Language & Culture Culture culturedefinition in a broad sensein a narrow sensetypesmaterialspiritualconcrete , substantial ,observable,can be reproduced and preserved,changes slowly .e.g: Great Wallabstract , implicit , hiddene.g: ideologies, brief, values and concepts of time and space.from the perspective of content rather than scope 2024/9/15广义上•the intergrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that is both a result of and intergral to the human capacity for learning and transmiting knowledge to succeeding generations•一个民族的整个生活方式，包括信仰、习俗、目标、机构、技术以及带有群体生活特色的语言。
2024/9/15狭义上•local or specific practice, beliefs or customs, which can be manifesticated in folk culture, enterprise culture or food culture, etc.•folk culture---ballad folk legend, enterprise culture---bossmanship；corporate image, food culture. 2024/9/15The Relationship Between Language and Culture1.the same name may stir up different associations in people with different cultural backgrounds.• Words illustrated.• Rose…2.language expresses cultural reality. 2024/9/15•3、culture both emancipates and constrains the individual socially, historically and metaphorically.•文化在社会、历史和隐喻性方面解放了人们也限制了人们。
•e.g: people in the West End in London speak differently from the East Enders.Discourse communities话语社区 2024/9/154.Culture affects a discourse community’s imagination or common dreams which are mediated through the language and reflected in their behavior and life. •文化影响也通过语言传播并体现在民众生活中的共同梦想或想象•American Dream ; Chinese Dream summaryLanguage culture1、Expresses and embodies 2、reflects and affects a culture’s way of thinking and helps perpetuate and change the culture and its influence1、is encoded and transmitted in the language2、facilitates the development of language.culture is a wider system which includes language as a subsystem. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis/Whorfianism(SWH)•萨丕尔—沃尔夫假说•Edward Spair and Benjamin Whorf•Linguistic relativity(语言相对性语言相对性)•—the structure of a language affects the ways in which its speakers conceptualize their world, i.e. their world view, or otherwise influence their cognitive processes.•SWH：：the interdependence of language & thought 2 interpretationsSWH Strong versionWeak versionlanguage determines thought and that linguistic categories limit and determine cognitive categories语言模式决定人们的思考和行为 linguistic categories and usage influence thought and certain kinds of non-linguistic behavior语言模式影响人们的思考和行为supported evidencesnow 2024/9/15“aput”（地上的雪）、“qana”（正飘下的雪）、“piqsirpoq”（堆积的雪）“qimuqsuq”（雪堆）[ • blizzard 大风雪•blowing snow 高吹雪•drifting snow 低吹雪•snowstorm 暴风雪•snow showers 阵雪•flurries/light snow 小雪•heavy snow 大雪•snowfall 降雪•sleet 雨夹雪•snowflake 雪花 • howers/rain showers 阵雨•heavy showers 强阵雨•occasional showers, scattered showers零星阵雨•isolated showers 局地阵雨（比scattered showers范围更小）•thunderstorms 雷暴•thundershowers 雷阵雨•storm 风暴•lightning 闪电•light showers 小阵雨•ice rain 冻雨•downpour 倾盆大雨•storm 暴风雨•drizzle 毛毛雨•light rain 小雨 Linguistic evidence of cultural differences文化差异的语言证据•Denotative meaning ---- a meaning that can be • found in a dictionary.• •Connotative meaning ---- a meaning or idea suggested by a • word or thing in addition to the formal • meaning or nature of the word or thing.• Iconic meaning ---- the image or icon invoked in mind by a word.(外延意义)（暗含意义）（图像意义） Linguistic evidence of cultural differences文化差异的语言证据•Greetings and terms of address • Gratitude and compliments • Color words • Privacy and taboos • Rounding off numbers • Words and cultural-specific connotations • Cultural-related idioms, proverbs and metaphor •Group Work :Work in groups to provide as much information as you can about the differences in the speech behaviors. Speech behavior China English-speaking countries Greetings Apologizing Making requestsExpressing disapproval Expressing gratitude Leaving-taking 2024/9/15 •Terms of address •Tongzhi Shifu •Sir Madam •Kinship terms •Uncle aunt grandpa granny•叔叔 伯伯 舅舅 姨夫 姑父•阿姨 姑姑 舅母 婶婶 •小姨子 小叔子 小舅子 大嫂 妹夫 •表兄弟 堂兄弟 表姐妹 堂姐妹•连襟 妯娌•林黛玉的母亲是贾宝玉的姑母，贾宝玉的母亲是林黛玉的舅母，又是薛宝钗的姨母。
• 妻子( 家务家务的物件; 婢女; 穿针婆;内人;那一口子; 贱内,拙荆;当家的;半边天;爱人;太太;夫人)• 我 ( status, occuption,age and dialect) Gratitude and compliments感激语和称赞语•Frankness v.s modesty•------You are so beautiful.•------thank you very much. (English) • ------No, not at all./It’s nothing. (Chinese)•… Color wordsDifferent languages may have different divisions of color.Different languages provide different color related associations. 2 color terms3 color termsOther color termsDarkLight Black White Black White RedYellow greenBlue brownPink OrangePurpleGreen: Envy / Jealousy(E)green with envy=green-eyesGreen bornBlue:Semantic/ unhappy blue is my loveHe is in a blue moodHigh social position/ being aristocraticBlue blood •语言具有普遍性的理论。
