International Journal of Innovations in TESOL and Applied Linguistics

Vol. 4, No. 2; 2018

ISSN 2454-6887
Published by ASLA, Amity University, Gurgaon, India
© 2018

Language, Culture and Identity: An analysis of the symbiotic relationship between

language and culture

Dr Hemant K Jha
Amity School of Liberal Arts
Amity University Haryana

Received: Mar. 10, 2018 Accepted: Mar. 20, 2018 Online Published: Apr. 10, 2018

Abstract
This study investigates the unique relevance of culture in a language. The primary aim of this paper is to
understand the underlying relationship between language and the cultural behaviour of those who speak it,
and to explore the relation between anthropology, cognitive studies and linguistics. It also deals with the
fundamental concept and complexities of anthropological linguistics and ethnography of communication.
An important part of this study is to explore how the problems of migration and identity are dealt in the
multilingual and multicultural society.

Keywords: cultural behaviour, anthropology, cognitive studies, migration, identity

“I am learning English only for learning a language. I don‟t need to learn its culture.”
---Anonymous

Introduction

Thousands of years ago, when life came into existence, human beings started using language,
and gradually formed family units. Then, perhaps, language evolved, and when people began
to speak, they started building relationships, building civilizations, and in the process, culture
was also created. Culture came into the fore because of the evolution of language. Language
and culture are so inseparably mixed that it is not possible to separate one from the other.
This is the task that researchers in sociology, anthropology and linguistics and other human
oriented fields of study undertake to explore „who we are‟ as individuals and as societies, and
how language, culture and identity are inextricably mixed with one another.

The study of relationship between language and culture occurs in many fields, but in
the field of ethnography of communication, it is of particular interest. Ethnographers focus on
patterns of communication behaviour and how those patterns depend on and influence sound
patterns. Language is a rule governed system. Ethnographers explore how individuals use
language, and how they come to share linguistic behaviours. Ethnographers have discovered
the pattern of communicative behaviour, which occurs at the individual, group and societal
levels of a society (www.enotes.com/research-starters/culture-language).

At the societal level, patterns relate to the functions of the language, categories of
talk, attitudes and conceptions about language and speakers. At the group level, individuals
who share membership in groups, defined by characteristics such as age, educational level,
sex, occupation, geographic region etc may mark their membership by using languages
similarly. At the individual level, personal characteristics may influence language use. For
instance, an individual‟s language use may reflect various emotional states such as
nervousness or fear (Saville-Troike : 2003).

Research Questions

In order to attain its main objective, the study aims to understand, and tries to find out some
acceptable answers for the following research questions:

1. Are group and individual identities shaped and influenced by language and culture?
2. How do group and individual identities shape and influence language and cultural
expressions? (www.hf.uio.no/iln/english/research/projects/ski/proposal-ski.pdf)

Speech Communities

In order to explore language use within a particular level of society or cultural unit,
ethnographers first define parameters for the target group to be studied. A speech community
is the most common unit of analysis, and consists of individuals who share both a language
and the rules for integrating and using that language. Members of a speech community
typically share values, attitudes and beliefs about the language itself and its role in the
society.

Saville-Troike (2003) notes that a speech community cannot be defined only by its
use of the same language. This is because language and language use are shaped by the
context in which they exist. For instance, although English is a language used around the
world, there are many varieties and dialects of English developed in many countries across
the geographies. These varieties may contain different vocabulary items, different syntactical
constructions and different usage of grammar. Just because speakers in England, the United
States, South Africa and India speak English, does not mean that the speakers can be said to
belong to the same speech community, and certainly they do not belong to the same culture.

Language, culture and identity are inextricably mixed, and can be observed and
studied to understand the relationship between language and cognitive processes. To what
extent does language use change one‟s thinking about one‟s identity, roles and relationship to
others. This study also explores how interactions serve to shift or maintain identity. It is
worth examining the fact that how individuals produce their identity in their talk, and
investigate how the context of the situation affects identity formation during interactions.
Identity Formation

In exploring language and culture within a speech community, a key area of study is identity
formation. Within any society, there are many categories with which individuals can identify.
Individuals often see themselves as members of more than one category. For any category,
there exists within a society, a set of rules or identifiers that mark individuals as members of
the group. These rules develop over time through the interactions of the group members as
interaction most frequently occurs through language.

