Chapter 3, Student Web Activities, Sociology and You, Glencoe, 2003

Chapter 3: Culture
"Language"

Introduction
In this chapter you learned about culture and all of the various components that comprise the culture of a given society, such as norms and values, beliefs, and material and nonmaterial elements. One of the most important ways in which culture is transmitted from one generation to the next is through language. In this activity you will take a closer look at language: what it is, how it is learned, and how it influences culture and society.

Destination Title: Language and Culture

Note: Clicking on the link above will launch a new browser window.
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Directions
Start at the Language and Culture Web site.

Click on and read the Introduction.
Go back to the menu. Click on and read What is Language?
Return to the menu and explore the link Analysis of Language.
Finally, from the main menu, click on and read Learning Language and Language and Thought Processes.

Use what you have learned to answer the following questions.

1. About how many spoken languages are there in the world today? What is the first step in the extinction of a language, and how many languages does this affect?

2. Why is flexibility an important aspect of human language?

3. What are phonemes and morphemes? Give two examples of each.

4. Describe the difference between the etic and emic approaches to understanding different cultures in ethnoscience.

5. Conduct a short interview with someone you know who learned English as a second language, either as a child or in adulthood. Ask the person what differences they noticed between their native language and English, and what were the easiest and most difficult aspects of the English language to learn. Did they take classes or do anything special to advance their mastery of the language? What language do they use when they think or dream? Write a one-page summary of your interview and share your results with the class.