Chapter 8 Language and Culture

1. Chapter 8 Language and Culture English Linguistics: An Introduction

2. Chapter 8 Language and Culture 0. Warm-up Questions 1. What Is Culture? 2. Language vs. Culture 3. Case studies 4. Pedagogical Implication 5. Intercultural Communication

3. 0. Warm-up Questions • What is culture? What are different aspects of culture? • How are culture and language related to each other? • Can you produce some linguistic evidence of different cultures? • What are your suggestions for polite conversations? • What implications can we draw from the relationship, for both language learning and intercultural communication?

4. 1. What Is Culture? Few statements about culture: • The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group. • A learned pattern of behavior and ways in which a person lives his or her life. • A term used by social scientists for a people's whole way of life. • 人类在社会历史发展过程中所创造的物质和精神财富的总和。 • 人们普遍的社会习惯，如衣食住行、风俗习惯、生活方式、行为规范等。

5. 2. Language vs. Culture 2.1 The Relationship (p146) • Language is an indispensable part and carrier of culture. • Culture finds a better representation through language use. 2.2 Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (p149) • Our language helps mould our way of thinking and, consequently, different languages may probably express speakers’ unique ways of understanding the world.

6. 2. Language vs. Culture 2.2 Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (p149) Two versions of the SWH: • Linguistic Determinism: Language determines thought. (strong version) • Linguistic Relativity: Language merely influences thought. (weak version)

7. 3. Case studies 3.1 Cultural Difference (p154) • Greetings • How are you? 你吃过了吗？到哪去啊？ • Terms of address • Ms, 同志，师傅，主任，Uncle: 叔父伯父舅父姨父姑父 • Thanks and compliments： • I’m glad to be of help. 不客气。Thank you. 哪里哪里？ • Colour words • Green eyes, blue blood, green hand, 扫黄，红军，

8. 3. Case studies 3.2 Cultural Overlap and Diffusion • Cultural overlap文化重合 • 爸爸，妈妈，Professor，Have daddy told you that? • Cultural diffusion文化扩散 • 你OUT了。Happy去。唱KTV。Call我。借我Copy一下。CCTV, MTV, 3D, IE[网络]，汉堡包，tofu, hold不住...

9. 4. Pedagogical Implication 4.1 Culture in Language Learning (p155) • Learning a language is inseparable from learning its culture, as language is deeply rooted in culture. • Acculturation helps achieve pragmatic or communicative competence, as well as linguistic competence. • Culture makes language learning more enjoyable, as focus is shifted away from language towards the people who use the language: how they live, think, behave, etc.

10. 4. Pedagogical Implication 4.2 Culture in Language Teaching (p156) Three objectives for cultural teaching; • To get students familiar with cultural differences; • To help students transcend their own culture and see things as the members of the target culture will; • To emphasize the inseparability of understanding language and understanding through various classroom practices.

11. 5. Intercultural Communication 5.1 Definition • Also known as cross-cultural communication, is frequently used to refer to communication between people from different cultures. 5.2 Principles (p163) Successful communication occurs when • the hearer can see, feel, and understand issues from the speaker’s point of view • the speaker and hearer know each other’s intention • the two parties adopt a dynamic dialogue pattern

12. 5. Intercultural Communication 5.3 Strategies • When in Rome do as the Romans do. (你，您) • Put yourself in other’s shoes. (atomic bombs on Japan) • One culture’s meat is another culture’s poison. (Love me, love my bird.) • Honesty and sincerity are key points to mutual understanding.