Language Culture and_Society.ppt

Chapter SevenLanguage, Culture, and Society 1. Language and Culture What is culture? Broadly speaking, it means the total way of life of a people, including the patterns of belief, customs, objects, institutions, techniques, and language. In a narrow sense, it refers to local or specific practice, beliefs or customs. 1.1 The relationship between L C Generally, the relation of L to C is that of part to whole, for L is part of C. The knowledge and beliefs that constitute a people’s culture are habitually encoded and transmitted in L. Anthropological study of linguistics: study of language in a sociocultural context. Bronislaw Malinowski (1884-1942): The meaning of a word greatly depends upon its occurrence in a given context. Language functions as a link in human activity, a mode of action. J. R. Firth (1890-1960): theory of the context of situation The relevant features of the participants, persons, personalities. The relevant objects. The effects of the verbal action. “who speaks what to whom and when and to what end” Dell Hymes (1927- ): Ethnography of communication Speech situation. Situation, event, and act. SPEAKING: situation, participants, ends, act sequence, key语气, instrumentalities语式, norms, and genres Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis Edward Sapir (1884 - 1939) and Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897-1941) Our language helps mould our way of thinking and, consequently, different languages may probably express speakers’ unique ways of understanding the world. Linguistic determinism: L may determine our thinking patterns. Linguistic relativity: different languages offer people different ways of expressing the world around. English: horseshoe French: fer a cheval —— iron for horse German: hufeisen —— hoof iron The Eskimos have countless words for snow. The Arabs, for camels. Linguistic evidence of cultural differences Terms of address Greetings Thanks and compliments Privacy and taboos Color words 1.2 Culture-loaded words 烫手的山芋 vs. hot potato 雨后春笋 vs. spring like mushroom