LANGUAGE OR LANGUAGES

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International Seminar 1-3 March. 2008, Hyderabad.

• LANGUAGE OR LANGUAGES?

SEYED HOSSEIN FAZELI Department of
Linguistics, University of Mysore,
Mysore. Emailfazeli78_at_yahoo.com
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Outline

• Introduction
• 1. The history of vocabulary Culture
• 2. Nature and reality of culture
• 3. The categories of definitions of culture
• 4. Language, thought and culture
• 5. Language, Culture and Society
• 6. Language learning
• 7. Culture, learning and communication
• 8. The analysis of the social content of language
  teaching and learning
• 9.Globalization
• 10.Today, English as an International language
• 11. Official language or languages in one country
• 12-Translation
• 13. Language contact
• 14. Motivated factors to learn other languages
• 15. Multi complex category of factors
• 16. Results
• English in Globalization
• References

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Introduction

• Importance of relationship of language and
  culture
• Culture and language are two unseperatable sides
  of human communication system
• A language of one society reflects the culture of
  that society
• Language and culture are inter-linked to each
  others in various ways
• Language is human societys most precious
  possession not only because of its communicative
  values, but also because language is the vehicle
  of culture
• Culture is the embodiment of all that a society
  believes produces
• Language becomes an integral part of culture
• Language and culture go hand in hand interacting
  with and shaping together
  CONTINUE

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• The acquisition of one language is done through
  or with culture
• Society and culture are more than background and
  even more than context
• Language and society are so inter-linked and
  so much apart each other that are cannot be
  thought of except in relation to the other
• Language for the individual is his tool for
  interaction with community as well as the
  communitys tool for interaction with the
  individual
• Language acquiring is just one aspect of
  acculturation
• The two languages are not translation of each
  others
• Globalization in a literal sense is international
  integration
• Globalization can be described as a process by
  which the people of the world are unified into
  single society
• The effects of globalization which work to
  linguistic homogenization and cultural
  homogenization is done through modernization,
  translation, standardization and the others
• Endangered languages are not concluded to
  languages themselves
• Endanger with or through languages due to
  endanger treasure of culture
• Various issues have been affect that the
  endangered state and condition occur

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1. The history of word Culture

• Origin of concept culture
• It is derived form the classical or may be
  pre-classical Latin (Cultura)
• In 1750, it was used to describe the human
  society for the first time in Germany language
• In 1871,Tylore defined it as a clear scientific
  definition
• In 1926, Culture was added to Webster
  dictionary (for the same meaning)

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2. Nature and reality of culture

• It refers to some property of community
• culture is something that everybody has
• Material culture and Non-material culture
• Culture is knowledge includes know-how and
  how-that (1957, Goodenough)
• Cultural knowledge , Shared non-cultural
  knowledge , Non-shared non-cultural knowledge in
  one society
• Culture
• is general however, it is particular.
• is dynamic, however, it is static.
• is accepted through force, however, it is
  free will
• Problems of the study of culture

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3.The categories of definitions of culture

• The Descriptive type- The factorial elements of
  culture -Tylor 1871
• The Traditional type- The social heritage or
  tradition -Sapir 1921
• The Normative type-
• The rule or way -Young 1934
• The values and ideas -Sorokin 1947
• The Psychological type -
• Culture as adjustment -Small 1905
  
• The learning -Opler 1947
• The habits -Murdock 1941
• The structural type- The model, pattern or
  organization of culture
• 
  
  -Willey 1926
• The Genetical type-
• Culture is as a production - Falsom
  1928
• The ideas in culture - Ward 1903
  
• The symbols of culture - Whyite
  1943

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4.Language, though and culture

• In language acquisition, cognitive development
  and linguistic development, go hand in hand, each
  interacting with and shaping the other
• Verbal labels can shape the way we store events
  for later recall
• culture as socially acquired knowledge
• culture is one part of memory
• Culture is really an integral part of the
  interaction between language and thought
• Meanings for every thing, are in the human

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5. Language, Culture and Society

