Cultural Variation in Language and Conversation

Abstrak

Across cultures variation in the ways of speaking reflects important differences in beliefs, practices, values, and norms. These differences enter into the organization and systematic use of language at many levels in every community. Cultures vary along many dimensions; their ways of organizing groups, their ways of growing and distributing food, their beliefs and practices with regard to health and illness and so forth. Another major area in which cultures differ is their ways of speaking. It follows then, that when children are acquiring their language they are being spoken to and are learning to talk to others according to ways of speaking that reflect the beliefs and values of their particular speech community.