Questions 96 - 105 READING PASSAGE 3 (1.00 pt)

Read the passage below and answer the questions which follow.

British anthropologist Sir Edward Burnett Tylor espoused the classic definition of culture in 1871, describing it as that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society." Culture is learned; it is not something that is biologically determined. This is in contrast to our innate ability to acquire language. Regardless, the particular language an individual first learns - their "mother tongue" - can "only be acquired by man as a member of society." Language, therefore, is a part of one's culture, but at the same time, language is used to transmit that culture, to teach that culture. In fact, culture and language are interdependent. No type of human society can be maintained if its members do not share a common language. Moreover, language, the most common way people communicate, could not have developed outside a social setting

Language both expresses culture and reflects culture. Some linguists and anthropologists argue that different languages produce different ways of thinking. Cultures organize and view the world in diverse ways, and their languages support these differences through grammar and vocabulary. By studying lexical classification in various languages, scientists have been able to show that speakers of different languages perceive and distinguish things differently. The Nuer people of Sudan, for instance, traditionally were cattle herders, and their entire lifestyle centered on cattle, so their language has dozens of words for cattle. Another cultural-dependent concept is time. English speakers divide time into past, present and future, and English grammar has tenses to reflect this view of time. On the other hand, the Hopi, a Native American tribe of the Southwest United States, only make a distinction between events that have existed or exist (English past and present) and those that do not exist or do not yet exist (English future, including the subjunctive case used for possibility). Their language does not differentiate between present and past. Similarly, the complexity of vocabulary in a language to describe family relationships varies depending on the role of kinship in that culture. Color terminology also varies widely by language. Those that involved in areas with a history of using dyes and artificial coloring have the broadest range of color vocabulary.

Living languages, of course, undergo constant but often gradual transformation, as new words and expressions are added to the lexicon and meanings of words are altered. Different cultures can speak the same basic language, but it will have variations reflecting those different cultures. For instance, Koreans share a common language, but after six decades of being separated by a tightly sealed border, the cultures of North and South Korea have diverged along with the Korean language. If a South Korean asks a North Korean how they are doing, the North Korean would likely reply "liupsopneda", an expression that literally means "not much," which has a sense similar to "I'm fine, thanks." Yet, that same expression would mean "Mind your own business!" to the South Korean. Both North and South Korean use the word "mije," but in the North it means "American imperialist," while in the South it means, "Made in the USA."

Within a culture, language can also play an important role in differentiating occupational groups and social status. Many groups have their own "focal vocabulary," that is, a specialized set of terms that are important to them and what they do. On a Hollywood film set, when the gaffer, head electrician, yells to the crew to "Kill the baby!" he is not talking about child murder. He is instructing the electricians to turn off a small light. Moreover, people want to improve their social status will try to adopt the habits, attitudes, and behavioural traits of the group to which they aspire. In terms of language, this includes trying to shift how they speak by taking on the speech patterns and vocabulary associated in their culture with the higher social status.

In any culture, language is more than just a means of conveying information. Significant aspects of a culture are embedded in the structure of its language, in its vocabulary, grammar, and usage. The distinctions a language makes between genders, how it refers to time and space, and the different ways language conveys rank, respect, and love are all related to the culture in which it is used.

Questions 96 - 100: Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?

Write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

Each person is born with specific cultural traits.