Identity formation is not simply a conscious process but is influenced by unconscious

psychological processes (De Vos, 1992). Identity is a dynamic, complex and ongoing
process. Norton (1997) defines identity as, “how people understand their relationship to the
outside world, how that relationship is constructed across time and space, and how people
understand their possibilities for the future.

Language plays an important role in the establishment and maintenance of individual

and group identity. For instance, language provides the means by which members can name
their language. Language facilitates members of a group to talk about and evaluate
themselves. Members may also display their membership by adopting particular language or
language usage. Finally, through language, individuals are able to pass on the rules of group
behaviour to each other and also from generation to generation. (Howard, 2000, Saville-
Troike, 2003)

Since Sapir‟s (1921) sociolinguistic dictum that “language does not exist apart from
culture,” many researchers such as Stem, Brown, Rivers et al, advocate that language cannot
be separated completely from the culture in which it is deeply embedded ( Zaid 1999).
Hence, it is a proven fact that culture plays a decisive role in language learning. Culture
learning is a necessary and indispensable part of language learning

Role of language in shaping cultural dynamism

Speakers, especially the young people, are seen to be using language creatively in specific
local contexts to achieve particular social goals. In the process, both language and culture
develop and evolve with an aim to create locally meaningful identities. The language
environment, especially of the youth, is decisively influenced by the contemporary
technology based cultural forms. These new forms deeply influence the language, and are
important means of English language learning. If these forms are used wisely and properly,
they can become valuable resources for language learning. The technology based cultural
forms like internet, television, short messages, whatsapp, instagram etc have been influencing
the language environment of the young adolescents much more rapidly since the beginning of
the 21st century. Today‟s electronic media is also generating a new lingo, a new language
style, i.e. a new way of speaking and writing that includes shortcuts, simplifications, instant
messages etc and whose primary users are, particularly the youth. It‟s a universally proven
fact that youth, all over the world, have always been ready to adapt new technological
innovations to make them feel aligned to the new changes reflected in the different cultural
forms. (ethesis.nitrkl.ac.in/6726/1/S _Acharya_PhD_thesis pdf)
Identity in the multicultural and multilingual society

Multiculturalism and multilingualism are inevitable consequences of migration. Contact

between different cultural and linguistic groups contribute to develop symbiotic expressions
of identities, and to the formation of hybrid and complex identities. The question of identity
is always present in the day to day practices of multilingualism and multiculturalism.
Identities shape, and are shaped by languages and cultural expressions. Multiculturalism and
multilingualism are, indeed, invaluable resources for the growth of culture and development
of language. They are also resources for identity formation at the personal and group level, as
well as resources for the movement and intermingling in society. The importance of the
formation and perception of individual and group identity, is becoming increasingly
significant, particularly in the contemporary „political discourse‟. (www.hf.
uio.no/iln/english/research/projects/ski/proposal-ski.pdf)

Minorities, quite often, have a necessity to learn the majority language to get culturally
assimilated in the wider society. The importance of assimilation is larger to an individual
from a small minority to one from a large minority group. Individuals from minority group
are more likely to adopt culture and language of the majority when the minority group
accounts for a small portion of the total population.

A common identity is often regarded as essential for providing social cohesion in society.
A challenge for a new understanding of identity, based on diversity, hybridism and change in
identity has become much more prominent because of the rapid technological development,
and the movement of people from one place to another. The notion of identity is central for
understanding matters concerning integration and socialization of migrants. The knowledge
of identity in a plural society is truly necessary for political and educational decision making.

Linguistic Anthropology

Linguistic anthropology deals with the study of language and society. Linguistic
anthropology enables researchers to conceptualize language in terms of culture it represents
and, in return, it supports linguistic and cultural behaviour. Using methods like ethnography,
linguistic anthropologists, it is easy to comprehend the central role that language plays in our
understanding of the world around us.