认知科学强调人类认知的共性，这跟语言相对论恰好针锋相对强调人类认知的基础是人的遗传天赋常举的一个例子是颜色词的研究从表面上看各种语言的颜色词各不相同，但Berlin和Kay的研究（1969）发现它们有共性任何语言至少都有两个颜色词（白和黑），新几内亚高地语只有“白”和“黑”两个颜色词英语有11个颜色词有右边的颜色词，就必有其左边的颜色词这就是语言的共性，并且认知语言学家认为这种共性是有生理基础的，那就是白色跟黑色具有最强的聚焦性，因为眼睛对这两种光频最敏感•杨永林，色彩语码研究杨永林，色彩语码研究----------进化论与相对论之争，进化论与相对论之争，《外语教学与研究》2000年第3期，第190-195页 2024/9/15 Rounding off Numbers数字处理 岁？ Age acquisition European: in china you are 1 year old when you are born.Misunderstanding resulted from “sui” and “years old”Years oldChinese : “sui” is not exactly the number of years during all or part of which one has been alive.SuiNot exactly equivalent? Culture-loaded words•烫手的山芋vs. hot potato•雨后春笋vs. spring like mushroom•大鱼大肉、鱼肉百姓、酒肉朋友 meat and potatoes ，Meat and drink to someone•sweet smile ( (甜甜的笑容), sweet girl (甜美的女孩), sweet nothings (甜言蜜语)• 麻辣烫麻辣烫 Three hots cultural-related idioms, proverbs and metaphors谚语、习语和隐喻•Different living environments, social conventions and literature tradition•Idioms and proverbs E.g: In English In Chinese• (I) a lucky dog 狗腿子• a clever dog 走狗• put on dog 猪狗不如• (P) Every dog has his day. 黄狗头上出角• Love me, love my dog. 癞皮狗上轿• Give a dog an ill name and hang him. 狗掀门帘cultural differences •metaphorsAnger get hot under the collar loose one’s coolChinese: anger is steam 气破了肚皮 气死我了 气的面红耳赤 English: anger is heatSimilarity: anger is fire Ø Dog Ø“狐朋狗党”、“狗急跳墙”、“狼心狗肺”、“狗腿子”;Ø You are a lucky dog;Ø Every dog has his dayØ Old dog will mot learn new tricksØ sick as a dog，Ø dog-tired.Ø Cat Ø Dragon A Dear John Letter•Dear John, oh, how I hate to write!•Dear John, I must let you know tonight•That my love for you has died away•Like grass upon the lawn,•And tonight I wed another Dear John. 2024/9/15 2024/9/15Culture contact , Cultural overlap & diffusion文化联系 文化重叠 文化扩散•Contacts between peoples with different cultures usually lead to change in one or both systems.•Acculturation•Assimilation•Amalgamation 2024/9/15Acculturation文化适应•The process of changing in material culture,traditional practices,and beliefs that occur when one group’s cultural system interferes with that of another,directly or indirectly challenging the latter to adapt to the ways of the former.•Such changes has characterized most political conquests and expansions over the centuries, which accounts for borrowing of many French words in English for instance. 2024/9/15Assimilation•A process whereby individuals or groups of differing ethnicity are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society—though not always completely.•The melting pot. 2024/9/15Amalgamation文化融合•Amalgamation(hybridization)occurs when a society becomes ethnically mixed in a way that represents a synthesis rather than the elimination or absorption of one group by another.•In Mexico, for example, Spanish and Indian cultures become increasingly amalgamated over centuries of contact. 2024/9/15Culture overlap•Culture overlap refers to the identical part of culture between two societies owing to some similarities in the natural environment and psychology of human beings.•For example, the superior tends to refer to himself or herself by means of kinship terms such as:•Have daddy/mummy/teacher told you that? 2024/9/15Cultural diffusion•Through communication,some elements of culture A enter culture B and become part of culture B.• loan words.•Loan words in Chinese and English:肥皂剧,卡通,苹果派,耐克,巴士,因特网•KTV, Email,IT,typhoon,gongfu,etc. 2024/9/15The attitude towards cultural diffusion•Cultural imperialism owing to linguistic imperialism•Linguistic imperialism•Linguistic nationalism 语言学中的民族主义。
语言学中的民族主义 民族语中自豪感民族语中自豪感 2024/9/15The significance of cultural teaching and learning•Learning a language is inseparable from learning its culture.•We need to learn enough about the language’s culture so that we can communicate in the target language to achieve not only the linguistic competence but also the pragmatic or communicative competence as well. 2024/9/15•Interculture or cross-culture communication communication between people from different cultures(their cultural perceptions and symbols systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event)•In cross-culture communication,we need to pay special attention to the significant differences regarding social relations and concept of universe from different perspectives such as language,food,dress,attitude towards time,work habits,social behavior and religious belief that can cause frustrations in communications and contacts.Intercultural communication Recommended Readings •胡壮麟. Linguistics. A Course Book [M]. 北京大学出版社, 2001.•许力生. 跨文化交际英语教程跨文化交际英语教程 [M].上海外语教育出版社, 2003 .• 杨永林. 社会语言学研究社会语言学研究:文化文化‘色彩色彩.思维思维篇篇 [M]. 高等教育出版社 2005. 。