PinoyAlert - Project Alert

Source: http://everywheremag.com/articles/1178

Subject: CITE 3s – Contemporary Issues and Trends in Education
Submitted by: Ma. Cherry Ann Clarin
Submitted toL Prof. Maria Theresa Pilapil Pelones, D.M.

Introduction

The world itself is assorted in terms of humans inhabiting it. People who live on it are also different in many ways like language, mannerisms, beliefs, traditions, morals, custom, laws etc. These differences make up the culture. The culture of a race, a nation, a tribe or a mere group of people creates the color and hue for human existence. However this cultural and linguistic diversity have in a way, opened dilemmas.

Communication, on the other hand, is to some extent, the needed basic skill in order to be noticed, understood or even hear out. Activities like eye contact and hand gestures are simple forms of communication. Where as humans speak more when communicating. Speaking is influenced by how words are arranged to make a point and how tone and body movement are inserted while talking to emphasize the point.

Complications arise on the interpretation. Interpretation is based according to the way the person understands the speaker. This understanding is further influenced by the belief, principles, the brought-up pattern and the environment of the one who is being talked to. Existence of the word misinterpretation certifies the conflict made by interpretations. These misinterpretations are one of the products of cultural diversity.

The world is full of opportunities which are impeded by these conflicts. Globalization, the newest trend of this time, calls for multi-skilled individuals who can perform tasks efficiently and effectively. One of these skills is being intercultural communication competent or simply intercultural competent. Being intercultural competent means a person is able to perform effectively and appropriately when interacting with others who are linguistically and culturally different from oneself.

There is therefore a need to explain the manner by which intercultural communication skills enable greater effectiveness in personal and professional life, in a globalized and technologized social concept (Vega, et.al 2009).

Communication and Language

Communication, according to the dictionary, is the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions or information by speech, writing or signs. It needs a sender, a message and a receiver that does need to be physically present. Thus, communication is possible even across large distances.

Communication is defined as a process by which [we] assign and convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding. This process requires a vast repertoire of skills in intrapersonal and interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, and evaluating. Use of these processes is developmental and transfers to all areas of life: home, school, community, work, and beyond. It is through communication that collaboration and cooperation occur (Banks).

Language is communication’s best tool. Communication though is not limited to speaking only. Whenever communication is thought of, it is always associated it with language. Language is the mental faculty that allows humans to undertake linguistic behavior: to learn languages and produce and understand utterances, is a formal system of symbols governed by grammatical rules combining particular signs with particular meanings and is a system of communication that enables humans to cooperate (Wikipedia). Based from these definitions, we can infer language is an innate ability, has rules and a very useful human tool. It is what exhibits the cultural norms and orientations in and the whole essence of being is captured in the language.

Language is the development of the basic form of communication between human beings, and in a society (Ghose, 2004). It is a means of communication, one which allows greater flexibility in expressing emotions, conveying information and discussing ideas. One can certainly communicate by pointing and grunting, but language gives the ability to be far more informative and expressive. Sapir (1921) holds it that: language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desire by means of voluntarily produced symbols. Krech（1962）explained the major functions of language from the following three aspects:

1.Language is the primary vehicle of communication;

2.Language reflects both the personality of the individual and the culture of his history. In turn, it helps shape both personality and culture;

3.Language makes possible the growth and transmission of culture, the continuity of societies, and the effective functioning and control of social group.

Vega (2009) posited what gives human being preeminence is the fact that they are the only living creatures known to be capable of communicating and transmitting knowledge to a new generation. Language is the key factor in the human race’s success in creating and preserving culture, for without language, the ability to convey ideas and traditions is impossible.

 

Relationship between Language and Culture

Language is a key component of culture. It is the primary medium for transmitting much of culture. Without language, culture would not be possible. Children learning their native language are learning their own culture; learning a second language also involves learning a second culture to varying degrees. On the other hand, language is influenced and shaped by culture. It reflects culture. Cultural differences are the most serious areas causing misunderstanding, unpleasantness and even conflict in cross-cultural communication.

It is concurred that language and culture are closely related. Language can be viewed as a verbal expression of culture. It is used to maintain and convey culture and cultural ties. Language provides people with many of the categories one uses for expression of thoughts, so it is therefore natural to assume that thinking is influenced by the language which is used. The values and customs in the country people grow up in shape the way in which people think to a certain extent.

Language is a part of culture, yet it is more than that. It is central to culture since it is the means through which is most of culture is learned and communicated. It is as important aspect of the construction of cultural identity. It is apparent that culture, as the totality of human’s way of living and as an imbued set of behaviors and modes of perception, become highly important in language. A language is part of a culture and a culture is part of a language; the two are intricately interwoven so that the two cannot be separated without losing the significance of either the language or the culture.

