Language and Culture: Whats your Culture?

The main focus of this article is on the relationship between culture and language. Language is an essential part of every culture and to learn a language, one must learn the culture as well; the two go together. In my readings, I researched how language is used as a marker and an element of identity and power to reveal relationships between individuals or groups, and how language and thought can influence each other. This article also describes the relationship of language to writing and introduces the various types of writing systems. Using Language Files, a textbook on second language acquisition, and excerpts from A. S. Canajarajah's Resisting Linguistic Imperialism in English Teaching and the magazine Language and Culture as a basis for this research. I learned that language has a great impact on our society, specifically in the areas of 1) identity, 2) social divisions, and 3) writing. I, therefore, endeavored to analyze these different aspects in depth, in order to give the audience a general idea of how language is used for different purposes in diverse and dynamic settings. For example, in order to establish social identity, one frequently refers to their native language. To be identified as an ?in-group? member one needs to first be able to communicate in the language of the group s/he is trying to belong to. Having ?in? and ?out? group members then creates social divisions or a social hierarchy, and as a result, there are problems with the balance of power and understanding. The presence of written texts enables us to analyze these identities and divisions, making clear differences between these hierarchies and cultures.