Question

Alt CHAPTER FIVE Verbal Issues in Intercultural Communication STUDY OBJECTIVES After reading this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Identify and define the components of language. 2. Discuss the role that language plays within different cultures. 3. Describe ways that people deal with language and communication style differences. 4. Explain how language is related to power. 5. Discuss multilingualism and the process of moving between languages. 6. Discuss the complexities of language policies.

Experiencing Intercultural Communication

question 1and 2

Answer 1

Components of language are-

a. Syntax is the rules for the structure of a sentence. Syntax deals with such details such as sentence organization, the order of clauses, relationships between words, elements of a sentence, etc. Syntax also determines which word combinations are acceptable. For example, if I say “He went to town.” it is acceptable, however, if I say, “town to went he” it does not work because of the syntax of English. There are certain common rules of syntax. A sentence must contain a noun phrase and a verb phrase.

b. Morphology is the arrangement and relationships of the smallest meaningful units in a language. In order to understand morphology, you need to know the term morpheme, which is the smallest unit of a word with meaning. That meaning is how language conveys messages. Morphemes are more than just letters. When a number of letters are put together into a word part that now has meaning, then you have a morpheme. Morphology studies how these units of meaning, or word parts, can be arranged in a language.

c. Phonology is the study of the pattern of sounds in a language and across languages. Phonology is the study of categorical organisation of speech sounds in languages, how speech sounds are organised in the mind and used to convey meaning. Phonology looks at the sound of speech and the shaping of syllables. The sound for /p/ is different depending on its placement in a word and the vowels near it. For example, /p/ can vary in sound in such words as pea, poor, and soup. Each word contains /p/ but the sound is slightly different.

2. Language is used to transmit values, laws, and cultural norms, including taboos. Language, since it expresses and reinforces culture, influences the personal identity of those living within the culture and creates boundaries of behavior. Language is also used to point to objects that are unique to a particular culture. All this means that learning and teaching another language is essential for international communication and cooperation. The knowledge of other languages facilitates knowledge of other countries and the specific cultures of each one. Language is not only an expression or a means of communication, but a component of a culture that makes it unique and specific. Our values and speech shapes our identity and personality. It not only does represent the individual identity, but represents the identity of what he/she belongs to. Language is intrinsic to the expression of culture. As a means of communicating values, beliefs and customs, it has an important social function and fosters feelings of group identity and solidarity. It is the means by which culture and its traditions and shared values may be conveyed and preserved. A particular language usually points out a specific group of people. When you interact with another language, it means that you are also interacting with the culture that speaks the language. You cannot understand one's culture without accessing its language directly. When you learn a new language, it not only involves learning its alphabet, the word arrangement and the rules of grammar, but also learning about the specific society's custom and behavior. When learning or teaching a language, it is important that the culture where the language belongs be referenced, because language is very much ingrained in the culture.