Cultural Transmission Examples in Language

In linguistics, cultural transmission is the process whereby a language is passed on from one generation to the next in a community. It is also known as  cultural learning and  socio/cultural transmission. Cultural transmission is generally regarded as one of the key characteristics distinguishing human language from animal communication. However, as Willem Zuidema points out, cultural transmission is not unique to language or humans—we also observe it in music and bird song—but rare among primates and a key qualitative feature of language (Language in Nature in  The Language Phenomenon,  2013). Linguist Tao Gong has identified three primary forms of cultural transmission: Horizontal transmission, communications among individuals of the same generation;Vertical transmission, in which a member of one generation talks to a biologically-related member of a later generation;Oblique transmission, in which any member of one generation talks to any non-biologically-related  member of a later generation. (Exploring the Roles of Major Forms of Cultural Transmission in Language Evolution in The Evolution of Language, 2010). Examples and Observations While we may inherit physical features such as brown eyes and dark hair from our parents, we do not inherit their language. We acquire a language in a culture with other speakers and not from parental genes...The general pattern in animal communication is that creatures are born with a set of specific signals that are produced instinctively. There is some evidence from studies of birds as they develop their songs that instinct has to combine with learning (or exposure) in order for the right song to be produced. If those birds spend their first seven weeks without hearing other birds, they will instinctively produce songs or calls, but those songs will be abnormal in some way. Human infants, growing up in isolation, produce no instinctive language. Cultural transmission of a specific language is crucial in the human acquisition process. (George Yule, The Study of Language, 4th ed. Cambridge University Press, 2010) The evidence that human beings do indeed have species-unique modes of cultural transmission is overwhelming. Most importantly, the cultural traditions and artifacts of human beings accumulate modification over time in a way that those of other animal species do not—so-called cumulative cultural evolution. (Michael Tomasello, The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition. Harvard University Press, 1999) A basic dichotomy in language evolution is between the biological evolution of the language capacity and the historical evolution of individual languages, mediated by cultural transmission (learning).(James R. Hurford, The Language Mosaic and Its Evolution. Language Evolution, ed. by Morten H. Christiansen and Simon Kirby. Oxford University Press, 2003) A Means of Cultural Transmission One of the most important functions of language is its role in the construction of reality. Language is not simply a tool for communication; it is also a guide to what [Edward] Sapir terms social reality. Language has a semantic system, or a meaning potential which enables the transmission of cultural values (Halliday 1978: 109). Therefore, while the child is learning language, other significant learning is taking place through the medium of language. The child is simultaneously learning the meanings associated with the culture, realized linguistically by the lexico-grammatical system of the language (Halliday 1978: 23). (Linda Thompson, Learning Language: Learning Culture in Singapore. Language, Education, and Discourse: Functional Approaches, ed. by Joseph A. Foley. Continuum, 2004) The Language-Learning Disposition Languages—Chinese, English, Maori, and so forth—differ because they have different histories, with a variety of factors such as population movements, social stratification, and the presence or absence of writing affecting these histories in subtle ways. However, these mind-external, place-and-time specific factors interact in every generation with the language faculty found in every human. It is this interaction that determines the relative stability and the slow transformation of languages and puts limits on their variability...Generally, whereas day-to-day cultural changes in language use may introduce new idiosyncrasies and difficulties such as hard-to-pronounce borrowed words, the language-learning disposition operating at the generational timescale pulls the mental representations of these inputs toward more regular and easily remembered forms...The case of language learning...illustrates how the existence of a genetically inherited disposition is a factor in the s tabilization of cultural forms not by directly generating these forms but by causing learners to pay special attention to certain types of stimuli and to use—and sometimes distort—the evidence provided by these stimuli in specific ways. This, of course, leaves room for much cultural variability.(Maurice Bloch, Essays on Cultural Transmission. Berg, 2005) Social Symbol Grounding Social symbol grounding refers to the process of developing a shared lexicon of perceptually-grounded symbols in a population of cognitive agents...In slow, evolutionary terms, it refers to the gradual emergence of language. Our ancestors started from a pre-linguistic, animal-like society with no explicit symbolic and communicative means. During evolution, this led to the collective development of shared languages used to talk about entities in the physical, internal and social world. In ontogenetic terms, social symbol grounding refers to the process of language acquisition and cultural transmission. In early age, children acquire the language of the groups they belong to via imitation of their parents and peers. This leads to the gradual discovery and construction of linguistic knowledge (Tomasello 2003). During adulthood, this process continues through the general mechanisms of cultural transmission.(Angelo Cangelosi, The Grounding and Sharing of Symbols. Cognition Distributed: Ho w Cognitive Technology Extends Our Minds, ed. by Itiel E. Dror and Stevan R. Harnad. John Benjamins, 2008)