Culture

Culture is the total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge which constituted the shared bases of social action (World Dictionary)

Culture is defined as the set of learned behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values and ideals, that are characteristics of a particular society or population (Ember, 1999 as cited by Prieto et,al, 2009).

Tylor (1871) said that culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

For the German sociologist Georg Simmel, culture referred to the cultivation of individuals through the agency of external forms which have been objectified in the course of history.

Culture refers to the pattern of human activity and the symbols that give significance to these activities. Culture manifests itself in terms of the art, literature, costumes, customs, language, religion and religious rituals. The people and their pattern of life make up the culture of a region.

Cultures vary in the different parts of the world. They are different across the land boundaries and the diversity in cultures results in the diversity in people around the world.

Culture also consists of the system of beliefs held by the people of the region, their principles of life and their moral values. The patterns of behavior of the people of a particular region also form a part of the region's culture.

The word 'culture' that hails from the Latin word, 'cultura' derived from ‘colere’, means, 'to cultivate'. Hence the way in which the minds of the masses inhabiting a particular region are cultivated, in someway determines the culture of a region.

Characteristics of Culture

Culture possesses several characteristics. Different cultures throughout the world have these characteristics or qualities.

First is that “culture is learned”, this is the first essential characteristics of culture. Culture is learned by any individual, especially if he/she grows up with that particular culture. He/she can learn behavior patterns including language and many other attributes. We can learn the culture of others especially if we acquaint with them and get influence with their personality and lifestyle.

The second characteristic of culture is that “culture is shared by a group of people”. We can consider a thought or an action as a culture if it is commonly shared and believed or practiced by a group of people. If it is commonly shared and believed by a group of individuals then it can be considered as their culture.

The third characteristic of culture is that “culture is cumulative”. Different knowledge embodied in culture can be passed from one generation to another generation. More and more knowledge is added in the particular culture as time passes by. Each may work out solutions to problems in life that passes from one generation to another. This cycle remains as the particular culture goes with time.

The fourth characteristic of culture is that “cultures change”. Not all cultures accumulate. There is knowledge; thoughts or traditions that are lost as new cultural traits are added, with that there are possibilities of cultural changes with the particular culture through time.

The fifth characteristic of culture is that “culture is dynamic”. It was considered that there is no culture remains on the permanent state. Culture is changing constantly as new ideas and new techniques are added in time modifying or changing the old ways. This is the characteristic of culture that stems from the cultures cumulative quality.

The sixth characteristic of culture is that “culture is ideational”. Culture forms ideal pattern of behaviors that followed by individuals expectedly. It serves as guidelines that must be followed by members to gain social acceptance from the people with the same culture.

The seventh characteristic of culture is that “culture is diverse”. It was considered that culture was formed by many separate cultures. It is a system that has several mutually interdependent parts. Although these parts are separate, they are interdependent with one another forming culture as a whole.

The eight characteristic of culture is that “culture gives us a range of permissible behavior patterns”. Culture provides us with the norms of appropriate behavioral patterns. It involves how an activity should be conducted, how an individual should appropriately act, as husband, wife, parents, child, and others. It tells us how to dress based on gender, occasions, statue and many more.

Components of Culture

Culture varies from one another and it shares four major components, these are the communication, cognitive, material and behavioral aspects.

Communication components include language and symbols. Through having a language, a group of people interact with one another, socially sharing their thoughts, feelings or ideas to the people with same language.

Language forms the core of all cultures throughout society. The symbols are considered as the backbone of symbolic interactions. A symbol might be considered as anything that holds a particular meaning and are recognized by the people that share the same culture. Different cultures have different symbols, it is cross-culturally and it might be change over a period of time.

The second major component of culture is the cognitive component. It includes ideas, knowledge and belief, values and accounts.

Ideas, knowledge and belief are basic units of knowledge construction. Ideas are considered as mental representation and are used to organize stimulus. When ideas are link together it will organize into larger systems of information which will become knowledge.

Knowledge now is considered as storage of information fact or assumption, and this knowledge can be passed down from one generation to another.

Belief on the other hand assumes that a proposition, statement, description of fact is true in nature. These acceptances were influenced by the external authorities such as government, religion, or science rather than proven true from the individual’s direct experiences.

Values serve as guidelines for social living. Culturally, it can be defined as the standards of desirability, goodness and beauty.

Accounts are considered to be a way on how people use the language for their explanation, justification, or to rationalize, excuse, or legitimize a behavior towards themselves or to the others.

The third major component of culture is the behavioral components. Behavioral component is the major component of culture that is concerned about on how we act. It includes norms which further categorizes it in mores, laws, folkway, and rituals.

