Symbols and Language in Human Culture

 symbols are cultural representations of reality. Every culture has its own set of symbols associated with different experiences and perceptions. Thus, as a representation, a symbol's meaning is neither instinctive nor automatic. The culture's members must interpret and over time reinterpret the symbol.

Symbols occur in different forms: verbal or nonverbal, written or unwritten. They can be anything that conveys a meaning, such as words on the page, drawings, pictures, and gestures. Clothing, homes, cars, and other consumer items are symbols that imply a certain level of social status.

Perhaps the most powerful of all human symbols is language—a system of verbal and sometimes written representations that are culturally specific and convey meaning about the world. In the 1930s,Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf proposed that languages influence perceptions. While this Sapir‐Whorf hypothesis—also called the linguistic relativity hypothesis—is controversial, it legitimately suggests that a person will more likely perceive differences when he or she possesses words or concepts to describe the differences.

Language is an important source of continuity and identity in a culture. Some groups, such as the French‐speaking residents of Quebec in Canada, refuse to speak English, which is Canada's primary language, for fear of losing their cultural identity although both English and French are Canada's official languages. In the United States, immigrants provide much resistance to making English the official national language.

Language and Culture

A language can be defined as a system of signs (verbal or otherwise) intended for Communication. Language as one element of culture has a very important role in human life. Language allows a person communicating with others in meeting their needs. It can be said is the main function of language as a communication tool. Language as one element of culture has a very important role in human life. Language allows a person communicating with others in meeting their needs. it can be said is the main function of language as a communication tool. Another function is as a tool to express self-expression, a tool to make integration and social adaptation, as well as a tool to hold social control.

"Language is a means of communication between members of the public symbol of the sound produced”

Oxford Dictionary defines culture as “customs, civilization and Achievements of a particular time or people”

 In general terms “culture defines a people’s way of life.”

Culture is symbolic communication. Some of its symbols include a group's skills,knowledge, attitudes, values, and motives. The meanings of the symbols are learned and deliberately perpetuated in a society through its institutions.

Understanding language

 Language is at the heart of language teaching and learning and teachers need to constantly reflect on what language is. This is because our understandings of language affect the ways we teach languages.

Language as code

Traditionally, language is viewed as a code. In this view, language is made up of words and a series of rules that connect words together. If language is only viewed in this way, language learning just involves learning vocabulary and the rules for constructing sentences. This understanding of language is, however, a very narrow one. It sees language as fixed and finite and does not explore the complexities involved in using language for communication.

Language as social practice

An understanding of language as ‘open, dynamic, energetic, constantly evolving and personal’ encompasses the rich complexities of communication. This expanded view of language also makes educational experience more engaging for students. Language is not a thing to be studied but a way of seeing, understanding and communicating about the world and each language user uses his or her languages differently to do this. People use language for purposeful communication and learning a new language involves learning how to use words,

Rules and knowledge about language and its use in order to communicate with speakers of the language. This understanding of language sees a language not simply as a body of knowledge to be learnt but as a social practice in which to participate. Language is something that people do in their daily lives and something they use to express, create and interpret meanings and to establish

And maintain social and interpersonal relationships.

Understanding culture

         

Cultures varies from one another and it shares four major components,

these are

ü communication,

ü cognitive,

ü material

ü behavioral aspects.

Relationship between Language and culture

ü Culture is a product of the human mind and it is defined, propagated and sustained through language.

ü Language serves as an expression of culture without being entirely synonymous with it.

ü In most cases, a language forms a basis for ethnic, regional, national or international identity.

ü The relationship between language and culture is deeply rooted. Language is used to maintain and convey culture and cultural ties.

ü The relation between language and culture is indisputably symbiotic.

ü It different ideas stem from differing language use within one’s culture and the whole intertwining of these relationships start at one’s birth

When an infant is born, it is not unlike any other infant born, in fact, quite similar. It is not until the child is exposed to their surroundings that they become individuals in and of theircultural group. This idea, which describes all people as similar at birth, has been around forthousands of years and was discussed by Confucius as recorded in the book by his followers,From birth, the child’s life, opinions, and language are shaped by what it comes in contact with. Brooks (1968) argues that physically and mentally everyone is the same, while the interactions between persons or groups vary widely from place to place. Patterns which

