Lilian Loh

Professor Morgan

English 1302

2018 January 26

Defining/Explaining Essay: Language and Culture

Language allows interaction and understanding among humans. Communication comes with

language, and a sense of unity and connection comes with communication. Therefore, one can earnestly

deduce that language conveys one’s thoughts and opinions to other individuals. The plethora of varying

languages in the world today emphasizes not only the understanding of one another within the different

languages, but also the existence of contrasting yet similar cultures of those languages.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “language” is defined as a systematic means of

communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having

understood meanings (Merriam-Webster). On the other hand, “culture” in turn is defined as the context of

how the people of a culture operate day-to-day, both individually and as a group (The Relationship

between Language and Culture). Language and culture share an intimate relationship because

communication is key to create an integrated idea of what the culture of a certain group of people will be

like.

For instance, the structural aspect of a language ultimately indicates how the speakers of that

language view the world. Within one’s family or community, one can find that everyone has a different

opinion of how the language is perceived and used. However, there are certain commonly accepted beliefs

within each language community. Since these beliefs exist, language in turn significantly influences how
one sees the world. Specifically, the interpretations and observations one makes in life are guided by how

one perceives linguistic and cultural experiences. The concept is somewhat counterintuitive. If language is

defined to set one’s response to certain ideas and opinions, then the thoughts of those using the same

language may also be restricted (The Relationship between Language and Culture). However, these are

simply speculations as in the end it is analyzed by a case-to-case basis, including the intelligence,

meaning, and prior experience of speakers.

Moreover, the culture reflects the language a group of people use daily since they value certain

things and do them in a certain way. In other words, they use their language in methods that reflect their

values and daily activities (The Relationship between Language and Culture). When brought up in a

certain environment, a certain language is used. It is impossible for one to choose what language they will

speak because it is dependent on what environment they are born into. Language therefore typically

reflects a certain cultural way of doing things, such as colloquial terminology that only natives of a

particular area may know of. Some viable examples to note include the Germans and Hungarians; they are

people who speak languages with different structures but share similar cultural characteristics. The

reverse also exists; people of differing cultures can also have similar structures in language, such as the

Hungarians and Finns (The Relationship between Language and Culture).

Thus, language and culture are prominently related and encourage distinct languages and cultures

to fuse together. The clash between a different language and a different culture however, is a tricky one as

each language offers a certain way of thinking.

 Work Cited

“Language.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, ​www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/language​.

“The Relationship between Language and Culture.” ​ELMES.

http://www2.lib.nifs-k.ac.jp/HPBU/annals/an46/46-11.pdf.