Language and

Culture
SOC SCI - 1

Jean L. Enrile Reporting

Edward Sapir
A noted anthropologist, defined language purely non instinctive
method of communicating ideas, emotions drives by means of
voluntarily produced symbols. Suvillian, a sociologist defines language
as a set of written or verbal symbols that people has agreed upon the
use. Its anything that represents something else, something that can
express and evoke meanings.
Meaning bestow upon objects by those who use them. Symbols
include words, numbers, emblems, color, designs or marks, such as a
cross a ring, a flog, totem pools, statue of a god, hero, or saint, on a
constitution. the symbols are associated with different perceptions
and experience flag to many members society will evoke a feeling of a
pride a patriotism as its
symbolizes ones- country? Symbols may be ordinary useful goods that have acquired meanings.
Flashy cars used by persons may evoke a sense of power can extravagant lifestyle. Signature shirts
and bags worn by young people may signify status. Through language we can complete and use
abstract ideas like patriotism, courage faith and others. Language, thus serves as a mechanism
communication.

Points to
Remembe
r
Edward Sapir
defined language as purely non
instinctive
method
of
communicating ideas emotions, and
drives by means if voluntarilyproduced symbols.

Edward Sapir, together with linguist Benjamin Short, states that the language we
speak how to think about reality or perceive the world. Since language as and culture
are mutually reinforcing, reality shape language in the sense that language is an
adaption to a particular physical and cultural environment (Suvillan,2001:55).

Anthropologist say that the Eskimos have a great number of words to

describe snow ad they live in a environment full of snow. Arabs have
several words to describes their came and gear. The Americans have a
rich vocabulary to describe military equipment. likewise, Filipinos have
diverse words for various kinds of bananas and rice and will perceive
differences in them that will escape foreigners.

The Samals of Mindanao have different words for several kinds of fishing
vehicles. Since kinship relationships is important to Filipinos we have
various words regarding kin. aside from having a term for sister (kapatid
na babae) and brother (kapatid na lalaki) some groups have distinctive
terms for sisters like ate, for the eldest sisters, ditche, for the second
sister, and Sans I for the third, and sangko. For the boys, the eldest is
called kuya, the second,diko,and third, sangko.

Through the use of symbol, human have created idea, organized and systematized
them, and passed them to others. Language has served as an adaptive strategy's by
which a person controls and adjusts to his environment. It has enabled the members if
society to transcend many of limitations set by biology.

Language enables us to transcend time and go beyond the here and now, to preserve
the past and make plan for the future. Thus, language gives us some kind of cultural
continuity it a sense if history. It gives bus a sense of identity.

Realizing this, President Quezon decreed in 1935 that a national language be formed
based on Tagalog and be made an important part of the school curriculum. This had
raised a howl of protest from non - Tagalog and the controversy rages up to the present.

In august 1998,month of the national language, President Joseph Ejercito Estrada

decreed the use of Filipino as the language of government communication and in
everyday affairs. Again his was met with criticisms and protest, and opened regional
cleavages.

As provided in the 1987 Constitution and previous constitutions, the country has
two official language, the Filipino and English.

Those favor the constitution of the use of English aver that since English is an
international language and the trade and technology. The issues being raised can
we get access to the worlds literary traditions and advances in science and
technology if we give up English?

How shall we fare in the global word in a such situation? Test given into high school
students all over the world have shown that our students are lagging behind their
counterparts.

Measure were taken in school year 2005-2006 to improve the teaching of English
in our school. Special thrust is given to teacher pi proficiency in teaching English.

Our problems is that numbers of our good teachers have left for jobs in the other
parts of the world, such as the United States, England or Japan

Emy Pascasio ( 1981:80)

says:

Language is one if the important sources of

permanence for the culture, outliving any
particular member. It is the most important
changing for communication and a medium for
determining the value if a society Value
orientations and how they affect the social
relationships of the members of a social group can
be investigated through language use.

