语言与文化的关系.ppt

Language and CultureMajor researches on language and culture Interaction of language and culture1 1Major researchesThe connection between culture and language has been noted as far back as the classical period and probably long before.The ancient Greeks,for example,distinguished between civilized peoples and brbarosthose who babble“;The German romanticists of the 19th century such as Herder,Wundt and Humbolt,often saw language not just as one cultural trait among many but rather as the direct expression of a peoples national character,and as such as culture in a kind of condensed form.Herder for example suggests,“Since every people is a people,it has its own national culture expressed through its own language”.2 2Language in culture:Boasian tradition.Franz Boas 1858-1942 Established modern American anthropologyHandbook of American Indian Languages,1911Anthropological orientation3 3Franz Boas,like his German forerunners,maintained that the shared language of a community is the most essential carrier of their common culture.Boas was the first anthropologist who considered it unimaginable to study the culture of a foreign people without also becoming acquainted with their language.the fact that the intellectual culture of a people was largely constructed,shared and maintained through the use of language,meant that understanding the language of a cultural group was the key to understanding its culture.4 45 5We can learn from the citation:Language is the most important branch of ethnology.Ethnology is the scientific study and comparison of cultures of different races of people(New collegiate Dictionary).Language is a component part of culture.6 6Cultural relativismWhile transcribing native texts and translating them,Boas became fascinated by the different ways in which different language classify the world and the human experience.He proposed cultural relativismthe view that each culture should be understood in its own terms rather than as part of an intellectually or morally scaled master plan,in which the Europeans or those of European descent tended to be at the top.(Duranti,1952 55)7 7Cultural relativismBoas used his knowledge of American Indian languages to show that the way languages classify the world is arbitrary.Each language has its own way of building up a vocabulary that divides up the world and establishes categories of experience.It was later modified by Sapir and Whorf who argued that if a language encodes a particular experience of the world,its use might predispose its speakers to see the world according to the experience encoded in it.8 8Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis萨丕尔沃尔夫假说Edward Sapir(1884-1939)and Benjamin Lee Whorf(1897-1941)Our language helps mould our way of thinking and,consequently,different languages may probably express speakers unique ways of understanding the world.Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis9 94.2 Sapir-Whorf HypothesisHuman beings do not live in the objective world alone,nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood,but are very much at the mercy ofat the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their society.The real world is to a The real world is to a large extent unconsciously built up on the language large extent unconsciously built up on the language habits of the group.habits of the group.No two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality.(Sapir,1931)10104.2 Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis that the linguistic system(in other words,the grammar)of each language is not merely a reproducing instrument for voicing ideas but ratherbut rather is itself the the shaper of ideas,the program and guideshaper of ideas,the program and guide for the individuals mental activity,for his analysis of impression,for his synthesis of his mental stock in trade (Whorf,1952)1111Sapir-Whorf HypothesisThe principle of linguistic relativity holds that the structure of a language affects the ways in which its speakers are able to conceptualize their world,i.e.their world view.SapirWhorf hypothesis,or Whorfianism,is generally understood as having two different versions:(i)the strong version that language determines thought and that linguistic categories limit and determine cognitive categories;(ii)the weak version that linguistic categories and usage influence thought and certain kinds of non-linguistic behavior.1212Anthropological study of linguistics in EnglandMalinowski,Bronislaw Kaspar(18841942)English anthropologist,pioneer of Functional SchoolIn 1920s,he did his field work on theTrobriand Islands.He observed that in the primitive culture the meaning of a word greatly depended upon its occurrence in a given context.1313“in its primitive uses,language functions as a link in concerted human activityit is a mode of action and not an instrument of reflection”(1932:312)The work by Malinowski paved the way for a cultural,rather,a contextual study of language use in Britain,which inspired Firth,even Halliday.1414Interaction between language and culture1515 1.Language is a component part of culture;According to many definitions of culture such as that given by Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia,a peoples culture includes their beliefs,rules of behavior,language,ritual,art,technology,style of dress,ways of producing and cooking food,religion,and political and economic systems.We can draw a conclusion that language is a component of culture.1616 2.language is the carrier of culture and language reflects culture.Language is the base of entire culture,and it is only in language that culture can be well presented and handed down from generation to generation.From language,we can know the natural environment,habits,religion,and history of the people.17173.culture influences language and shapes language.E.g.The Eskimos have countless words for snow.In Arabic,the camel plays significant roles in peoples life,so there are more than 40 words for“camel”.1818Accordingly,we can conclude that language and culture are intricately interwoven and they rely on each other.To understand a language,one must know well about its culture and vise versa.So it is quite reasonable to say that learning a language is,in a way,learning the culture and habit of a country where the language is spoken.1919