• The facility of communication and interaction for
  social living, is as a result of social being and
  living in societies as characteristic of the
  human
• Language does not develop in a vacuum
• Language records the cultural history of a
  community
• A language is part of the culture of a people and
  the chief means by which the members of a society
  communicate
• Language is component of culture and central
  network through which the other components are
  expressed
• Differences in cultural meanings across language
  are a problem in learning a new language
• Contacting with people of another society,
  identifies some characteristics of the behavior
  ,that show they are as member of a different
  society

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6. Language learning and teaching

• Learning is as acquiring or getting of knowledge
  of a subject or skill by study, experience, or
  instruction
• The concept of learning, as it is understood
  today, has been generally influenced by the
  psychological study of the learning process
• Teaching is as" showing or helping someone to
  learn how to do something, giving instruction,
  guiding in the study of something, providing with
  knowledge, causing to know or understand
• Your understanding of how the learner learns,
  will determine the philosophy of education

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7. Culture, learning and communication

• To understand some materials and subject in one
  language, we should understand the meanings of
  the culture expressed by the words of the
  language
• There can be no real learning of a language,
  without understanding something of the patterns
  and values of the culture of which it is a part
• To become truly educated in language, it is
  necessary to absorb the full cultural meaning of
  the target language
• Breaking free of the elements meaning units of
  the learners native language, let him to achieve
  right communication through a second language
• CONTINUE

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• If we suppose that
• M Meaning which exists in the mind
  of sender of message during the specific
  communication, as it is called Communication A.
• M' Meaning which consist in the mind
  of receiver of message during the specific
  communication, as it is called Communication A.
• Among the two individuals communication, one
  of the below states, will occur
  CONTINUE

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• State one M'/M1, Two individuals communicate
  each others completely.
• State two M'/M0, Two individuals do not
  communicate each each others.
• State three M'/M lt1, Two individuals
  communicative each others, but not
  completely.
• State four M'/M gt1, Two results will occur
• A-Complete communication B - Self
  communication

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8. The analysis of the social content of
language teaching and learning

• The social content of language learning can be
  regarded as a set of factors that is likely to
  exercise a powerful influence on language
  learning
• Socio-cultural factors that bear upon motivation
• Sociolinguistic and socio cultural factors in
  learning environment
• Importance to the influence of interethnic
  relations upon ethno-linguistic attitudes and on
  language learning
• the social opportunities for contact with the
  second language
• Educational frame work in which the teaching
  normally occurs

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9.Globalization

• Globalization (generally written with a Z) has
  been defined by Giddens as the intensification
  of worldwide social relations which link distant
  localities in such a way that local happenings
  are shaped by events occurring many miles away
  and vice versa (Giddens, 1990)
• Globalization in a literal sense is international
  integration
• Globalization can be described as a process by
  which the people of the world are unified into
  single society
• Scholars from various disciplines such as
  sociology, political, science and geography have
  perceived globalization differently and tried to
  define it from various angles
  CONTINUE

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• Commodity of chains whereby production is
  coordinated on a global scale
• Diffusion of practice, values and technology that
  have an influence on peoples life world wide
• Increasing technological scale and information
  flow
• Increasing broader flow of goods, services,
  money, information and culture
• we can find some of common concepts like mutual
  interdependence, exchange, and sharing the
  community around the world in all aspects such as
  social, economic, cultural and even linguistic
  aspects CONTINUE

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• Although there seems to be a consensus that we
  are living in increasingly globalized world,
  there is by no means agreement about related
  issues Compression of space and time, shrinking
  of world
• Globalization has various aspects which affect
  the world in several different ways such as
• 1.Industrial, 2) Financial, 3) Economic, 4)
  Political, 5) Informational, 6) Cultural, 7)
  Social and 8) Ecological
• In cultural aspects, there are many international
  exchanges such as
• 1. Spreading of multiculturalism, 2)
  International travel and tourism, 3) Immigration,
  4) formation or development of a set of universal
  values, 5) Development of a global
  telecommunications infrastructure, 6) Internet,
  Communication satellites and the other related
  tools, 7) Increase in the number of standards
  applied globally CONTINUE

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• Globalization is the emergence that is common
  cross-culturally and across national boundaries
• The global communication leads to some extent
  functional homogenization of culture and language
  
