Understanding Language, Culture, and Society

Aug 24, 2024

ADEPT Review: EL101 - Language, Culture, and Society

Introduction

  • Review of the course content of EL101.
  • Focus on definitions, origins, and evolution of language.

Definition of Language

  • Definition: A system of arbitrary vocal symbols used by a social group for cooperation.
    • System: Language is organized with rules.
    • Arbitrary: No inherent connection between symbols and their meanings (e.g., "chair").
    • Vocal: Primarily learned through oral language.
    • Symbols: Can be spoken or written.
    • Social Group: Language requires a community of users for it to be considered a language.
  • Henry Sweet's Addition: Language is an expression of ideas, facilitating reflection and interaction.

Origin of Language

  1. Biblical Sources:

    • Adam naming animals in Genesis 2:19.
    • Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:5-6, leading to language diversity.

  2. Historical Sources:

    • Max Müller (1861): Three theories of language origin (Bawaw, Puhu, Yo He Ho).
    • Bawaw - imitation of sounds; Puhu - emotional interjections; Yo He Ho - muscular effort sounds.

  3. Mythological Sources:

    • Language arising from cultural tales (e.g., famine leading to new languages).
    • A. Bernard's statement about myths as culturally significant.

History of the English Language

  • Old English (5th to 11th century): Influences from Jews, Saxons, and Angles.
  • Middle English: Viking invasions and the influence of French.
  • Modern English: Elizabethan era and the rise of literature (e.g., Shakespeare).
  • Evolution of English through distinct phases:
    • Old English (anglo-saxon roots).
    • Middle English (influence from French).
    • Modern English (more standardized grammar).

Linguistic Terms in Culture and Society

  • First Language (L1): Native language.
  • Second Language (L2): Language learned after the first.
  • Microlinguistic Study: In-depth language study (e.g., pronunciation).
  • Macrolinguistic Study: Language study in broader contexts (e.g., social functions).
  • Prescriptive vs. Descriptive Grammar:
    • Prescriptive: Strict rules.
    • Descriptive: Focus on understanding and meaning.
  • Synchronic vs. Diachronic:
    • Synchronic: Language at a specific moment.
    • Diachronic: Language over time.

Language vs. Dialect

  • Language: A broad representation of a country (e.g., Filipino).
  • Dialect: Variants within a language that have regional differences.

Communication

  • Definition: Exchange of facts, ideas, opinions, or emotions.
  • Communication Process:
    • Source → Encoding → Channel → Decoding → Feedback.
  • Types of Communication Channels:
    • Acoustic (spoken), Tactile (touch), Optical (visual), Olfactory (smell).

Design Features of Human Language (Hockett, 1960)

  1. Local auditory channel
  2. Rapid fading
  3. Interchangeability
  4. Total feedback
  5. Specialization
  6. Semanticity
  7. Arbitrariness
  8. Discreteness
  9. Displacement
  10. Productivity
  11. Cultural transmission
  12. Duality of patterning
  13. Prevarication (use of language to deceive)
  14. Reflexiveness
  15. Learnability

Language and Communities

  • Speech Community: A group of people sharing a language and culture.
  • Monolingual: Speakers of one language.
  • Bilingual: Speakers of two languages with equal proficiency.
  • Multilingual: Speakers of several languages (polyglots).

Code Switching vs. Linguistic Borrowing

  • Code Switching: Intentionally changing language for social integration.
  • Linguistic Borrowing: Adopting words from one language into another when no equivalent exists.

Evolution of Language

  • Grimm's Law: Shift in consonants in Germanic languages.
  • Great Vowel Shift: Change in vowel pronunciation over time.
  • Linguistic Theories:
    • Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: Language shapes thoughts and cultural understanding.
    • Ethnopoetics: Language enriched by literature and culture.
    • Oral Gesture: Language development linked to sounds and gestures.

Language Shift and Death

  • Languages die when they are no longer taught or used.
  • Factors leading to language death: Economic, demographic, attitudes.
  • Types of Language Death:
    • Gradual, Sudden, Radical, Bottom-to-top.
  • Revival of Languages: Possible through teaching and community efforts.

Conclusion

  • Importance of preserving language as part of cultural identity.
  • Reminder to care for and nourish our language, especially Filipino, as it represents who we are.