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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture

Language Learning and the Relation to Culture

Kathryn A. Williams
Global Connections
Tallwood High School
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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
Abstract

This paper delves into why learning languages and cultures together is important, to an

individual and to a society. When a community needs to interact with another of a different

language, dialect, or culture, due to increased interdependence or globalization, it's imperative to

create a successful relationship and exchange to be aware of the opposing or allied cultures.

Using an array of culturally varied sources and studies, this paper explains what methods are the

most useful when teaching an integrated class, one that incorporates the culture of the chosen

language. Most helpful courses include real interactions with native and fluent speakers, cultural

activities, and explanations of cultural caveats.

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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
Introduction

As Edward Sapir, known for his part of the Sapir-Whorf theory, said, Human beings

are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of

expression for their society (Mendelbaum, 1949). While Sapirs belief that all culture stems

from languages leans to a more extreme side, he made a valid point that opened up exploration

into the relationships between culture and language. Human culture is expressed and tied

intimately to language and therefore to understand one, you need to, or at least should, be aware

of the other. (Kozina, 2016) When a language is used, it automatically calls to and incorporates

elements of the culture, and vice versa. It can be difficult to understand or empathize a culture

without knowing the language and many times language includes cultural stipulations and

influences. (Zart, 2014) Teaching foreign languages is the first step to having a fully culturally

competent society, so that competency can start from the bottom up. Once a whole generation

has been taught a language in school, they will perceive it as normal. Germany, in fact, begins

teaching English to elementary students and it is noticeable when delegations come to America.

Most students are already acquainted with parts of American culture such as television shows,

music, and certain current events. (Adams, 2002) Cultural education is still developing and new

techniques are being developed on how to teach language and culture together are being created.

Language learning directly and indirectly improves students cultural tolerance, through the

language courses themselves and culturally integrating experiences, as language is a mode to

cultural understanding and culture is a part of language.

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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture

Limitations

Language learning and exposure to culture has become a pressing issue, especially in

recent times. Studies have been done since the 1980s, and are quite numerous, yet with all these

resources and data collected there can still be some limits to what is reiterated and relayed in

another body of work.

Bias in studies -

Many of the sources available to the author are biased in that they offer evidence that is

overwhelmingly in favor of cultural and language learning. A majority of the studies conducted

only address the benefits of such cultural transmission and inclusion in classrooms and not so

much any repercussions. While it benefits the author and her purpose, it does not provide for a

counter argument or mode to further promote the authors point of view over another. The lack

of diverse collected data hints at a slightly biased or newer area of study. Since this is a relatively

new field, long term effects and/or repercussions cannot be seen or recorded.

Time and Resource Constraints -

The dictation of this essay and gathering of viable sources was limited by a deadline. All of the

sources that were used needed to be collected and reviewed within a month. Another form of

time constraint is that the author had not the time to conduct a study herself, nor analyze the

results that such a study would have provided. The resources available to the author, both to

review and create, are confined to what a young high school student can gain access to and

intuitively put to use. Some of the most beneficial resources were only available via purchasing
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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
or renting, which the author is unable to do, though the abstracts and summaries have been

considered and several were incorporated into this paper.

Authors Viewpoints -

The author is an American who has been opened to culture and languages from an early age.

She has been raised in a home that accepts people, no matter the culture, creed, color, or

language. The author is also a college bound female, who is somewhat privileged, in that she

attends an elite academy that was founded on the basis of proliferating language and cultural

awareness. The author is biased in favor of such spreading of knowledge and acceptance, and

sees education as the best possible mode to do so, as that is how she has been taught via classes

and experiences.

Writing Ability-

Knowing how to write this type of paper is an important skill, a skill the author has yet to perfect

and has only encountered once before. While the author has sources, ideas, and a thesis, she may

not be as eloquent as others when formulating the body of this paper. Regardless of this fact, the

author will put utmost effort into communicating her ideas, the facts, and how it all comes

together to validate the thesis.

Literature Review

This paper is composed of sources that fall into four categories; Non-English speaking

cultural studies, English speaking studies, Teaching Guides, and General Socio-linguistics. Each

of the categories lends a different point of view to the entire paper, which aids in hitting every
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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
aspect of teaching a foreign language and how it impacts a culture, both as a teacher and

students, and as a native English speaker and as an English learner.