• Homogenization of culture and homogenization of
  language, are particularly relevant for
  translating globalization as a reality
• The active responses of sub-national languages
  and cultures to the global force are also very
  important for their own survival and progress

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10. Today, English as an International language

• Since 1950s, English is applied as a
  international language for the most of situations
  
• The role of Lingua France of English is very
  clearly
• The most power of such Lingua Franca may lead to
  situations that many believe that acquiring of
  their mother-tongue which do not have universal
  economic, social scientific and political
  benefits and advantages and they waste their time
  during acquiring and using their mother tongue
  for themselves and their children
• And also many others who believe that world with
  one universal language is wonderful idea that due
  to unit peaceful world
• Eagerness, zeal and enthusiasm to acquire such
  international language only plus lack of
  motivation to acquire their mother tongue during
  more than one generation lead to death of one
  language as results of lack of speakers

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11. Official language or languages in one country

• Multi ligulas are as a usual phenomenon which
  includes many millions of people in different
  countries
• There is not particular and exact number among
  multi lingual people and also the number of
  languages
• In countries which are called as monolingual
  countries such as England, France, German and
  U.S., there are many percentages of speakers of
  other languages
• For example, in U.S., 10 of people speak
  languages other than English and in England
  more than one hundred languages are spoken
• CONTINUE

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• There are different percentages of multi lingual
  in different countries and also there are
  different reasons for such multi lingual
  situations
• It is difficult to find balance in number of
  speakers of different languages in one country
  ,and the condition without social contradiction
• In such multi lingual situations, in order to
  balance linguistic condition of country, internal
  changes of society and governments policies will
  be done
• The governments policies will be done in
  different ways such as a selection of one or more
  native or non-native language or languages for
  country as official language or languages
  
• CONTINUE

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• At least two below states may occur
• 1.The acculturation condition among the speakers
  of particular native languages through mandatory
  and compulsory acquiring of the particular
  languages for long time (at least more than one
  generation). In such condition, the speakers do
  not have motivation to acquire their mother
  tongue and they eager to acquire official
  language only
• 2.Different percentages of influences and
  linguistic borrowing on and in non-official
  languages by the official language or languages
  during long time (especially more than one
  generation). In heavy influences and borrowing,
  even new language or dialect will be created, or
  the language or dialect will be forgotten

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12-Translation

• Translation is transfer of concepts from one
  language to another in both oral and written
  forms
• Nowdays, because of importance of knowledge,
  sciences and modern technology, translation plays
  a main role
• The number of languages as source or target, or
  large languages in translation and the topics and
  subjects for translation are increasing during
  the time
• Translation in both types, through human and
  specially machine (because of lack of cultural
  and social background) due to enter and transfer
  some strange and unknown values to the target
  language from source language
• CONTINUE

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• In reality, the languages are not used for
  symbols merely, but they different ways of view
  to the world
• Different cultures and languages families among
  source and target languages make problems more in
  translation
• Word for word translation and literal translation
  of text are two main highways of entrance strange
  values to target language
• Strange values are not set and suitable to the
  speakers own culture of target languages which
  are as new lexical items or same words to target
  language words with new values to target language
  

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13. Language contact

• Language contact or contact vernaculars are
  contact of speakers of different languages which
  dues to influences and linguistic borrowing
• Such contact is depend on different percentages
  of contact of speakers, long time of contact,
  varieties of social economic and political
  relationships, similarities of languages and the
  other factors
• Close contact and heavy influence and borrowing
  for long time will due to death of some organ of
  language body
• The most dramatic examples of new language are
  arising out of contact situations are pidgins and
  after that Creole
• CONTINUE

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• There are some main characteristics which are
  belonging to pidgin languages contrast to natural
  languages
• 1.The lexical items of pidgin languages are more
  limited than natural languages, because pidgin
  languages have minimum lexical items for
  communication in particular situations
• 2.Pidgin languages are found or created during
  two or three generations contrast to natural
  languages, in this way, natural languages has big
  treasure of cultural background.
• 3.Pidgin languages have simple structure contrast
  to natural language, such simple structure due to
  many linguistic ambiguous cases ,social and
  cultural ambiguous states
• 4.Normally, pidgin languages have less social
  values
• 5.The values of lexical items of pidgin languages
  can be different from lexical items of natural
  languages which pidgin languages are outcome of
  their contract
• CONTINUE

