languages could determine the way we think, and in contrast, the weak version says linguistic categories and usages could influence the way we think and certain kinds of non-linguistic behaviors. Specifically, the idea is called linguistic-cultural parallelism according to the study of Robert Leon Cooper, named The Influence of Language on Culture and Thought. This idea is the claim that each language reflects the culture of its speech community. In addition, it explains that language and culture have connections between them. For example, according to Natalia Brophy, Asian languages have a lot of honorifics and low talks becaus Asian cultures put an importance on vertical human relations.
Despite the thesis has a difficulty in showing evidences, it would be explained by the natural progress and common ideas in turn;
First of all, language habits lead to formation and transformation of culture. According to the article that mentions the thesis, culture is defined by the activities of people, sometimes governed by a geographical boundary. People formed their society and made their way of life, and this activity is called as cultural formation. After this process for a time, culture is learned and also changes as time passes. This alteration is passed from parents to children also by language. Like this, language has had a great role in inheritance because it's hard to inherit cultural formation or alteration without language. Therefore, language habits of the era must have influenced these processes such as that we commonly say we need to have better language habits for better society. It means that language habits would also become as a part of the culture.
Secondly, the human mind and behavior affects society. People express their mind by language and behave following their mind all the time in their society, and usually people in one society resemble this naturally. Languages have always been weapons to express one's ideas and feelings. In other words, the human mind and behavior would be expressed by language, which pervades all over the society, and would show lifestyles of the society, so-called culture. In addition, because each person cannot be isolated from society, they would affect each other by their mind and behavior.
First of all, language habits lead to formation and transformation of culture. According to the article that mentions the thesis, culture is defined by the activities of people, sometimes governed by a geographical boundary. People formed their society and made their way of life, and this activity is called as cultural formation. After this process for a time, culture is learned and also changes as time passes. This alteration is passed from parents to children also by language. Like this, language has had a great role in inheritance because it's hard to inherit cultural formation or alteration without language. Therefore, language habits of the era must have influenced these processes such as that we commonly say we need to have better language habits for better society. It means that language habits would also become as a part of the culture.
Secondly, the human mind and behavior affects society. People express their mind by language and behave following their mind all the time in their society, and usually people in one society resemble this naturally. Languages have always been weapons to express one's ideas and feelings. In other words, the human mind and behavior would be expressed by language, which pervades all over the society, and would show lifestyles of the society, so-called culture. In addition, because each person cannot be isolated from society, they would affect each other by their mind and behavior.
Finally, culture usually follows the way of expressing feelings or some things that are helped by language. As you could refer to the first reason and the second reason, culture is formed by the way of expressing feelings (namely, mind). It is easy to know when we just look at ourselves. We always express something by languages, and usually this reflects which culture we have. It is because language is a kind of culture. If people use bad words, their culture becomes to be bad just as the words they say. That's why some argue that people should always be aware of how they say.
I assert once again that languages have a profound effect on cultures. According to the idea of The Influence of Language on Culture and Thought: Essays in Honor of Joshua A. Fishman's Sixty-fifth Birthday on page 17, the thesis has a scientific name, 'linguistic-cognitive parallelism' or 'linguistic-cultural parallelism.':
This is the claim that there is a close correspondence between linguistic patterns, on the one hand, and cognitive and cultural ones, on the other. Each language reflects the culture of its speech community. In the following this claim will be called parallelism, for short.
The thesis can be easily explained by either some papers or our common lifestyles, although there are some conflicts in stating whether a language or a culture has an influence on another.
Obviously the argument is ambiguous when we consider the role of culture. Yes, it has already been a hot issue between linguists and cultural scholars. It is very complicated because both are so intertwined, according to Dr. Boshra EL-Guindy, that there must be an apparent conclusion. Because of this, some of cultural scholars argued that cultures have an influence on languages, not vice versa. They first stated that all the vocabularies of one culture reflects what the cultural area values. This idea is well shown in Korean culture too. Korean has a lot of vocabularies related to honorifics or relatives, which reflect vertical culture or culture that values blood relationship. However, according to the supporting idea of behaviorist Watson, some cultures do not even include certain emotions defined by other cultures in their vocabulary. It means people express their mind first by language, act following their language, and finally those actions form particular culture. Their first idea is flawed because of this reason.
Robert Leon Cooper, Bernard Spolsky. (1991). The Influence of Language on Culture and Thought: Essays in Honor of Joshua A. Fishman's Sixty-Fifth Birthday. Walter de Gruyter. p. 17
They secondly stated that languages are just a verbal expression of cultures. Namely, languages are just a tool for people. It is flawed in considering the role of language. Cultures will not exist if people don't express their mind and lifestyles by languages. As I mentioned, languages as a tool have a significant effect on forming society and its cultures. To form culture, people should talk with each other.
Related to both of those ideas, in addition, Whorf argued that since grammar is more resistant to change than culture, the influence from language to culture is predominant. Grammar is a kind of structure of languages. Considering common argument that we should analyze language structure to know culture, resistance against change of grammar could be explained that a language is more consistent than culture is. It's hard to say changeable thing affects something just as this case.
Language and culture are so inseparably related to each other that their relationships are easily discussed between scholars. For example, like the thesis, an influence of one on another. Whof and other scholars have discussed this idea, and they called this linguistic-cultural parallelism. Among its categories, the argument of linguistic influence on culture is definitely right. Although cultural anthropologists criticize that cultural influence on language is much bigger than vice versa, linguistic influence on culture is more significant. It's because languages become a part of cultures. Language contributes to formation and transformation of culture. In addition, people express their mind by language or behavior and these things affect everything in society. It means, without language, people could not even contribute to their own culture. The significant role of language is in analyzing human, ourselves. Namely, developed studies on language could even apprehend every thing related to human. Culture is one of the things they already discover. Because people desire communication, it is natural that a language plays a significant role in either forming or affecting culture definitely. Cultures, lifestyles, educations in human life develop as languages change. So alternations of languages strongly affect human life. In conclusion, it is totally persuasive that languages have a larger effect on cultures than cultures do on languages.
References
Robert Leon Cooper, Bernard Spolsky. (1991). The Influence of Language on Culture and Thought: Essays in Honor of Joshua A. Fishman's Sixty-Fifth Birthday. Walter de Gruyter. p. 17
Natalia Brophy. (2012). Reasons Language is Important to Any Culture. Retrieved from http://www.brighthubeducation.com/language-learning-tips/99894-why-language-is-important-to-culture
Dr. Boshra EL-Guindy. (2012, October 18). Retrieved from http://www.myguidon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15331&Itemid=44
1D 1
답글삭제2D 3
R 3
F 4
T 11