Norms are considered as rules and expectations eventually set by a particular society that serves as guides to the behavior of its members. It varies in the terms of the degrees of importance and might be change over a period of time. It is reinforced by sanctions in the forms or rewards and punishments. These are standards accepted by society culturally and serve as obligatory and expected behaviors of the people in different situations in life.

Mores are kinds of norms that are considered to be as a customary behavior patterns which have taken from a moralistic value.

Laws serve as the formal and important norms that translated into legal formalizations. Folkways are considered as behavioral patterns of a particular society that is repetitive and organize. Rituals on the other hand are those highly scripted ceremonies of interactions which follows a sequence of actions. Examples are baptism, holidays and more.

The fourth major component of culture is the Material component. This includes materials or objects created by humans for practical use or for artistic reasons. These objects are called as “material culture”. Material components serve as an expression of an individual culture.

 

Culture Transmission

Cultural transmission is the process of passing on culturally relevant knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values from person to person or from culture to culture.

Enculturation is the process whereby an established culture teaches an individual by repetition its accepted norms and values, so that the individual can become an accepted member of the society and find their suitable role. Most importantly, it establishes a context of boundaries and correctness that dictates what is and is not permissible within that society's framework.

Acculturation is a process in which members of one cultural group adopt the beliefs and behaviors of another group. Although acculturation is usually in the direction of a minority group adopting habits and language patterns of the dominant group, acculturation can be reciprocal--that is, the dominant group also adopts patterns typical of the minority group. Assimilation of one cultural group into another may be evidenced by changes in language preference, adoption of common attitudes and values, member’s hip in common social groups and institutions, and loss of separate political or ethnic identification.

Assimilation is a process by which members of an ethnic minority group lose cultural characteristics that distinguish them from the dominant cultural group or take on the cultural characteristics of another group.

Functions of Culture

Culture is the unique possession of man. Man is born and brought up in a cultural environment. Man is not only a social animal but also a cultural being. Man cannot survive as a man without culture. Culture fulfils our needs and represents the entire achievements of mankind.

E. B. Taylor defined culture as "that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morale, laws, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society."

Culture has been fulfilling a number of functions which may be divided into two - (a) for the individual and (b) for the group.

a. Importance to the individual:

(1) Culture distinguishes man from animal. It is the culture that makes the human animal a man. It regulates his conduct and prepares him for a group life. Without culture he would have been forced to find his own way which would have meant a loss of energy.

(2) Culture provides solution for complicated situations. Culture provides man a set of behavior for difficult situations. In the absence of culture man would have been baffled even at the simplest situations. Culture not only defines but also determines what we eat and drinks, when to sleep, when to laugh etc.

(3) Culture provides traditional interpretation to certain situations. Through culture man gets traditional interpretations for many situations according to which he determines his behavior. For example, if a cat crosses his way he postpones the journey.

(4) Culture shapes personality. No child can develop human qualities in the absence of cultural environment. Culture prepares man for group life. It is culture that provides opportunities for the development of personality and sets limits on its growth.

b. Importance for the group:

(1) Culture keeps social relationship intact. Culture has importance not only for men but also for the group. Culture prepares man for group life. Group life would have been poor, nasty, and short if there had been no cultural regulations. Group solidarity rests on the foundation of culture.

(2) Culture has given a new vision to the individual. Secondly, culture has given a new vision to the co-operation of the individuals. Culture teaches him to think of himself as a part of the larger whole. It provides him with the concepts of family, state, nation etc. and makes possible the coordination and division of labor.

(3)Culture creates new needs. Finally, culture also creates new needs and drives, for example, thirst for knowledge and arranges for their satisfaction. It satisfies the moral and religious interests of the members of the group.

Conclusion

People around the world use different language to communicate to each other. Language is an important part of culture and human culture cannot exist without it. All human societies have language. Intercultural communication or communication between people of different cultural backgrounds has always been and will probably remain an important precondition of human co-existence on earth. There is a need to show the relationship between language and culture, enumerate the characteristics of culture, identify its communication, behavioral, cognitive, and material components and distinguish the function of culture in human’s life.

Bibliography

Ghose, Bhaskar (2004). Language and Communication. Frontline, vol. 21, issue 15. Retrieved July 18, 2011 from http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2115/ stories/20040730001207300.htm

Papadopoulos, Dean (2003). Pacific Resources for Education and Learning. The Major Components of Culture.

Thompson, Ewata (2008). Realationship between Language and Communica -tion. Retrieved July 16, 2011 from http://www.scribd.com/doc/ 42837966/ Relationship-Between-Language-and-Communication

Tishman, Shari (1992). Teaching Thinking Dispositions: From Transmission to Enculturation. Retrieved July 20,2011 from http://learnweb.harvard. edu/alps/thinking/docs/article2.html

Vega et.al (2009). Social Dimensions of Education. Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing, INC.