The source that is used as the introductory quote to this paper is from Mendelbaum. This

source is purely reference, as it draws from the studies and theories of Edward Sapir, an

influential socio-linguist who, in conjunction with Benjamin Whorf, contributed to the Theory of

Linguistic Relativity. A few other sources are similar to this, simple references that just give

common ideas in the area of study, and include sources Elmes (2013), Guessabi (n.d.), and

Kozina (2016). In those sources, connections between language and learned cultures are made,

the idea that culture is a language and communicates is asserted, and how the way we use

language is an aspect of a shared culture, all respectively. Guessabi (n.d.) has the most casual

voice and way of writing but it lays evidence next to opinion in laymans terms. Many of the

ideas in these types of sources have been studied in a general way, more focused on proving the

main idea over seeing it in separate cultures or between integrated languages and cultures.

The most abundant type of research is the in-depth cultural study. There are two

variations of the cultural study; one looks into English as the learned or second language as the

Choudhury (2014) article does, and the second explores how non-english languages impact the

cultures of the learners, as in the Tinsey (2016) report. Choudhury also explores how to express

oneself properly in English if it isnt your first language. A few unique sources explore both as

they happen side by side as do the Adams (2002) study and the Kamagai (1994) study. Though

the Adams study is incomplete, it does lend verified data about why some of the trends do occur,

which is the key in transitioning to a more culture based language course. This study was done

on two college campuses, one in Germany and one in the United States, and analyzes trends in
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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
the higher education systems of each location. The Kamagai study was done by a Japanese

student in the United States and has a specific and insightful point of view; how ingrained culture

affects the learned language, particularly culture and Japanese language. The importance of

having both variations of text is to remove a slight bias and slant and even the playing field. It

also seems that there are more cross cultural studies done by non-english speakers than there are

done by english speakers.

The Teaching Guides appeared far more often in the search for sources than one would

have expected and yet offer up some interesting matter. In the Executive Summary (n.d), which

is part of a teacher's textbook of sorts, it details how languages should be taught alongside the

languages culture in order to boost the cultural comprehension and language ability. Abbaspour

(2012) goes more in depth where it concerns full intercultural competency and how to teach an

all encompassing language and culture course. This category of writings will provide a suggested

structure for teaching language and culture together, as the author will combine ideas from each

and explain the methods.

The bulk of the acquired sources have overlapping ideas, which only goes to reinforce the

authors purpose and opinion.

Body

One may ask, why is it even important to have cultural competency? Its a question

thats not unfounded; how is the importance of anything established? Joshua Spodek, PhD and

Patentee, says that for something to be important it has to change lives. The world is globalizing

which means increasingly more people are able to meet and exchange ideas. Imagine less

barriers between scientists on the topic of cancer or world leaders becoming allies based on
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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
understood values, wouldnt that be life changing? When one person is able to operate in a

multicultural mindset, they are able to influence others in a positive way, growing an important

community of globalized people. (Barany, 2011) The goal is interpersonal transmission as well

as through classrooms, and the hope is that it becomes a worldwide phenomena. The most

noticeable and worldwide implementations of language and cultural learning started around the

Cold War Era because sound negotiations for peace were becoming necessary, as well as the

need to ease tensions between opposed peoples. (Lantz, C., & Davies, I., 2015) On a more recent

and country specific level, America is becoming more diverse, and ethnic tensions are at a peak.

For instance, in Dallas and another Texas city there have been Pro-Islam billboards in order to

promote religious equality. The number they have on the boards was flooded with hate calls

instead of people wondering what they can do to help, as intended. (Martin, 2016) If foreign

languages, and the corresponding cultures, were introduced to the general public, or at the very

least schools, then America could move towards a more culturally efficacious society. (Clark,

2007) It may be easier to think of additional cultural learning as a new pair of glasses, providing

the viewer with a crisper image and more vibrant colors. Simply knowing a language without

the culture creates an outsider-looking-in situation, where the non-native speaker can understand

the literal words but not the cultural cues and caveats. (Zart, 2012) Importance of culture to

language is definitely worth mentioning, as either one is integral to the correct and full

understanding and usage of the other. The way one communicates throughout the day, in

different situations, is based upon the surrounding and learned culture. (Kozina, 2016) In

Japanese culture, saying no is avoided so as not to come off as too rude whereas in America,

interactions are straight to the point and typically dont beat around the bush. (Kumagai, 1994)
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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
Even if an American student were to learn Japanese language without knowing the

aforementioned cultural mores, an interaction with a native speaker may not go as well as

intended. Politeness is also highly valued in Japanese culture, a level of formality is held that

western languages dont have. (Kumagai, 1994) On the other side of the coin, language impacts

culture as it first acts as a vehicle for expression of culture and second, it changes the perceived

culture. The former is nearly obvious; to effectively transmit ideas and opinions, it is beneficial

to use a common mode of communication. Typically, culture changed over long periods of time

but with globalization and the internet, it occurs much more rapidly today. Learned language

needs to change to accommodate for the blending and meeting of cultures and peoples. (Soomro,

2015) As for the changing of perceived culture, it may need more explanation. For instance, any

Arabic speaker may be the target of hate crimes on the common yet false basis that all terrorists

speak Arabic, the same goes for Muslims who are subject to misleading religious prejudices.

