1.The relationship between language and culture

Keywords: language, culture, cultural context, society, individuality

References: Bednarek 2012, Bouzek 2008, Lustig – Koester 2010

The relationship between language and culture is closely linked.  We always talk about the unity of language and the society in which it originates, develops, and functions. Read the following quotation of Russian linguist N. I. Tolstoy and try to demonstrate his words on examples of your mother tongue or a language you are familiar with. List concrete examples of the influence language has on culture and vice versa. 

"A nation interprets itself in its language in more than anything else. А whole spectrum of its way of life, concepts and notions, every single flash of memory a nation strives to preserve is somehow expressed and preserved by language. In its vital and historically important application, language becomes the instrument and vehicle of all the needs of educated people." (N. I. Tolstoj. I. I. Sreznevskij – dialektolog. Tartu : Ucen. zan. Tartus. gos. universiteta, № 573, p. 27)

Explain why, in philosophical and linguistic theories, language is understood as a social phenomenon. What role does an individual have in this phenomenon? Think of particular examples of when language reflects the national culture and, vice versa, an example of language being used by an individual to express his or her individuality.

Explain why identical social phenomena or phrases can be perceived differently in different cultures. Is it necessary to react differently? "For instance, juxtapose the function of phrases "How are you?" or "Pay me a visit." in various languages. What is the role of a smile in communication across various cultures?