Relationship between Language and Culture

Haeerun Nisa

English Language Education Study Program, UIN Mataram

Email address: 190107033.mhs@uinmataram.ac.id

A. Introduction

There is a relationship between language and culture. Language is the

tool that humans use to communicate with each other. Culture is the way that a
group of people think and behave. It is important to both learn and use language
in different cultures, in order to understand and accept their cultures. Language
is an important part of culture. For example, in the United States many
immigrants from other countries do not speak English very well. These
immigrants must learn English in order to integrate into American society.
Likewise, many Americans do not understand the language of certain ethnic
groups in the country. It is important for Americans to learn other languages in
order to better understand other cultures. When a country adopts another
language or language that is different from their own they become bilingual or
more culturally aware. This knowledge and understanding will better enable
them to accept and understand other cultures. The best way to learn about
another culture is through communication with them, such as speaking their
language and learning about the customs of their country. Cultural awareness
refers to the awareness and knowledge that people have about different cultural
groups. It is important that people be sensitive to cultural differences and treat
people from other cultures with respect and dignity. Different cultures have
different customs and traditions that are important to the members of that
culture. It is also important to treat everyone with equality and respect.

The role of culture in language learning is important for a number of

reasons. First, it is important to understand the culture that you are studying so
that you can accurately convey its message in your speech and writing. Second,
language is essential to expressing and understanding culture. In a given
context, language is used to convey ideas and emotions, as well as to develop
relationships. To truly understand a culture, you must first understand their
language. Finally, learning a language helps you appreciate diversity and learn
about new cultures. Learning a new language is an opportunity to learn about a
new culture and broaden your horizons. It is also an opportunity to meet new
people and make new friends from different backgrounds and cultures.
Language can be an important part of cultural identity because it helps speakers
share important values and ideals with others in their communities.

B. Culture

Culture can be defined as a learned system of values, beliefs and/or

norms among a group of people (Greey, 1994). Culture has an effect on people's
thoughts, behaviors, language, and actions. According to Condon (1973), a style
of living might be referred to as culture. Culture might be used to describe a
way of life. Condon continued by saying that people group characteristics are
only assigned to stereotypes depending on their cultural connection. Stereotypes
from different cultures have an influence on how people think, act, and
communicate. People follow and are often based on their own cultures,
regardless of where they reside. For each individual, culture creates a backdrop
for their cognitive and affective behavior. It affects how people view
themselves and their attitudes, and it may also have an impact on more concrete
parts of life, including hobbies.

Culture is a product of habit as much as tradition, and it is tradition that

creates culture. Locals start with routine behavior and progress to widespread
stereotypes. According to Samovar, Porter, and Jain (1981), culture and
communication are inextricably linked because culture affects not only who
communicates with whom about what and how, but also how messages are
encoded, what they mean to people, the conditions and contexts in which
certain communications may or may not be delivered, noticed, or understood.
To put it simply, culture forms the cornerstone of communication.

C. Language

Language is a system of signals that encodes and decodes information.

These signals might be speech sounds, hand gestures, or written symbols.
According to Halliday (1973, p. 10), there are seven categories into which
language functions can be divided, including environment and causing certain
events to occur. Language is a social institution that shapes and is shaped by
society (Armour-Thomas & Gopaul-McNicol, 1998). This indicates that
language is not an autonomous construct but rather a social activity that is both
formed by and shaped by the institutions of society in which we live and work.
A certain amount of "transfusion" between language and culture is unavoidable,
as language cannot live in a vacuum (Fairclough, 1989). As a result,
experimenting with the idea of culture in connection to language will be
required while learning a new language.

D. Relationship between Language and Culture

Language is a product of culture, but it is also a representation of culture

(Gleason, 1961). Language and culture are intertwined, and one will affect the
other. Language and culture have a kind of deep and symbolic relationship.
Language stands for the whole culture because language represents culture in
the minds of its speakers. Culture symbolizes language and is summed in the
economic, religions, and philosophical systems of a country. Language is
formed to present our ideas or concepts; these can change depending on which
cultural elements are dominant at any given moment. An obvious advantage of
human language as a learned symbolic communication system is that language
has infinite flexibility. This means that the meaning of a word can be changed,
and a new symbolism is created. In 15th century “Nice” meant foolish, wanton,
lascivious, and even wicked. This simple example reveals that languages can
evolve in response to the changing historical and social conditions. The culture
of the United States is made up of many different cultures and languages. Each
of these individual cultures is impacting on, shaping, and redefining the
American culture. The sentence “long time no see” is not standard English. It
was translated from Chinese; others like sushi and tofu appear in American
society. People accept and understand them because these adaptations have
already become a part of the “local” culture and blended into people’s lives
(Allison & Vining, 1999)
Some old words remain even when they are no longer used cultural. New words
emerge as they become identified with particular cultural activities. Different
eras often have differing “pop languages” These languages are mostly likely to
be influenced by TV programs, politics or music, and little by little they create
their own cultural trend. Examples of this can be seen with the Beatles and most
recently in Hop Pop music. Language should be conceptualized an integrated as
part of a society and its culture

E. Conclusion

Refrence
https://www.edutopia.org/role-of-culture-in-language-learning-online-
education/