Words & Meaning: Language & Culture

1. Words & Meaning:Language & Culture Book 1, Ch. 6 A different language is a different view of life (Federico Fellini)

2. Language … • Primary means of interaction between people • Express someone’s feeling, thoughts, intention and desires to others • Enable us to learn about others through what and how they say • Learn about our relationship through the give-and-take

3. Function …[1] • Communicative functions of language • Function: affect (conveying feeling/emotion), directive (requesting/demanding), poetic (aesthetic), phatic (empathy and solidarity) • Conversation • Expression of affect • Serve as a means of getting rid of nervous energy when someone under stress • Thai do not make excessive use of language when expressing most emotions; opposite: Middle East, Italian, and Latin America

4. Function … [2] • Thinking • An instrument of thought when you speak your thoughts out loud as an aid to problem solving or thinking • Control of reality • Prayers or blessing invoking supernatural beliefs use language to try and control the various forces that are believed • Keeping of History • Culture employs symbols to help pass on the culture from generation to generation • Symbol is part of language • Record past events and achievements

5. Function … [3] • Socialization and enculturation • Sharing of a common or similar worldview and system of values that not only results in a shared ability for verbal communication but also makes possible other forms of culturally determined ways of communication • Expression of identity • Identities do not exist until they are enacted though language • Language shows who you are individually and represent your group • The way people talk show their social position and level of education

6. Language & Culture • Language usage and style reflect the personality of culture in much the same way that they reflect the personality of an individual • Language and culture are inseparable • Some countries limits the usage of foreign language in order to protect its culture • Eg. Indonesia under Soeharto; Costa Rica in 1977 enacted new law that restrict the use of foreign language; Iran banned companies from using Western name • Language acquire words from other languages • Eg. Kecoak, tea, bakwan, kulkas, korting, etc.

7. Verbal Process • Different words, symbols & rules in using those symbols • Eg. Buddha Bar in Jakarta, Ahmad Dhani & LaskarCinta , Dewi Lestari – Supernova Novel • Grammatical structures are unique to each language • Past – present – future; eg. English vs. Vietnamese • Singular – Plural; eg. English vs. Korean • Word order; eg. English (subject, predicate) vs Filipinos (predicate, subject) • Number; eg. Indonesian vs Dutch • Word and Pronunciation differences • American and British English; eg. Airplane vsAeroplane, Customization vsCustomisation, to ‘die’ and ‘today’ • Chinese and Indonesian; eg. An Jing (keep silent) vsAnjing (Dog)

8. Culture and the Rules of Interaction • Direct and indirectness • Maintenance of social customs and relationship • Expression of affect • Value of talk

9. Direct and indirectness Direct Indirect • American • Try to avoid vagueness and ambiguity, to the point • Chinese, Korean, Mexican • Directness reflecting disregard for others • One should preserve dignity, feelings and ‘face’ of others (eg. avoid criticizing in front of public) • Vagueness is part of language aesthetic • Use less language to avoid conflict , maintain social harmony

10. Maintaining Social Relationship • The use of language formal/informally • Spanish; formal and informal language style during the speech • Japanese; separate vocabularies used for addressing superiors, peers and inferiors (similar to Javanese) • Language to define gender • Japanese • Indonesian similar to Mexican • -a ending for males and –i ending for females • ellos and elllas

11. Culture and the Rules of Interaction • Direct and indirectness • Maintenance of social customs and relationship • Expression of affect Expression of Love and Anger • Value of talk

12. Culture and the Rules of Interaction • Direct and indirectness • Maintenance of social customs and relationship • Expression of affect • Value of talk People in many cultures value ‘talk’ differently African: • Spoken word is foremost means of communication (naturally orators) • Enjoy debate and exchange of views • Life events are marked by ceremonies involving multiple public speeches.

13. Women & Language • Women are required to be polite in communicating with others • Eg. In Surabaya, males use improper words consider OK, but not females. • Women do communicate for: • For establishing and maintaining relationship with others (esp. in masculine culture) • Connection, support, closeness, and understanding

14. 6 features why women communicating … • Equality • Achieve equality and symmetry by matching experience • Eg. “I have done the same thing so many times” • Showing support • Display support for others • Eg. “I think you did the right thing” • Understanding feelings • Express understanding and sympathy • Eg. “How did you feel when it occurred?” • Conversation maintenance • Effort to sustain conversation by prompting others to speak or elaborate • Eg. “Tell me about your day” • Responsiveness • Care about others and make them feel valued • Eg. During conversation a women might interject “That’s interesting” • Interpersonal closeness • Seeks to develop and maintain interpersonal closeness • Eg. The use of details, personal disclosures, anecdotes and concrete reasoning

15. Tentativeness … • Another characteristic of women’s comm. style • The use of: • Verbal hedges • I think, I feel, I believe, I guess, etc • Qualifying terms • Well, you know, perhaps, probably, possibly • Tag – find support • “Jane looks nice, does not she?” • Lack of confidence, uncertainty, low self-esteem

16. Female vs Male Communication … [1] Purpose: exert control, preserve independence, enhance status • Focus on instrumental activity & minimizes feelings Involves problem solving efforts, data collection, solution suggestion Emphasize content than feelings • Express superiority & maintains control Talk more and for longer period Redirect conversation for own benefits • Assert themselves in absolute ways Forceful and direct with infrequent use of tentative comm. • Tend to speak in abstract term that are general and removed from personal experiences • Not responsive

17. Female vs Male Communication … [2] Male Female • Concerned with getting the job done • Seek to establish dominance • Distinctly unresponsive • Concerned with personal relationship • Include everyone present in conversation • Decidedly responsive

18. Understanding diverse message system • Try to learn the languages of other cultures • Understand cultural variations in the use of language • Remember that words are ‘cultural bound’ • Minimize the use of sophisticated words with different groups of people • Be sensitive to diverse coding systems • Achieving clarity

19. End …

20. Dewa, 2005

21. Demo Anti Buddha Bar • Bar iniditolakkarenamenggunakansimbol-simbolsuci agama Buddha sebagaiornamen. • http://metro.vivanews.com/news/read/167354-demo-anti-buddha-bar-gelar-spanduk-2-km

22. DeeSupernova‘Akar’ Elemensakral agama Hindu