Another situation involves forming stereotypes of certain regional dialects. In Mandarin speaking

areas, the southernmost accent is considered cuter than northern ones because it has less harsh

sounds. Another great example within Mandarin speaking areas is that each country has its own

spin on the common tongue, making it recognizable and unique to each area. (Zart, 2012) The

two way connection is most apparent when there is a cultural barrier or hindrance. (Kozina,

2016) Such as when a foreigner uses a word with a double meaning attached to it, the literal is

harmless but a cultural implication can mean something far from the expected. As the author has

learned, running a red light can mean something not so suitable for work in Taiwan. (Check

appendix) The culture of an area or nation brings that extra facet of knowledge and

understanding to a conversation in the language.As Guessabi so precisely states, To speak is to

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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
assume a culture, and to know a culture is like knowing a language. (n.d.), and so it is. While

risking redundancy, it must be said that language is as a part of the culture as anything else

would be. One work that stands out in ones mind in regards to looking in on a culture without

really understanding it is Body Ritual Among the Nacirema.(Miner, N.D.) When this was

originally presented to students in an Advanced Placement Human Geography class, no prior

knowledge was given, but this report is about a culture with strange health and body norms.

When it was revealed that this particular paper was written as an almost expose on American

Culture, the class was shocked. It was explained that this is how other cultures might view our

cultural mores and how we, often unconsciously, look at different cultures with a lack of

contextual understanding.

Once it is acknowledged that languages and cultures need to be taught in classrooms, or

at least ought to be, methods for doing so must be established. It would not do to have little

success after the work put in to make way for such classes. First of all, the context of language

in a classroom is important. For example, is it English as a Second Language or a foreign

language class for native English speakers? Other factors to consider when formulating an

integrated language-culture course would include learners ages, any pre-established proficiency,

and the teachers fluency in the learned language. (Executive Summary, N.D.)

Though this paper is written where English is the native language and any other language

is considered foreign, it is pertinent to the wholeness of this paper to mention how English

learners and teachers are incorporating language and culture into one class. In a study from the

University of Massachusetts Amherst, it is explained how in Japan, English is taught to college

students by first going over grammar to the extent of drawn out reasonings for each grammatical
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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
or linguistic caveat. Translations of English texts are then the bulk of the course. (Kamagai,

1994) This method of teaching seems to be flat and devoid of opportunities to speak, listen to, or

interact in English. Without such experiences, the cultural aspect of learning the new language is

lackluster. Although, often times this form of learning is intended to be used for the study of

literature, rather than any actual interaction. Kamagai notices this in most formal modes of

language learning in Japan and asserts that learning via real world interactions and situations is a

more practical way to become conversationally fluent. Another point addressed by this study is

that waiting to teach English in secondary schools acts as an inhibitor. This is likely because the

students already have a developed mindset and collection of Japanese linguistic norms. This

reasoning applies to any languages acquired as a second language. (Kamagai, 1994)

In order to best influence the growing minds of the learners, foreign language courses

need to make multicultural connections, so differences are easily comparable but also more

easily comprehended. In addition, some time should be set aside to deeply reflect upon a

universal or global culture that is made up of many individual cultures. By the end of a course or

experience, language and culture should be seen as more than a body of knowledge but rather

[as] a framework [for] which people live their lives and communicate shared meanings with each

other. (Van Shaijik, 2016)

Teaching a foreign language in America has been made more uniform by The National

Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the United States, enacted in 1996 and 1999. (Zhu,

2012) This same document agrees that simple book learning can do only so much to explain and

teach culture, even stating that direct contact with experts and native speakers is the best mode

for cultural learning. An excellent diagram of the suggested modes for the grasping of cultural
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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
concepts is provided within Weaving Language and Culture Together, from the National

Standards. By consuming and coming into contact with a cultures Products, Practices, and

Perspectives, a culture can be systematically learned. The three Ps are the framework for any

culture and quite possibly the best display of the culture itself, and how else to begin to

understand a culture than to look right at its real life components.

