Language & Culture

According to Britannica, language is a system of conventional spoken, manual (signed), or written symbols by means of which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express themselves. On the other hand, by referring to Yule, we can see that culture means all the ideas and assumptions about the nature of things and people that we learn when we become members of certain social groups. Culture teaches us how to think, communicate with others, and perceive our surroundings. So, what can we understand about language and culture? Language and culture is part of the type of sociolinguistics that sometimes attributed to cultural differences. Every nation in this world has its own language and brings its own unique culture through the means of language used in their own countries. Language can also be a medium to unite people in their own country.

Language is a fundamental part of culture, as it is the primary means by which culture is transmitted and expressed. If we want to master a language, we must dive in with its culture first. Language changes often represent a culture’s changing values. Language and culture are inextricably related. You can’t learn one without first knowing the other (Bella, 2021). Language is related to all features of human life in society, and comprehension of the surrounding culture is key to learning a language. The language also allows for the development and evolution of cultural values. Language and culture are constantly evolving. Over time, both language and culture undergo significant changes. You can’t expect a 10-year-old Malay and an 80-year-old man to share the same culture or speak the same language. Even though they live in the same town. The language and culture we experience in life have a significant impact on our personalities. Culture shapes beliefs and ethics, and language allows us to communicate these cultural ideas and beliefs. Both culture and language help shape our thoughts and perceptions of the world. Other than that, learning a foreign language involves understanding the culture and norms of the target community. This is essential for effective communication and cultural understanding (The Langauage Doctors, 2021).

https://www.facebook.com/aisacp/videos/572258964239010/ 

In this video, there was a graduated student who was giving a speech in Arabic on the stage. In the first line of her speech or the first second of the video, she gave an introductory speech by mentioning her parents, family, teachers, lecturers, and many more. She clearly said the word ‘teacher’ in Arabic which is 'mua'llim’ (معلم) and ‘mua’llimah’ (معلمة). This is associated with gendered words in linguistics. The word teacher in Arabic has its gender according to whom the person is. Teacher in Arabic is called ‘mua’llim’ (معلم) for a male teacher, while ‘mua’llimah’ (معلمة) is for a female teacher. The additional letter which is ‘ta marbutah’ (ة) in female teacher, separates the gender in the word. The same goes to the other words that she said which are 'aaba' (الآبأ) and 'ummahat' (الأمهات), both mean father and mother in Arabic. The last example that can be taken from the video are 'muadhofin' (موظفين) and 'muadhifat' (موظفات) which deliver the meaning of employees or staff for many men and women.

In the provided video, a Facebook account called “Al Arqam Islamic School & College Preparatory” uploaded a video of a girl student on 20th May 2022, named Nadia El Nokrashy who had just graduated giving a speech in Arabic. Al-Arqam Islamic School and College Preparatory is a Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade that welcomes all students in a nurturing Islamic environment. The school provides a rigorous academic curriculum. It is located in California, the United States. Even though this school is located in the USA, it uses Arabic as a second language in the school. The teachings in Arabic goes along with the Islamic teachings, for example, in Al-Quran and Islamic Studies. In this video, the girl tried giving a speech in Arabic and used lots of gendered words in her lovely speech. She started her speech by mentioning her parents, family, teachers, lecturers and many more. A lot of gendered words can be found such as mua’llimah, muadhofin and ummahat. These are the examples of gendered words that Arabic language has and is used daily by Arabs and the people who speak Arabic.

1. تعريف و معنى أم في معجم المعاني الجامع - معجم عربي عربي. (n.d.). https://www.almaany.com/ar/dict/ar-ar/أم 

2. Enbom, A. (2023, June 7). Arabic for teacher. https://arabic.fi/words/29 

3. https://www.alarqamislamicschool.org/apps/pages/index.jspuREC_ID=1439570&type=d&pREC_ID=2247409 

4. The Arabic Speech by Nadia El Nokrashy | By Al-Arqam Islamic School &. . . (n.d.). https://www.facebook.com/aisacp/videos/572258964239010/ 

The girl spoke in Arabic and in Arabic, there are also gendered words that differentiate the use of words between man and woman. It makes them special as they have their own words to be spoken, mentioned and pointed at. Gendered words like the example given reflect societal norms and roles and will make someone respect each other when the person hears the gendered word being used. By extending gender to objects or people, the listener of the language being spoken can easily recognise who the speaker is referring to, whether she or he is pointing at a man or a woman, it heavily depends on the use of gendered words in some languages. In the provided video, we can see that the girl mentioned her teacher, employees and parents by using gendered words, this action shows that she valued both genders as they contributed to her success in the school, making her appreciate both genders and her speech doesn't focus on a specific gender only. That is one of the benefits and uniqueness of gendered words.

From my point of view, sometimes the use of gender in words is inconvenient, especially for second-language learners as they need to remember a lot of new vocabulary and they also must know how to differentiate between men and women which will cause confusion. For example, when a Malaysian speaker speaks English, they tend to misuse the terms ‘he’ and ‘she’ or ‘her’ and ‘him’ since we, as human always makes mistakes, and we sometimes forget about what we say because of the differences and terms in English language. Imagine a situation where a Malaysian speaker wants to say something that refers to a man, but mistakenly changes it with the use of 'she' pronoun because of confusion in the language itself.

Language and culture play such an important role in our lives. Especially, we as human beings, who generally speak to each other to convey and express our thoughts and feelings and to deliver messages towards people around us. For the real-world example, the differences between genders in some words give diversity in language and make it interesting to use. The relationship between language and culture is a fundamental aspect of human communication and identity. It is a dynamic and evolving process that is shaped by various factors and influences the way we communicate and express ourselves. 

Yule, George. (2020). The Study of Language, Ed. 7, New York: Cambridge University Press.

The Arabic Speech by Nadia El Nokrashy | By Al-Arqam Islamic School &. . . (n.d.). https://www.facebook.com/aisacp/videos/572258964239010/ 

Gender. (2019, June 19). https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender

Redirect Notice. (n.d.). https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fthelanguagedoctors.org%2Fblog%2Fwhat-is-the-language-and-culture-relationship%2F&sa=D 

Bella. (2021, April 2). Language And Culture Relationship - A Detailed Guide - TLD. https://thelanguagedoctors.org/blog/what-is-the-language-and-culture-relationship/ 

View of Choice of Address Terms in A Conversational Setting. (n.d.). https://www.j-humansciences.com/ojs/index.php/IJHS/article/view/3489/1690 

Robins, R. H., & Crystal, D. (2024, May 6). Language | Definition, Types, Characteristics, Development, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/language

https://www.alarqamislamicschool.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1439570&type=d&pREC_ID=2247409 

Enbom, A. (2023, June 7). Arabic for teacher. https://arabic.fi/words/29 

تعريف و معنى أم في معجم المعاني الجامع - معجم عربي عربي. (n.d.). https://www.almaany.com/ar/dict/ar-ar/أم