Language and Culture Concepts: Key Theories

Language and Culture Concepts

Chris Barker: Not what culture is, but rather how Language of Culture (L of C) is used. He thinks that there is no correct or definitive meaning because its usage and meaning change over time.

=> In general, many different notions of LTC (Language and Thought Connection)

1. Kramsch

Language is used to express and create categories of thought, shared by members of a social group. Language is responsible for attitudes and beliefs.

2. LRT (Language and Relativity Theory)

A young field, it has not been explored until the 1990s when the field of Applied Linguistics (AL) explored it. There is a growing interest because of advances in Cognitive Linguistics (CL) and Linguistic Anthropology (LA).

3. Johann Herder & Wilhelm von Humboldt

• First expressed the relationship between language and thought.
• Herder: Language reflects a nation's thought.
• Humboldt: Coined the term "Weltanschauung"; language determines thought.

4. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis/Linguistic Relativity

• Proposed by Edward Sapir & Benjamin Lee Whorf.
• The structure of language (grammar) influences how we perceive and conceptualize the world.
• Example: Whorf analyzed the Hopi language, finding a different concept of time compared to European languages.
  • He concluded that language influences social activities.
  • Direct translation is not always possible.
• Two Versions:
  • Strong Version (Language Determinism): Language dictates thought entirely; all people think the same way. Criticism (Kramsch): People do not think the same way, and translation does not change thought.
  • Weak Version: Language partially influences thought. The majority of linguists support this version.

5. Rethinking Linguistic Relativity (LR)

1. Debate: Labov & Bernstein
   • Bernstein suggested that middle-class people use elaborated codes (less restricted), while working-class people use restricted codes (more personal).
   • Labov criticized Bernstein based on studies of New York City adolescents.
2. Lucy: Proposed three levels of relativity.
3. Dan Slobin: Tiny bits of the complete concept are expressed through language; language is selective. He replaces Language & Thought (L&T) with the concept of "thinking-for-speaking."
4. Another movement: Semiotic Theory – signs determine thought and make up language.

- Terrence Deacon: Discussed three references in semiotics.

- Part of structuralism: Chris Barker => Language is based on structuralist principles (human relationships, objects, images, etc.) analyzed through signs.

- Lévi-Strauss: Declares, "It's better to think of food than to eat it."

5. Lakoff & Johnson: Symbols influence imagination and emotions, leading people to action, particularly through metaphors, which are considered natural.

Wierzbicka: Analyzed cultural concepts, such as dusza (soul), across cultures, using metalanguage in terms of social and historical context.

5. Social Context

• Vygotsky: Language is a social activity that influences thought. Children internalize speech from the social plane.
• Also supports the Cartesian view: Symbolic activity depends on social interaction across two planes.

6. Comparison: Vygotsky & Whorf

• Both share the view that language is a social and cultural phenomenon.
• Whorf: Synchronic view, focusing on the semiotic system—how speech relates to the ability to combine signs.
• Vygotsky: Diachronic view, comparing worldviews and concepts, emphasizing that language is culturally contextualized.