Lesson 6 — Activity 1: How Are Language and Culture Related?

Warm Up

On the introduction page, you were introduced to the concept of globalization. Globalization affects you and the community you live in. In the world today, people are exposed to the ideas, customs, and beliefs of many different cultures.

Culture is the way of life for a group of people. In any culture, communication is extremely important, and language is a very big part of communication.

Ahmed Deedat was born in India and spent his life as a missionary.

In this first activity, you will examine the relationship between culture and language.

Language and culture are very closely related. Language is a symbol of cultural identity. It is the medium through which people transmit culture from generation to generation. It allows people to share and pass on ideas. Language also allows people to pass on family beliefs, values, and traditions.

What Others Have Said ...

"Language and culture cannot be separated. Language is vital to our understanding our unique cultural perspectives. Language is a tool that is used to explore and experience our cultures and the perspectives that are embedded in our cultures."

Buffy Sainte-Marie is a Cree singer-songwriter, activist, educator, and visual artist.

Many cultures feel very strongly that their traditional or ancestral language be handed down to succeeding generations.

Click on the Play button to watch a video of how a cultural group in British Columbia is striving to keep their ancestral language alive.

We know there are many different languages in the world, such as English, Spanish, French, and German. However, people who use the same language don't always speak it the same way.