Language is integral to culture

Language holds the keys to culture.

Much of a culture’s distinctiveness exists in its language. The ways individuals and groups are represented happens through language. “My Computer” is a natural icon on the desktop of a member of an individualistic culture, but it’s a faux pas to a collectivist. An Eskimo lives in constantly snowy atmospheres and has dozens of ways to differentiate types of snow in their language, while a Pacific Islander has one word for snow but several for tides and currents (Livermore, pg. 106). The Allah-centered culture of Arab nations is exposed in everyday language where a formal greeting translates literally, “God’s peace be upon you.”

In pursuit of cultural knowledge, an entrepreneur makes considerable progress by ditching the rule books and taking an intro course to the language. Many of the core tenets of a culture are engrained in the foundation of their language. Too foundational to pick up with lists of do’s and do not’s. When an entrepreneur envelops himself in the language of another culture, he begins to see the world from their perspective. This is vital for business in any country, for no entrepreneur goes far without grasping their customer’s needs and partnering with local business people.

Whenever I visit a country for more than a day or two, I leave with a desire to learn their language. Much of the ways that other cultures think is expressed in their speech, and in my desire to comprehend I go to the root of their expression, the language itself. David Livermore’s encouragement to learn the language, even if only a few phrases, reminds me of the benefit gained from learning the source language when approaching a new culture (Livermore, pg. 110). At times I feel that without a dedication to fluency I gain little, but this encourages me to continue to pick up words and phrases wherever I go.

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