Edward Sapir, in his studies with Benjamin Lee
Whorf, recognized the close relationship between
language and culture, concluding that it was not
possible to understand or appreciate one without
knowledge of the other” (taken from Wardhaugh,
2002, p. 220). However, Wardhaugh (2002, pp. 219-
220) reported that there appear to be three claims to
the relationship between language and culture:
The structure of a language determines the way
in which speakers of that language view the
world or, as a weaker view, the structure does not
determine the world-view but is still extremely
infl uential in predisposing speakers of a language
toward adopting their world-view
The culture of a people finds reflection in the
language they employ: because they value certain
things and do them in a certain way, they come to
use their language in ways that refl ect what they
value and what they do
A ‘neutral claim’ which claims that there is little
or no relationship between the two
The fi rst of these claims, though in its defi nitive
phrasing is disputed by many sociolinguists, is commonly associated with Sapir and Whorf. This
claim is the basis for much research on the relationship
between language and culture and therefore
will be covered in the most detail following an
acknowledgement of the other two, beginning with a
brief consideration of the ‘neutral claim’.
The neutral claim that a relationship does not
exist between language and culture, when considering
language for its communicative powers and its role in
the culture that uses it, would appear to be one for a
philosophical debate. While it can be argued that it is
possible to analyze a language and/or culture without
regard for the other, the reasons for such an analysis
seem highly suspect. The fact that language is used to
convey and to understand information would imply
a relationship in which both the language giver and
receiver assume one or more roles. In considering
such communication in its most minimal of forms –
i.e. the immediate setting – it would be difficult to
conclude that culture would in no way have an impact
on the interaction even on the smallest of scale