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Cultures changes English language or English language changes cultures?
Cultures changes English language or English language changes cultures?
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:01 pm
by prahkeitouj
I believe that most of you speak and write English in the forum. As I'm Cambodian, the way I speak, think and believe more likely local. I know my English language has limited and even I try, but I'm sure I can't be like a native speaker. Language is very sensitive culture. I wonder when you talk or teach ( some of you work as English teachers) to people ( non native speakers) in English, how much do understand about their cultures and how much they understand about your culture across the language? For example, Cambodians call people who older than us by using sister/brother, uncle/aunt....etc in front of their name. We can't call their name directly because it shows that we disrespect people who older than us. How do you react when we ( non- native speakers) speak English and integrate our own cultures? Or we need to follow your culture when we learn English? Another thing I saw some books ( The Three Little Pigs Lah,Little Riding Hood Lah..etc). How do you think about cultures and language?
Re: Cultures changes English language or English language changes cultures?
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:10 pm
by John Bingham
Many of us have been here for a long time, so there wouldn't be a whole lot about the culture that is too surprising. It all depends on who you are talking to anyway. with friends you can be a lot more relaxed in conversation, while talking to someone important you have to be a bit more formal. That's the same in most cultures.
Re: Cultures changes English language or English language changes cultures?
Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 2:45 am
by Jamie_Lambo
prahkeitouj wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:01 pm
I believe that most of you speak and write English in the forum. As I'm Cambodian, the way I speak, think and believe more likely local. I know my English language has limited and even I try, but I'm sure I can't be like a native speaker. Language is very sensitive culture. I wonder when you talk or teach ( some of you work as English teachers) to people ( non native speakers) in English, how much do understand about their cultures and how much they understand about your culture across the language? For example, Cambodians call people who older than us by using sister/brother, uncle/aunt....etc in front of their name. We can't call their name directly because it shows that we disrespect people who older than us. How do you react when we ( non- native speakers) speak English and integrate our own cultures? Or we need to follow your culture when we learn English? Another thing I saw some books ( The Three Little Pigs Lah,Little Riding Hood Lah..etc). How do you think about cultures and language?
i do enjoy and like the respect spoken in a lot of the asian languages to family members/strangers
i dont think its uncommon in England for kids/youths to address your elder family members by their titles and not just by their names as its disrespectful, Uncle Mark and Aunty Karen, Grandma Granddad, Nanny Anne etc.
not sure what its like in other english speaking countries or what the youth are like these days,
i dont address my Aunties and Uncles by their titles now im and adult myself i just use their names
Re: Cultures changes English language or English language changes cultures?
Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 7:40 am
by kiwiincambodia
Is New Zealand we just call everyone either bro, brah or cuz.
Seems to work well with minimal confusion.
Re: Cultures changes English language or English language changes cultures?
Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2017 11:16 am
by taabarang
Lil salary wrote , "Or we need to follow your culture when we learn English?". No, you don't have to, but it helps. For example my son speaks really good English but sometimes thinks in Khmer speech conventions when using English words. Here is an easy example of that phenomenon. If I say to him "You didn't do your homework, did you?, he will answer "Yes.". Now an. English speaker will understand that as a short form of "Yes, I did.". But my son uses it as the short form for of the Khmer, "Yes you're right, I didn't.".
I've learned to avoid tag questions with him; now I simply ask, "Have you done your homework?"
Re: Cultures changes English language or English language changes cultures?
Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2017 11:17 pm
by Dru Jenkins
Sapir-Wolf hypothesis (well criticised but still interesting) - An individuals thoughts and actions are determined by language/s spoken.
Diglossia - Dialects or languages within a language, usually a common spoken one and more polite, higher form (I don't know enough Khmer though, have others had much experience with this?).
Honorifics - politeness dimension of language, usually prefixes in English. More developed in certain languages - Japanese, Thai. Khmer?
They say the cut-off for fluent language acquisition is around 14 so I missed the boat but I try.
Re: Cultures changes English language or English language changes cultures?
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 7:00 am
by BklynBoy
Dru Jenkins wrote: ↑Thu Mar 02, 2017 11:17 pm
Sapir-Wolf hypothesis (well criticised but still interesting) - An individuals thoughts and actions are determined by language/s spoken.
Diglossia - Dialects or languages within a language, usually a common spoken one and more polite, higher form (I don't know enough Khmer though, have others had much experience with this?).
Honorifics - politeness dimension of language, usually prefixes in English. More developed in certain languages - Japanese, Thai. Khmer?
They say the cut-off for fluent language acquisition is around 14 so I missed the boat but I try.
did a grad paper on this topic once. This little video is pretty interesting.-------------
Keith Chen's study on "The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior." Find out how your language can influence your understanding of time, and how this can impact your spending and saving behavior.
Re: Cultures changes English language or English language changes cultures?
Dru Jenkins wrote: ↑Thu Mar 02, 2017 11:17 pm
Sapir-Wolf hypothesis (well criticised but still interesting) - An individuals thoughts and actions are determined by language/s spoken.
Diglossia - Dialects or languages within a language, usually a common spoken one and more polite, higher form (I don't know enough Khmer though, have others had much experience with this?).
Honorifics - politeness dimension of language, usually prefixes in English. More developed in certain languages - Japanese, Thai. Khmer?
They say the cut-off for fluent language acquisition is around 14 so I missed the boat but I try.
did a grad paper on this topic once. This little video is pretty interesting.-------------
Keith Chen's study on "The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior." Find out how your language can influence your understanding of time, and how this can impact your spending and saving behavior.
That's cool, thanks for sharing. Chen really went further with it. I really like how that Indigenous Australian group orientates themselves and objects through language.