by Olivia Kay

Created on: March 15, 2009   Last Updated: October 06, 2010

Language allows us to communicate through spoken and written words as a part of everyday living.  What language you learn to speak depends on where you happen to be born and the language your parents and those around you speak; the culture you are exposed to during your early years.

Cultures... what are their characteristics? What makes a culture a culture anyway? The people, the food, the customs yes... but don't forget about the language.

Languages represent cultures; they allow those who identify with the same cultural group to communicate with one another. When you consider a culture, there is no doubt that language comes to mind. When a group of people speaks the same language, they are seen by the world as a culture, a distinct group of people. Languages are distinct and provide a system of communication that allows people to speak, write, read, and understand one another. Communication is a very important aspect of linking amongst humans, making language a very important, if not the most important influence of culture.

The language a group of people speaks discloses a lot of information about them. First of all, language signifies the history of a people and the area where they live as the first people to come together as a group of people and identify with a particular culture developed a way to communicate which has been passed on from generation to generation. If you look in-depth at the words of a language and what those words mean and signify, you can learn a lot about the first people of a culture and the way they lived and saw the world around them. Secondly, the sounds and overall style of a language distinguishes a culture from all others and explains what is important to a culture and what makes it a unique and distinct group.

When people are linked by communication, the possibilities are endless. Culture develops through language. People work and communicate together to develop agricultural practices and industries that provide their group with their basic needs and give them a good chance of survival. This is not an easy process in the beginning as practices must be developed to accomodate climates, the geography of the land, and other factors, which involves a lot of hard work and teamwork that further bonds a culture together. Customs are created through shared life experiences that are partaken in as a part of survival, including celebrations, stories, recipes, distinctive art and music, sports and recreational activities, and many other distinctive activities shared by a culture.

Language bonds groups of people together and gives them a unique system of communication that distinguishes them from other groups, influencing their overall culture and the way the world sees and defines them.

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