Language and culture are inextricably mixed. Language is more than simple
semantics. Language is embedded with meaning, and provides channel for both inter
psychological and intra psychological communications. A full appreciation and
comprehensive understanding of language can only be achieved by viewing language through
a cultural lens.

The role of language as a powerful tool is used to both create and perpetuate the
cultures of societies. Linguistic anthropology is a valuable tool that can be used to examine
the inseparable concept of language and culture. Regarding the inexplicable link between
language and culture, it is arguable that the study of both concepts is equally important.
Exploring the intricacies of language and culture has a wider implication when the concepts
are studied together, and in relationship with each other

Duranti describes linguistic anthropology as “the study of language as a cultural

resource, and speaking as a cultural practice.” From a linguistic anthropological perspective,
human beings or users of language are viewed as social actors, using language to create,
maintain and perpetuate culture and social structure. Duranti uses the phrase „speech
community‟ to describe communities in which prolonged patterns of culture, language and
interactions have developed. Duranti explains the concept of speech community as an entity
that language represents, embodies, constructs and constitutes for meaningful participation in
a society and culture. Indeed, the symbiotic relationship between language and culture is
underscored through the examination of societal participation.

Speaking a language, using the words and expressions of a society, represents

participation in and belonging to a speech community. Linguistic anthropology focuses on
three interconnected theoretical constructions, which serve to further elucidate the intimate
relationship between language and culture:

 Performance
 Indexicality
 Participation

Words and language function not only as symbolic representations but also stimulate action.
Duranti discusses “this ability of words to do things--- their per formative power, which is, in
turn, possible, thanks to their ability to point to something beyond themselves--- through their
indexical properties.” It is arguable that without a cultural framework, these per formative
powers, indexical properties, and participative dimensions would cease to exist. Since culture
is the cornerstone upon which language is built and maintained, and language, in turn,
enables culture to survive.

Ethnography

Ethnography is a commonly used methodology that enables researchers to study language,

social life and culture. In ethnographic studies, researchers typically spend extended periods
of time immersed in a society of peoples. This study provides valuable insight into the day –
to-day activities of a society as well as the wider social and cultural structures in which
interactions occur. Ethnographers, therefore, offer inside views of a society which is reflected
in its linguistic and cultural behaviour.

Ethnographic studies can provide invaluable insight into the culture, language and other
aspects of a society. The primary role of an ethnographer is that of an observer; observing
over extended periods of time theoretically enables the researcher to discern language, culture
and social pattern. However, methodological patterns can arise only when a foreigner
suddenly implants him or herself into a society. (https://www.papermasters.com/ language-
culture.html). For instance, Duranti discusses the experience of Elinor Ochs in her study of
Culture and Language Development Language Acquisition and language Socialization of
Western Samoanvillage.

Instead of observing children, and caregivers performing their day-to day activities including
language acquisition and use as well as socialization, Ochs found her subjects of study
speaking and acting on their best behaviour thus initially preventing her from developing an
authentic understanding of their actual language acquisition and socialization pattern.

Conclusion

Culture and language are integrally related. Language represents one system of culture, and
culture is transmitted via language. Investigations into the relationship between these two
concepts involve exploring how individuals and societies are constructed, maintained and
transmit identities. True communication is the result of deciphering those linguistic symbols
in view of the social context in which they were produced (Smith and Luce: 1979).

Language has been defined as the systematic, conventional use of sounds, signs or written
symbols in a human society for communication and self-expression. The purpose of language
is to communicate with others, to think and to create foundation for shaping one‟s standpoint
and outlook to life. Therefore, the relationship between language and culture is definitely
symbiotic as one cannot function without the other (www.customwritings.com).

Individuals and societies construct, maintain and transmit identities. Frequently, this
investigation involves examining the texts that are created within a society in order to
establish the underlying assumptions and ideologies by which individuals are operating.
Multilingual individuals negotiate their identity by making language choices and how
socialization processes impact the maintenance or evolution of language within a culture.
Culture plays a major role in the acquisition of language and its development. Humans are
born without a language but are born with language-acquisition faculties which enable them
to learn languages. Research has proved that humans learn their local language through
cultural transmission rather than from mere formal learning.

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