emerge from these group behaviours and interactions will be approved of, or disapproved of.Behaviours which are acceptable will vary from location to location thus forming the basis of different cultures. It is from these differences that one’s view of the world is formed. Hantrais (1989) puts forth the idea that culture is the beliefs and practices governing the life of a society for which a particular language is the vehicle of expression. Therefore, everyone’s views are dependent on the culture which has influenced them, as well as being described using the language which has been shaped by that culture. The understanding of a culture and its people can be enhanced by the knowledge o f their language. This brings us to an interesting point brought up by Emmitt and Pollock (1997), who argue that even though people are brought up under similar behavioral backgrounds or cultural situations but however speak different languages, their world view may be very different. As Sapir-Whorf argues, different thoughts are brought about by the use of different forms of language. One is limited by the language used to express one’s ideas. Different languages will create different limitations, therefore a people who share a culture but speak different languages, will have different world views. Still, language is rooted in culture and culture is reflected and passed on by language from one generation to the next. From this, one can see that learning a new language involves the learning of a new culture. Consequently, teachers of a language are also teachers of culture. The implications of language being completely entwined in culture, in regards for language teaching and language policy are far reaching. Language teachers must instruct their students on the cultural background of language usage, choose culturally appropriate teaching styles, and explore culturally based linguistic differences to promote understanding instead of misconceptions or prejudices. Language policy must be used to create awareness and understandings of cultural differences, and written to incorporate the cultural values of those being taught. An understanding of the relationship between language and culture is important for Language learners, users, and for all those involved in language education. For language teachers and learners in general, an appreciation for the differences in opinion regarding the relationship

Between language and culture can help to illuminate the diversity of views held toward the use of language. Moreover, insight into the various views can assist not only second language learners but also first language users, as the way we choose to use language is not just important for some of us. Such insights also open the door for a consideration of how both language and culture influence people’s life perceptions, and how people make use of their pre-acquainted linguistic and cultural knowledge to assess those perceptions. For all language users, the recognition of how their language affects others can greatly impact the direction and motivation for both language study and interpersonal relationships, and it can also add great insight and value to language education, program planning, and curriculum development. Understanding the nature of the relationship between language and culture is central to the process of learning another language. In actual language use, it is not the case that it is only the forms of language that convey meaning. It is language in its cultural context that creates meaning: creating and interpreting meaning is done within a cultural framework. In language

learning classrooms, learners need to engage with the ways in which context affects what is communicated and how. Both the learner’s culture and the culture in which meaning is created or communicated have an influence on the ways in which possible meanings are understood. This context is not a single culture as both the target language and culture and the learner’s own language and culture are simultaneously present and can be simultaneously engaged. Learning to communicate in an additional language involves developing an awareness of the ways in which culture interrelates with language whenever it is used.

I Know not ! I know not !

I know not ; I know not
the philotes awake me up
to blessed, the angel chief
begin me steps to external,
from heaven, i found her
that let not would me sleep
my heart was kind of fighting,
the chief and me beside on
feel how thee heaven or hell
lost me,witch crafted her eyes
but feel strange, she was
her seen, is better battle field
the soul and soul try together
swans' daughter may she was
her purity to be her chief beauty
                   -M.Sureshkumar

Developing Oral and Written Language in the classroom

Language development is a process starting early in human life. Infants start without
language, yet by 10 months, babies can distinguish speech sounds and engage in babbling. It is
thought to proceed by ordinary processes of learning in which children acquire the forms,
meanings and uses of words and utterances from the linguistic input. The method in which we
develop language skills is universal; however, the major debate is how the rules of syntax are
acquired. There are two major approaches to syntactic development, an empiricist account by
which children learn all syntactic rules from the linguistic input, and a nativist approach by
which some principles of syntax are innate and are transmitted through the human genome.
The nativist theory, proposed by Noam Chomsky, argues that language is a unique
human accomplishment. Chomsky says that all children have what is called an innate language
acquisition device (LAD). Theoretically, the LAD is an area of the brain that has a set of
universal syntactic rules for all languages. This device provides children with the ability to
construct novel sentences using learned vocabulary. Chomsky's claim is based upon the view
that what children hear—their linguistic input—is insufficient to explain how they come to learn
language. He argues that linguistic input from the environment is limited and full of errors.
Therefore, nativists assume that it is impossible for children to learn linguistic information solely
from their environment. However, because children possess this LAD, they are in fact, able to
learn language despite incomplete information from their environment. This view has dominated
linguistic theory for over fifty years and remains highly influential, as witnessed by the number
of articles in journals and books.
The empiricist theory suggests, that there is enough information in the linguistic input
children receive and therefore, there is no need to assume an innate language acquisition device
exists. Rather than a LAD evolved specifically for language, empiricists believe that general
brain processes are sufficient enough for language acquisition. During this process, it is
necessary for the child to actively engage with their environment. For a child to learn language,
the parent or caregiver adopts a particular way of appropriately communicating with the child;this is known as child-directed speech (CDS). CDS is used so that children are given the
necessary linguistic information needed for their language. Empiricism is a general approach and
sometimes goes along with the inter-actionist approach. Statistical language acquisition, which
falls under empiricist theory, suggests that infants acquire language by means of pattern
perception.

The Second Coming

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the Centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spirit us Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?