How does all this make a culturally tolerant human being? Jenna Free, VBCPS Teacher

of the Year 2016, tells her classes that before anyone can form an opinion of a literary work, be it

a poem or novel, one must be able to understand what it means and the message within, or the

judgments made would lack proper founding and support. This also applies to cultural

interactions. If a person is interacting with a new or foreign culture, one that immediately seems

to go against or is too far removed from their own culture, snap judgements can do more harm

than good in the long run.

Conclusion

The importance of a culturally integrated and interactive class to the cultural competency

of a society, and the individuals within, has been made apparent through studies and research.

Studies of actual classrooms have shown the types of learning that are most conducive are

usually the most interactive and inclusive. In this ever globalizing world, the need to have

multicultural classes and people is increasing and accommodations ought to be made for this.

The global understanding of cultures must increase in order for todays international society and

the individuals within to become capable of informed worldwide communication, and a great
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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
way to start is through foreign languages classes that teach the culture as well as the languages

themselves.

Citations

Abbaspour, E., Nia, M. R., & Zaree, J. (2012). How to Integrate Culture in Second Language
Education? Journal of Education and Practice, 3(10), 2012th ser. Retrieved November
11, 2016.

Adams, R. M. (2002). Trends in American & German Higher Education [Scholarly project]. In
American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from
https://www.amacad.org/multimedia/pdfs/publications/researchpapersmonographs/Ameri
c an_German.pdf

Barany, L. K. (2011). Language Awareness, Intercultural Awareness and Communicative

Language Teaching: Towards Language Education. International Journal of Arts and
Sciences, 1(4). Retrieved October 21, 2016, from InternationalJournal.org.

Choudhury, R. U. (2014, April). The Role of Culture in Teaching and Learning English as a
Foreign Language. Express, an International Journal of Multi Disciplinary Research,
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2014th ser. Retrieved November 11, 2016.

Clark, E. R. (2007, December). Cultural Literacy: Negotiating Language, Culture, and Thought
Author [Scholarly project]. In ProQuest Central K-12. Retrieved October 20, 2016, from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/213930467?accountid=3785

Coyle, D. (2015). Strengthening integrated learning: Towards a new era for plural literacies and
intercultural learning/Fortalecimiento de aprendizaje integrado: Hacia una nueva era
para
pluri-alfabetizaciones y aprendizaje intercultural. Latin American Journal of Content &
Language Integrated Learning, 8(2), 84-103.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.5294/laclil.2015.8.2.2

Elmes, D. (2013). The Relationship between Language and Culture [Research Paper].
National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya International Exchange and Language
Education Center, Kanoya.
http://www2.lib.nifs-k.ac.jp/HPBU/annals/an46/46-11.pdf

Executive Summary. (n.d.). In CERI (Comp.), Languages in a Global World: Learning for Better
Cultural Understanding. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
Guessabi, F. (n.d.). Blurring the Line between Language and Culture. Language
Magazine. Retrieved October 28, 2016, from
http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=2103

Kozina, Y. (2016, April 4). Socio-Cultural Aspect of Language Learning [Web log post].
Retrieved
November 11, 2016, from
https://blog.memrise.com/2016/04/14/socio-cultural-aspect-of-language-learning/

Kumagai, Yuri, "The Effects of Culture on Language Learning and Ways of Communication: The
Japanese Case" (1994). Master's Capstone Projects. Paper 80.
http://scholarworks.umass.edu/cie_capstones/80

Lantz, C., & Davies, I. (2015). Global Education in Theory: The Centrality of Intercultural
Competence (The State of Global Education: Learning with the World and Its People).
Routeledge.

Martin, N. (2016, December 5). 'Get out of America': Pro-Islam billboards in Dallas a reaction to
political climate. Dallas News. Retrieved December 14, 2016.

Mandelbaum, D. G. (1949). Edward Sapir: Culture, language and personality: Selected essays.
Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Miner, H. (n.d.). Body Ritual Among The Nacirema (58). Retrieved November 24, 2016, from
American Anthropological Association website:
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Scarino, A., & Liddicoat, A. (2009). Teaching and learning languages: A guide [PDF].

Soomro, S. A., Kazemian, B., & Mahar, I. H. (2015, September 8). The Importance of Culture in
Second and Foreign Language Learning. D inamika Ilmu, 15(1), 2015th ser.
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Secondary Schools In England (2015-2016 ed., Language Trends, pp. 16-22, Data
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Zart, B. (2012, March 4). The Importance of Culture in Language Learning [Web log post].
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Language Learning and the Relation to Culture
Retrieved November 11, 2016, from https://billzart.wordpress.com/

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Appendix

Running a red light is Taiwanese and Chinese NSFW (Not Suitable For Work) slang for the

reproductive acts while a female is menstruating.