Is It Our Culture or Our Language That Makes Us Plan A Month In Advance…

What I found most interesting about this weeks readings was the disagreement about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis—whether language in any way actually influences thought, or whether it may be that language and cultural are inextricably intertwined. While I do understand the argument made by Pinker, which articulates the inaccuracy of Whorf's hypothesis based on the lack of true empirical cognitive science evidence, I believe that Whorf has a point. 

The way in which we speak about the world undoubtedly shapes the thoughts that we have about the world. It seems that Kumaravadivelu's presentation of the invalidity of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is based on his observation that "if the connection [between language and thought] were inextricable...we would not be able to translate successfully from one language to another", which is only true to an exaggerated extent. I do believe however, that if we, as educators, do not consider the implications that language patterns which differ from our own have an effect on the ways we approach thinking, then we may in fact jam ourselves between a rock and a hard place.

I was reminded of an excerpt form an article that I recently read from the Russian American Cultural Heritage Center, by Olga Zatsepina, Ph.D. and Julio Rodriguez M.A., called "American Values Through Russian Eyes". What particularly stood out in contrast to Kumaravadivelu's argument was the difference in ways in which Russian and English languages deal with issues of time and control:

American's language is filled with references to time, giving a clear indication of how much it is valued. Time is something to be on, to be kept, filled, saved, used, spent, wasted, lost, gained, planned, given, made the most of, even "killed."

Interestingly enough, this American value was the most criticized [by Russians].

"My friend told me that when she lived in the USA her friends there planned where to go to spend 3 days in the end of May at the beginning of April. Isn't it boring when you have to plan your life many months before. I plan my work during the week but it is very flexible plan and I have some time free to change."

This is a typical response of a Russian. In the first place, historically, a plan in Russia was something that had to be accomplished at any cost (five year plans, etc.). Russians still feel the sense of a "Plan" as a "mandate," a command. They do not sense it as an anticipated route on a map, to be followed only so long as it helps get to the destination efficiently, a path to be modified by experience. Instead, a plan is felt as an imposition.

Then too, with so many changes and unpredictable situations happening every day within the country and in the lives of individuals, it is hardly possible for a Russian to believe that you can plan a vacation so long ahead, or, for that matter, trust that any future expectation will actually come to realization.

American preoccupation with time was also seen as demonstrating that people are valued well below promptness.

"It seems that Americans are more concerned with accomplishing things on time than they are with developing interpersonal relations."
"No time control can be compared with friendship. Human interaction is no doubt much more important in life."
These comments show how the Russian students oppose time control with interpersonal relations. They believe that with such a tense schedule of living, Americans are limiting their opportunities for more valuable interpersonal relations. 

The American English use of such intense and violent descriptors for time reflects their cultural practice of planning ahead, being prompt, and meeting deadlines at all costs, whereas Russian culture and language (though the examples are not present from this excerpt) reflect a more leisurely and free interpretation of time through the ways in which the speak about time. The question however, and perhaps this is where both arguments fall short, becomes one of language vs. culture—which in many situations is a "chicken or egg" debate. It may be impossible to neither confirm nor deny that language influences thought, just as it may be impossible to deny that our culture influences our language.

What is Culture?

After reading both Morgan articles I have come to this definition of culture:

Culture is a shared understanding and perception of reality comprised of physical, intellectual, emotional, and linguistic objects that are in a constant state of re-development, which all exist in a constant flux of conscious and unconscious awareness of the individual participants.

The key elements from Morgan's articles that influenced my definition are the Explicit and Tacit "Cultural Iceberg", the emphasis and necessity of community, and the "Verbal" (as opposed to static "Noun") quality of culture. 

I found the use of the three-demensional iceberg depiction of the five dimensions of culture to be very helpful in moving from a conceptual to applicable explanation of how culture effects and affects our understanding of our identity as an individual and as a community member. What amazed me was the large degree to which the products, practices, persons, and communities, that make up the Explicit aspects of culture, all rest on the unconscious, Tacit, realm of perspectives. This depiction however, seems accurate—the greatest influence our cultural has over its manifestations in our daily life are built upon the historical foundations, or the perspectives (in the form of traditions, folklore, foods, humor, etc.), that have stood the test of time and therefore influence peoples across multiple generations. With that observation however, it should be noted that even the deep-set Tacit perspectives of culture are subject to alteration, and those that become out-dated due to technological or social changes, can and will be disowned. This amazing part of the flexibility of culture is that it is able to evolve with civilization (without this capacity it would cultures become merely passing fads?).

As language teachers, I found that the call that "this kind of culture description and analysis calls for research outside ourselves" (Morgan 29), is of paramount importance. In order to most accurately teach a second language, I believe that teachers must be able to understand not only their own Explicit and Tacit culture, but also that of the target language, and furthermore they must also be open to the cultures that their students bring into the classroom. Second language acquisition comes with its own set of anxieties solely from the act of speaking, writing, and reading—however, if we approach SLA from a holistic viewpoint, including cultural education, then students can build a comfort zone of confidence around their self perception and their perception of the culture which they are entering through language. It seems that culture can never be ignored. If we ignore the interaction between individual and community, of personal and foreign culture, then we ignore the communal basis which cultural is based upon.

Foundations for a TESOL Beginning

My hope for this course is that it will assemble my many experiences and ideas about the ways in which culture and language are interdependent. Having worked in Europe for two years with a company that employs people from several countries around the world but operates in English, I know how influential the mingling cross-overs of culture can be when attempting to communicate and create both professional and friendly bonds. It was very humbling for me to be a foreigner with the luxury of working with locals who could, and would, only communicate with me in their second language (I am currently monolingual, with only basic capacity in French and Spanish). Too often I find that our (and my own) egocentric and arrogant views of our own culture and language close our minds to the multitude of possible cross-cultural enlightening encounters out there. Culture and language are indelibly linked, in my experience at least, and when we attempt to communicate across cultures without this in mind all too often we fall back on stereotyping and prejudice. 

With this in mind, I am very excited to delve into the theoretical and applicable understandings and applications of the cross-cultural world—and I think that beginning with a foundation in the cross-cultural issues in TESOL will serve me well in my future as an educator and in life, as a global citizen.