How does language reflect a culture

Introduction：This paper will discuss the expression of language reflecting the culture from the four aspects of greeting and salutation，idiom and proverb，and the challenge of language learning put forward a large number of specific examples and cultural differences，and summarize the feasible suggestions for language learning and acculturation.

Context：Different anthropologists have different definitions of language. However，all the different definitions include people's beliefs，their expectations，their common values. When immigrants move to a new country，one of the most important things they need to do is to learn the language of the new country. Language reflects the culture，and communicating with people in another language requires a fair amount of understanding of their culture.

1 Cognitive

The main cause of communication problems is based on one important fact：cognition. Cognition depends on cultural backgrounds. Culture and language are interdependent. In other words，if we want to master any language，we must understand the cultural beliefs and structures of the people who speak it.

2 Concept of address

When a foreign student comes to the United States for a college degree，he must first learn English，because English is the main language of instruction at all learning institutions. English address is not so easy for beginners to learn. For example，Chinese people often use surname as their first name，while Americans often use surname as their last name.

There are many other important differences between languages that are largely due to cultural differences. When two people from different cultural backgrounds try to communicate，such differences will inevitably lead to ambiguity in communication.

3 Idioms and proverbs

The importance of culture in a language is reflected in the different idioms and proverbs used by different social groups. This means that it is impossible to understand the proverbs or idioms used in a community without first knowing the culture of that community.

Idioms in different cultures also have different terms. For example，in the United States，the word "dog" is often used in idioms like "lucky dog" and "smart dog" to express something good. It is generally believed that dogs are their best friends. This is almost the opposite in Africa and China，where dogs are used in idioms to refer to bad things. Although the word "bull" in Chinese idiom refers to a very hard-working person，Americans may use it to refer to a person with a bad temper.

4 Challenge

From the very beginning，as a foreign student，a student Shen had difficulty understanding the rules of writing English compositions. Shen soon discovered that learning a new language was more than just translating knowledge from one's mother tongue into another. Learning a new language must also involve learning a new culture.

In an education system sympathetic to English speakers，foreign students do poorly. Anzaldua，44，told how she was hit by a steel ruler for speaking Spanish at school. The speaker warned her to speak English if she wanted to become an American. If that's not her interest，then as the professor said，welcome her back to Mexico. On another occasion，she was punished for talking back to her teacher;She tried to tell the teacher the correct pronunciation of her name. These are some of the many challenges facing foreign students.

5 Conclusion

As we all know，it becomes more and more important to know how to communicate effectively with people from different cultures. As we have established，the key is to understand different cultural beliefs，heritage，and institutions. Communication is greatly hampered by language barriers. Most of the time，some people understand your language，but communication is not optimal because they either dont fully understand your culture or you don't understand theirs.

Culture is the most important aspect of cross-cultural communication. Usually，language contains people's culture.

Learning a language is inseparable from learning the culture of the people who speak it. This is not only a matter of grammar and pronunciation but also of learning different customs and behaviors，as these are often reflected in the language. One needs to know the culture to understand different idioms，different proverbs，and even the parts of speech used in new languages.

References：

[1]? 6]French，W. Between Silences：A Voice from China [N].Atlantic Weekly，1987-8-15（33）.

[2]? Brown，P. & Levinson，S.C. Politeness：Universals in Language Usage [M].Cambridge：Cambridge University Press，

[3]? Spivak，G. Can the Subaltern Speak？[A]. In C.Nelson & L. Grossberg（eds.）. Victory in Limbo：Imigism [C]. Urbana：University of Illinois Press，1988，271-313.

[4]? 何兆熊.新編語用學概論[M]. 上海：上海外語教育出版社，2000.

[5]? 劉建達.中國學生英語語用能力的測試[J]. 外語教學與研究，2006（4）：259-265.

作者簡介：王雪竹，1997年9月17日出生，女，漢族，四川大竹人，攀枝花外國語學院，本科生，學生。

（作者單位：攀枝花外國語學院）