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• To conclude
• Language contact can due to finding new dialect
  or language which partly or mostly different from
  varieties of languages which are in contact
• Such new dialect or language will have new
  treasure of cultural and social reflection
• For long time, through decreasing the number of
  speakers of language which are in contact, the
  death of partly or completely will occur and long
  traditional and big treasure will be forgotten
  through less reflection in limited vehicle
  (language)

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14. Motivated factors to learn other languages

• There are some motivated factors that lead people
  to acquire other than mother-tongue directly or
  indirectly, and partly or completely
• 14.1. International relationships
• As it was discussed before, for example,
  English has a main political, academic and social
  role among the different countries to communicate
  each others. For long and much power of such role
  of English or any language, can due to such
  feeling that the speakers of different language,
  believe that their mother-tongue do not have much
  uses in the world and they will lose their
  motivation to use and also teach their
  mother-tongue to their children as next
  generation
  CONTINUE

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• 14.2.The press
• Since four hundreds years ago, English is as a
  primary medium of the press
• Today, 1/3 of the worlds press are in countries
  which English has special importance in them and
  it is logically that if we think that most of
  such press in English
• New York Times, Washington post, Wall Street
  journal and Sunday Times have highest printed
  press in the world
• Since the end of 19th century, advertisements
  play primary role, today, especially
  advertisements in English CONTINUE

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• 14.3.Television, Radio, Cinema and Music
• It is estimated that serial films in U.S and
  England channels are watched more than 120
  countries
• Regarding to BFI, in 1996, 80 percent of
  produced films in the world are in English
• However, there are some governments policies
  against English in France and German, but only 25
  percent of Cinemas income is for non-English
  movies in such countries
• During the recent decades, English has
  distinctive role in songs
• 549 from 557 famous music groups (99percent) act
  in English
• language
• 1156 from1219 famous singers (95percent) sing in
  English
  CONTINUE

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• Nowdays, people believe in what they watched and
  listen through television, radio, cinema and
  music and they do as they had watched and listen
  in other words, television, radio, cinema and
  music are peoples religion. Primary medium of
  this religion is English. In such way, English
  can affect the languages, cultures and social
  treasure of different people in different
  countries. For long time and much moer, such
  effect can be dangerous because of power of
  influence

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• 14.4. Abroad travel
• The people travel abroad for different reasons
  such as business and study
• The main facility in abroad for communication is
  language which should be as a international
  communicative language
• Living, immigration and traveling which are for
  long time, due to acquire and use language in
  order to communicate with the majority in abroad
• Such acquiring and using language will influence
  the native language of the speakers and even
  their native language will be lost for long time
• CONTINUE

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• 14.5. Internet
• 80 of registered information in Internet is in
  English which includes different information of
  different companies, organizations, universities,
  and so on
• However, there is not particular method to
  determine particular official language in
  Internet, but if every body wants to find answers
  for his questions in Internet , it is necessary
  that he should know English
• It is estimated that in 2020, one milliard users
  will use Internet and for such using, mainly,
  knowing of English is necessary. The progress of
  knowing and using Internet affect the languages
  of many speakers
• One sociologist stated that now days, finding of
  translation of Destoevskys works in English in
  Internet is easier than finding such works in
  Russian language in bookshops

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15. Multi complex category of factors

• There are some factors which are called as a
  multi-complex category here, because such factors
  are not distinctive factors themselves and
  separate form the others mentioned categories
• 15.1 .Political condition
• The political aexation, military occupation,
  groups migration and the other political
  factors, due to new linguistic outcomes. For
  example, as result of political asylum, the
  people will learn language of foreign country
• 15.2. Religional factors
• Sometimes shifting and acceptance of new
  religion or triness to maintenance of own
  religion due to learn new language partly or
  completely CONTINUE

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• 15.3. Cultural factors
• Interesting in other foreign or other than own
  cultural and social groups can be important
  motivation to acquire new language, and for long
  time, joining to such groups due to communicate
  through such new language only
• 15.4. Natural catastrophe
• Earthquakes, eruption, drough and the other
  natural catastrophes can be reason for many
  groups migration to areas and countries which
  different languages are spoken there
• 15.5 .Educational, cultural, economical and
  social factors
• Such factors, as mentioned before are as
  separate or related factors to many factors which
  can act as main reasons to acquire new language
  and lose mother tongue for long time.

