1. Language & Culture

2. Language and Culture Names
Proverbs, sayings, tongue twisters, legends, myths or songs.

3. How Culture Influences Language
Clear that the terminology used by a culture primarily reflects that culture’s interest and concerns or that are important to them.
‘A feature that is perceived as courteous by
speakers of one language may not be so
judged by speakers of another.’
(El Sayed, 1990)

4. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Benjamin Whorf & Edward Sapir (1930’s) say that all of our ideas are controlled by our language (what it allows us to think), so that our reality is what we say rather that what actually exists.

5. Culture and Language
“the worlds in which different societies live are distinct worlds, not merely the same world with different labels attached.” (Sapir, 1949)

6. What We Say Influences What We Think, What We Feel and What We Believe
Culture and Language
What We Say Influences What We Think, What We Feel and What We Believe

7. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Linguistic Determinism
Language determines thought (shapes an idea)
Different languages impose different conceptions of reality
Linguistic Relativity
Language influences thinking (perception)
Linguistic differences between cultures are associated with cultural differences in thinking
Different

8. 2 versions of the hypothesis
Weaker version (relativism):
Words or grammar of a language influence speakers perceptions to some extent and can influence their behavior and attitudes
Strong version (determinism):
Language will completely direct your perception, behavior and attitude.

9. Linguistic Determinism (the strong version)
Language determines thought
Which says that linguistic structure determines cognitive structure.
That is, learning a language changes the way a person thinks. Language will completely direct your perceptions, behavior and attitude.

10. Linguistic Relativity : the weak version
speakers of different languages perceive and experience the world differently, that is, relative to their linguistic background. Words or grammar of a language influence speakers perceptions to some extent and can influence their behavior and attitudes
Which says that the resulting cognitive systems are different in speakers of different languages.
Relative..in comparison to

11. Language & culture
It’s a two way process

12. Domain
The number of distinctions made within a domain reflects the degree of cultural interest.
Example
Horse
Mare
Stallion
Foal
Colt

13. Colour terms (Berlin & Kay,1969)
11 basic colours
White-Black-red-green-yellow-blue-brown-purple-pink-Gray
All languages don’t have all these 11 colour terms
Russian- No blue colour
French-No brown colour
Hungarian- No red
Dani tribe-New Guinea- Mili( dark) Mola(light)
Zuni Tribe-No colour for orange

14. How unique is a language?
Something said in one language cannot be said in another. Some words just cannot be translated. Like “ Summit Conference”
Some things will be more highly codable in one language than they are in another.
(Concepts like “honesty” “sin” “kinship” “honour”)

15. Translation process Analyzing the grammar & words of the source text
Restructuring the meaning of the text in the receptor language
Testing the translation

16. Deepak Asher
My firangi friend asked me the meaning of the song - "Balam pichkaari jo tune mujhe maari  Toh seedhi-saadhi chhori sharaabi ho gayi Jeans pehenke jo tu ne maara thumka Toh lattu padosan ki bhaabhi ho gayi" I sheepishly had to explain - Dear beloved person, when you assaulted me with a stream of water from a liquid projectile launcher, an ostensibly normal and balanced female became an alcoholic When you wore denim and oscillated your pelvic girdle in one direction, the adjoining resident's sister-in-law began showing symptoms of an obsession-driven psychological disorder ! Firangi fainted !

17. One’s knowledge of one’s native language is culturally transmitted.
Language & Culture
One’s knowledge of one’s native language is culturally transmitted.

18. Folklore

19. What is folklore? Traditional knowledge of a culture
Things that people traditionally
Believe (planting practices, family traditions, other elements of worldview)
Do (dance, make music, sew clothing)
Know (build irrigation dam, nurse an ailment, prepare barbecue)
Make (architecture, art, crafts)
Say (personal experience stories, riddles, song lyrics)

20. 5 Characteristics of Folklores
Oral
Traditional
Variable
Anonymous
Formulaic

21. Some forms of verbal art
Myths
Legends
Fables
Folktales
Memorates
Proverbs
Riddles
Ballads
Jokes