CLINTON E.

CACERES
Master of Language and Literature
ELT 230 – Sociolinguistics
Ateneo de Naga University – Graduate School

See the Wider Context in Which Societies Are Embedded and How Language
Relates to Culture in General

A society is built upon by the people who actually live in it, who exist with it and, most

of all, who grow with it. Our basic concept of a society is based upon the idea that people are

living and communicating with each other to form a common language and culture. Thus,

language and culture goes hand in hand wherever language thrives, culture also thrives. Meaning

to say, language plays a critical role in the development of one’s culture and vice versa.

But before delving into the idea that language and culture are related, it is best to define

language and culture first to see the deeper connections between the two that is embedded in a

society. Culture is defined in many ways but it has many things in common and that is shared

values for a way of life in a society (Freimuth, 2006). Bates and Plog (2005) has a more detailed

explanation stating that culture is a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors and

artifacts that the members of the society use to cope with their world and with one another, and

that are transmitted from one generation to another. And one last important thing, culture is

learned and is socially acquired (Wardhaugh, 2002). And since society and culture are closely

related, it is safe to conclude that language and culture also has some kind of relationship.

As for my own opinion regarding the matter, language and culture certainly has some

connections. Societies exist due to the common grounds found within and between its people –

these are their shared experiences, values, and insights shared through language as their medium

of communication. Needless to say, that is already undeniable evidence that is irrefutable in its

own rights. Looking at the bigger picture, a society’s language and culture would not exist and

thrive without the other. A basic example would be contextualization where a child may not be

able to understand a word/idea/concept/explanation that is outside his/her own cultural circle.

For example, if a child is studying in the Philippines where it is obviously a tropical country,

giving examples such as snow, reindeers and bears or any other concepts that are not present in

our culture, the child will have a hard time understanding the basic premise of that concept due
to the fact that he/she can neither see nor hear nor touch the said concept. What I am basically

saying here is that, for something such as language to be understood easily by the learner, it

should be contextualized to be culturally relevant. That way, learners can easily tap on their

previous experiences and connect it with what is now being taught to them.

Brown (2000, p.177) is convinced that there is a connection between language and

culture. He says “It is apparent that culture becomes highly important in the learning of second

language. A language is part of the culture and a culture is part of a language: the two are

intricately woven.

Jiang (2000) wrote an article discussing the inseparability of language and culture.

Hammerly (1985) also believed language learners were not fully trained until they exhibited the

knowledge and behavior of the culture of the language they were learning. Moreover, Gumperz

(1996) also hinted the close relationship between language and culture by saying language is

more than something you simply use to interact in a society, meaning we need to know how

language and cultural differences work.

Lai and Kuo asserts that language is not only the product of culture, but also the symbol

of culture. Culture must be incorporated outright as an essential component of second language

teaching. Only after cultural issues become an inherent part of the language curriculum and

instruction, can students be successful in their target language learning.

Moreover, Pourkalhor and Esfandiari (2017) also stated in their study that cultural needs

of the learners should be addressed in a language classroom. They also stipulated that language

learners should be provided with various activities which assist them to locate themselves, as

well as others, in the language learning process so that they can develop adequate and coherent

understandings of their cultural experiences.

To sum up, regarding the relationship between language and culture, four claims are

reported. One is that social structure may either influence or determine linguistic structure and/or

behavior. A second possibility is directly opposed to the first: linguistic structure and/or behavior

may either influence or determine social structure or worldview. Such a view is behind certain

proposed language reforms: if we change the language we can change social behavior. A third

possible relationship is that the influence is bi-directional: language and society may influence
each other. Certain language reforms can also be seen as relying on this perspective; the reforms

are made because of changes in societal norms. A fourth possibility is to assume that there is no

relationship at all between linguistic structure and social structure and that each is independent of

the other.