The Culture of Language
Language, spoken and written, is our primary means of communication (Martin & Nakayama, 2013). Generally, like culture - of which language is a part - language is transmitted through processes of learning. Language is based on arbitrary, learned associations between words and the things they stand for. Furthermore, there exists a cultural transmission of a communication system through which learning is a fundamental attribute of language. Native speakers routinely use the rules of their language to produce entirely new expressions that are comprehensible to other native speakers. Because of our ability to use language as a means to communication, it is also prevalent that humans have the capacity to speak of things and events that are not present (displacement), as well as generate new expressions by combining other expressions (productivity).
Language, spoken and written, is our primary means of communication (Martin & Nakayama, 2013). Generally, like culture - of which language is a part - language is transmitted through processes of learning. Language is based on arbitrary, learned associations between words and the things they stand for. Furthermore, there exists a cultural transmission of a communication system through which learning is a fundamental attribute of language. Native speakers routinely use the rules of their language to produce entirely new expressions that are comprehensible to other native speakers. Because of our ability to use language as a means to communication, it is also prevalent that humans have the capacity to speak of things and events that are not present (displacement), as well as generate new expressions by combining other expressions (productivity).
Language rules and use are group specific - being that all humans have the capacity for language, each linguistic community has its own language, transmitted through culture (highly influenced by regional history, traditions, etc.). Variations within a language at a given time is historical change in progress: he same forces that, working gradually, have produced large-scale linguistic change over the centuries (still at work today). Linguistic change doesn’t occur in a vacuum, but shifts in society when new ways of speaking are associated with social factors, then are imitated, resulting in a spread a changes made within the language.
The scientific study of a spoken language (descriptive linguistics) involves several interrelated areas of analysis: phonology, morphology, lexicon, and syntax. Phonology, the study of speech sounds, considers which sounds are present and significant in a given language. Morphology studies the forms in which sounds combine to form morphemes—words and their meaningful parts. A language’s lexicon is a dictionary containing all its morphemes and their meanings. Finally, syntax refers to the arrangement and order of words in phrases and sentences (Martin & Nakayama, 2013).
No language is simply a uniform system in which everyone talks just like everyone else. The field of sociolinguistics investigates relationships between social and linguistic - focusing on features that systematically vary depending on social position and situation. To study variation, sociolinguists must observe, define, and measure variable use of language in real-world situations. To show that linguistic features correlate with social, economic, and political differences, the social attributes of speakers must be measured and related to speech. We cannot make sense of an argument without being able make sense of the specific language, the meaning(s) attached to verbal and nonverbal means of communication, and the purpose of what is being communicated. Like culture, language is transmitted through processes of learning - taught from birth, specific to the group one claims theirs. Descriptive linguistics involves the meanings of sounds and the arrangement of specific words that takes place in communication; each expression communicating a different emotion to convey a point in a given situation.
Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2013). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th Ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill
Very well informed blog post, but make sure you are explicitly answering the questions that are posted on the blog prompt. In this post, you were asked to find 3 examples of the use of problematic intercultural labels. For instance, use of the term "gay" as a slur or labeling Middle Eastern individuals "terrorists." Also, include photos and videos to support your points and bring your written arguments to life.
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