The relationship between language and culture 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. 219220) 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
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ELMES: The Relationship between Language and Culture
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’.