Analysis Of The Narrative Fantomina - 1170 Words

Fantomina follows a feminist agenda with its protagonist lusting after a man and being in control of most of the sexual encounters that occur with him. In the narrative, Haywood uses feminist ideologies to show a relationship between sexual liberation and oppression. The relationship is used to convey the gender and social stereotypes that existed during the eighteenth century. The omniscient narrator begins the story by describing the protagonist as â€Å"A young Lady of distinguished Birth, Beauty, Wit, and Spirit† and creates an image of a young, lively woman who is from a higher social class. The protagonist is at a playhouse and notices men gravitating towards the prostitutes and decides she would like to receive the same attention as†¦show more content†¦The protagonist tells Beauplaisir her name is Fantomina. She explains to him she is not a mistress and came to town to buy clothes. He believes her and does not apologize or regret taking her virginity. While he triumphs in the loss of her virginity, the protagonist feels a loss of honor. The protagonist is victimized in the beginning of the story. The narrator mocks her for having a lack of judgment and is not sympathetic when the protagonist is raped. There is a change in narrative when the protagonist reflects on her time with Beauplaisir. â€Å"The more she reflected on the Merits of Beauplaisir, the more she excused herself for what she had done† (Haywood, 4). She internalizes the idea that the rape was her fault and begins to forgive herself for her actions. The protagonist begins to romanticize her time with Beauplaisir and devises a plan, so she can see Beauplaisir again. She returns to the playhouse as Fantomina. The protagonist adorns herself in jewels and assumes Beauplaisir will not be able to resist her. He pays no attention to her and denies her offer to accompany her to the Bath. She leaves the playhouse, but already has another plan devised. She travels to where Beau plaisir is lodging and disguises herself as a maid named Celia. Celia is a name used to reference pastoral poetry and idealizes labor in rural areas. The protagonist creates a fantasy of a maid’s work and service because it is not her reality. As Celia, the protagonist is submissive

Some People Believe That Competitive Sports free essay sample

Sport is a beneficial subject for children in primary and secondary school. Some sports at school are running, swimming or long jump and most of them are not so competitive. Some people think that competitive sports are no need in the school s programme. However, in my opinion, they are vital for children’s development. Firstly, no one can deny that sport will help people keep fit and stay healthy. Doing sport everyday can make the heart healthier and burn the excess energy of the body. It also prevent people from risk of obesity and heart attack. Furthermore, sport make their brain more active. As a result, people could study or work better. In children, sports are essential for the development of physical and mental health. Sports bring benefits in strength, height and stature for children. For all of these advantages, sports should be taught at school. However, competitive sport take a more important role in children education. We will write a custom essay sample on Some People Believe That Competitive Sports or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There is so boring and not exciting for running or swimming alone. Consequently, when children compete with their friends, they are motivated to try more. Besides, sports also increase their communication. When children take part in some competitive sports like football, volleyball or basketball, they have to build up a team work. As a result, they are forced to make friend. After that, they talk as well as understand deeply about each others. In addition, playing sports will teach them a practical lesion of winning or losing after the contest. When they win, they will be more confident to go ahead. However, as they are losers, they must stand up and try for the next one. It is very necessary for children to improve themselves by step. Overall, competition sometimes makes children feel stressful and tired; however, competitive sports are necessary for them to improve their abilities As a result, it is the vital key to go to the success in the future. (318 words).