CUEVAS, JOIELAINE BSEDE-1B

Task 1: The indispensable role of language in culture and Society

Dan Jurafsky, The Jackson Eli Reynolds professor in Humanities and chair of the
Department of Linguistics in the School of Humanities and Sciences in Stanford, said that
“discovering what’s universal about languages can help us understand the core of our
humanity”. Language, according to Derbyshire, “is undoubtedly a kind of communication
among human beings.” He further stated that it includes vocal sounds, articulatory, systematic,
symbolic, and arbitrary.

A. Indispensable role of language in culture

According to Kramsch, 1988, Language and culture cannot exist without each other, because
language expresses, embodies, and symbolizes cultural reality. It helps us in creating
perceptions and beliefs of all the ways of life which include codes of manners, dress, religion,
rituals, art, and many more. Moreover, we use language in expressing our culture. Naturally,
people share common experiences amongst each other. We talk about current events, facts,
and ideas taken from our stock knowledge about the world. Language also, play a vital role in
terms of embodiment of the culture. While sharing experiences, we make more experiences.
We give meaning to what we do using any media we chose to use. Verbal and non-verbal forms
of language create meanings that are understandable to us. Lastly, we use language as symbol
in our culture. Language is a system of signs that is seen as having itself a culture value.
Speakers identify themselves and others through their use of language; They view their
language as a symbol of their social identity. Prohibition of its use is often seen by its speakers
as a rejection of their social groups and their culture.

Common attitudes, beliefs, and values are reflected in the way members of the group use
language- for example, what we choose to say or not to say and how we said it. As what Dan
Jurafsky said, “discovering what’s universal about languages can help us understand the core of
our humanity.”
 B. Indispensable role of language in Society

In Lyons point of view, language is the best communicative system by particular social groups of
human being within the specific society of which they are part of. In the society, as man
constantly use spoken, written, and printed language they are constantly linked to each other
via shared norms which is essential in the society.

As a matter of fact, a study called sociolinguistics was made to learn the connection between
language and society and the way people use language in different social situations.
Furthermore, the study of language and society focuses on the situations and uses of language
in its social context tells us quite a bit about how we organize our social relationships within a
particular community. It is possible to know the cultural values and norms of politeness,
deference and status of the people within the society through their choice of words.

References

https://englishfinders.com/definition-of-language-by-scholars/#:~:text=Noam%20Chomsky
%20says%20the%20language,a%20limited%20set%20of%20elements.

https://news.stanford.edu/2019/08/22/the-power-of-language-how-words-shape-people-
culture/

Kramsch, C. 1998. (italicized) Language and Culture. Oxford University Press

Suzanne Romaine, Language in Society (An introduction to Sociolinguistics). Oxford University

Press