Relationship between Language and Culture

Language and Culture

Language and culture is a topic that must be assessed in each study on Cross Cultural Understanding in relation to language learning both foreign and local languages. The language is a means of communication has various definitions, all of which can be viewed in two ways, namely descriptive which emphasizes the nature of language itself and functionally.

While the definition of a functional language leads to the function of language in which language is a tool used to communicate, interact and socialize with other humans. Complete definition of the language proposed by Harimurti in linguistic dictionary that says that language is a system of arbitrary sound symbol used by the community to work together, interact, and identify themselves. Listening to some of the definitions of the language in terms of functions can be concluded that the language is a vital tool in a society. Without language there would be no social system or human social systems, because such systems are highly dependent on the function of language which is none other than as a means of communication.

As with language, culture can not be separated from society. None of the people who do not have a culture, despite the merits of the adopted culture. The word itself is a language of culture is derived from the word buddhayah as the plural of buddhi (Sanskrit) meaning 'reasonable'.

Language and culture are two different sides of the coin, but both of these relationships can’t be separated, because language is a mirror of culture and identity of native speakers. This means, if the language can affect the community culture or vice versa ?, so that language can determine the progress and "turn off" the culture of the nation?

Language and culture are the two things are interrelated. This is evidenced by the many phenomena or realities that show the relationship between language and culture. The relationship could be a transformation, influence each other, and so forth. According Koentjaraningrat as quoted Abdul Chaer and Leonie in his Sociolinguistics that language is part of culture. Thus, the relationship between language and culture is a subordinate relationship, where the language was under the cultural environment. But there is another opinion which says that the language and culture have a coordinative relation, namely the relationship which is equal, the same height position.