Language us an excellent medium in which to study the value system of any

people because it reveals choices, directions of interest,and differences among
age,sex,and occupational groups.Language acts as a cultural marker, a gauge if
social role, indicating at the same time dominant social institutions involved in
the situations. Since the people in a society play multiple roles within various
institutional frameworks,language event extracted from life situations disclosed
a wide range not values.

Language are constantly changing through use and

become rich with addition of words through years.
This is brought about by rapid pace of social and
technological change band by contracts with of the
people. As the culture changes, so does the language.
The English language has words borrowed it adopted from
Latin, Franc, German, Spanish, Russian, Svsndinavan,
Thai, and even Filipino. likewise, the Filipino languages
have borrowed from the Spanish, English, Chinese, and
India.

Language ,then as the medium not

communication ,promotes perpetuates ones
cultural heritage, expresses owned national
identity history, holds people together, and is
important for cross-culture understanding.

Cultural Relativism

What can be done to reduce the bad effects of

ethnocentrism Cultural anthropologists advocate the idea
of cultural relativism, which holds that in viewing the
culture of another society, that culture must be understood
in terms of its own values and beliefs and now better than
any other (Miller,2002:8).

The idea us to view the behavior of an individual within the

perspective of his/her own cultural setting and too
understand that each culture shows its adjustment to its
environment. It means that one must look for the
meanings that the actor has in his/her own beliefs, and
motives instead of those of the observer, one just judge a
culture trait or pattern on the basis of its culture. A culture
trait or pattern must be viewed in terms of its meaning and
function in the culture of the society of which it is a part.

When the Europeans had their first contract with people in Africa,
the Americans and Asia in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, they
regarded these people as a barbarians, savages or primitives.

When the anthropoligists began to study the culture of another

societies by living with the people-the so-called savages-they found
that the preconceived notions other Europeans held would be a
deterrent to their understanding of the culture of the people they
would be studying.

They started to study people on the people's own terms. They made
efforts to know the people's language and to understand the
meaning of their symbols. They found it necessary to interpret the
meaning or value of an act from a cultural relativistic viewpoint.

They learned to judge the customs of people that seemed inhuman

or irrational.

Like infanticide, polygamy, head

hunting, or cannibalism, not by their
own standards but those of the
people they were studying.

This does not mean that they

condone or endorse the behavior.
According to Carpo (1990:34).

All cultures have customs

practices that seem strange
offensive to others.

So, we have to judge such culture

traits or patterns in terms of their
own meaning and value in the
culture of which they are part and
see their function in the life of the
people.

or
or

How do we get a sense of cultural relativism? By reading novels

or books about other people, studying abroad, living with the
other people traveling to different places, or taking place
anthropology.

Summary

Two important concepts, society and culture, used by

anthropologists and sociologists for understanding human
behavior and social organizations that share a common habitat
and a group of people who are relatively self-sufficient and a
common life.

Culture is the complex whole consisting of the social heritage or

design for living within a society.

Two important perspectives explaining the nature of society are

the structural functional theory and the conflict theory.

The first emphasizes society system made up of elements and

components and the functions performed by the system's part.

The conflict perspective stresses social change, conflicts, and

power struggles that take place in society.

Among the important aspects of culture brought out are:(1)

the characteristics of culture- the culture is learned, transmitted,

shared, adaptive, and compulsory, that it interacts with other
cultures and that it changes;(2)

The dimensions of culture are ideas consisting of beliefs. common

understanding, values and scientific knowledge; norms. composed of.
folkways ,mores and laws; material culture. ideologies, and
technologies, and relation. between culture and language as a set of
symbols that people that have agreed upon and share; and (3) the
unity and diversity of culture, all cultures have similar cultural
patters. There is also diversity in culture. Other concepts brought out
are subculture, culture schock, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativity.

Anthropologists and sociologist advocate the idea of cultural

relativism; that is every culture must be judged on the basis
of its own standards, and a culture trail or pattern must be
viewed in terms of the meaning and function it has in the
culture of society of which it is a part.

The
End