by M. Sparga

Created on: March 12, 2009   Last Updated: March 24, 2009

If you have ever watched a foreign film - whether in its original language, with subtitles, or dubbed into your native tongue - and felt like you might be missing out on some of the subtleties, then you've already witnessed the link between language and culture.

Language affects how a person tells jokes, crafts philosophy, and expresses affection or respect to another person. Language provides the means by which you describe the world around you and articulate your very thoughts. Since language and culture are so intertwined, analyzing a language will often give you interesting insight into the nuances of that culture and allow you to compare it to your own.

Language with honorifics built into it, for example, will surely impact the speakers' mindsets. These cultures are often steeped in tradition and history, and each generation is expected to honor the previous one. Newcomers to these languages face many questions about correct usage. In what situations should you use the more casual form of a verb? Does this new person you're meeting deserve the formal method of being addressed? What does it mean when you switch from using formal exchanges to informal exchanges with someone?

In Spanish, these issues come into play with the use of "tu" or "Usted" to say "you." One is informal, the other is formal. Which one you end up using depends on a variety of factors, specifically the other person's relationship to you, and it determines even which conjugated form of verbs you use in your exchange. If you ever reach a point of switching from formal exchanges to informal, it surely signals a transitioning point in your relationship.

Another example is anime from Japan that gets dubbed for English-speaking audiences. In most cases, honorifics such as adding "-chan" to the end of someone's name don't make it into the translation. Since English doesn't have a direct equivalent of modifying someone's name like that to denote affection or respect, the audience doesn't even know that something is missing (except diehard fans or those familiar with the Japanese language and culture). It isn't quite the same as addressing someone by a pet name or formal title.

Also consider languages with different approaches to gender. Much of the connection between language and culture revolves around the connotation of words. In Spanish, all nouns have either a masculine or feminine gender, often denoted by an O or A at the end, respectively, with gendered adjectives to match. But with a general global trend toward sexual equality, some of Latin America's youth are trying to make their language reflect the new times. Some argue that the "@" sign should be used at the end of words since it encompasses both the O and the A simultaneously.

Since language is such a huge part of how people interact, it's undeniable that language and culture are intertwined. But perhaps the real question should be, which influences the other more?

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