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16.Results

• Language and culture go hand in hand, each
  interacting with and shaping together
• Language and culture are inter-linked to each
  others in various ways
• Language is an integral part of culture and the
  vehicle of culture
• Effects on every one of them, leads to affect the
  other as it can to be called directly or
  indirectly
• Globalization, through linguistic homogenization
  and cultural homogenization, affects on language
  and culture as modernization, translation,
  standardization and the others
  CONTINUE

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• Globalizations effects can be positive and
  negative effects
• The homogenization of culture due to
  globalization process results in the
  marginalization of indigenous cultures
• However, globalization through cultural
  homogenization, can be helpful in the progress
  and development of the cultures if .
• The members of one culture community should try
  to maintain their positive aspects of culture and
  replace negative aspects of their culture through
  positive aspects of globalization
• The members of one culture community should
  aware about outcomes of globalization
  CONTINUE

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• At the language level , globalization leads to
  growth of many countries
• The technological and advanced communicational
  facilities make the world to shrink and pave way
  for homogenization
• many who believe their mother tongue does not
  have universal role , they waste their time to
  use their mother tongue or teach it to their
  children
• many others who believe such language (English)
  is as a language that can make the world as a
  peaceful unit world through understanding same
  language
• CONTINUE

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• Some ideas as result of globalization and
  English or any language with such effect can be
  dangerous for national, local languages,
  specially endangered language which are
  understood to be moribund languages
• The industrialists, traders and their marketing
  techniques play a major role in shaping the
  languages
• It should be mentioned that, in fact the control
  over the language is not in the hands of scholar
  or academic institutions. It is shaped by the
  traders and marketing agencies

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English in Globalization

• English is as a language of communication and
  official language in many countries
• English is not own language of particular
  community or country
• Since 1945 (after second world war), English
  became a lingua France
• More than 2/3 of scientists in the world, write
  their books and articles in English
• 3/4 of letters in the world are written in
  English
• 90 percent of all communications in Internet as
  international network, is in English
• CONTINUE

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• The education English programs of English radios
  are used by more than 150 millions in the world
• More than 500 millions of children in elementary
  schools and more than 800 hundreds in secondary
  and high school (without china) are familiar with
  English as a second or foreign language
• However, there are some governments policies
  against English in countries such as France,
  German, Spain
• There are three circles regarding to English
  first circle, such as U.S and England, the second
  circle such as India, which English has much
  dominance and it is applied as a second language
  and the third circle ,such as china and Russia
  which English has special importance as a
  international language and for such countries is
  as first foreign language
  CONTINUE

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• In 1994 , 1/3 of the press in the world, are
  printed in countries which English has special
  importance
• In 1995, 110 from 160 of linguistics journals(70
  percent) were printed in English
• In 1995, there were 5000 radio station that 45
  percent of them were in countries that English
  has special role
• It is estimated that English film serials in U.S.
  and England are watched in more than 120
  countries
• In 1996, 80 percent of produced films were in
  English CONTINUE

43

• 85 percent of incomes of worlds cinemas are for
  English production of Hollywood
• In countries such as German and France,
  although, there are governments policies against
  English, but only, 25 percent of their cinemas
  incomes are for non-English movies
• In 1990, 549 from 557 of famous music groups act
  in English
• 1156 from 1219 of famous singers, sing in English
  language
• In 1998, U.S. had the first percentage of income
  of tourism (50 milliards dollars )
• Around 80 percent of register of information in
  Internet, is in English .The users of Internet in
  1990 had been one million and in 1993,Tthey
  became 20 millions and 40 millions in 1995. It is
  estimated that in 2020, Such numbers will be one
  milliard

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ACKONWLEDGMENT

• I Acknowledge that I did main from work of
  the present work based on the work of Hossein
  Yaghobi.

45
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• THANK
• YOU