Biological and Cultural Language

Do remember speaking your first word or your first phrase? Do you remember how you obtained the knowledge to speak it and how you knew exactly what to say? Language is a form that is considered both biological and cultural, especially when dealing with how to learn it.



"In spite of the commonsense notions of parents, they do not "teach" their children to talk. Children learn to talk, using the language of their parents, siblings, friends, and others as sources and examples -- and by using other speakers as testing devices for their own emerging ideas about language." (Daniels, pg 19)

-Children learn to speak by simply observing the ones around them. Parents can not speak baby, so ergo they can not translate what they want to get across to their infant by speaking "baby" language to "grown" up language. There has been proven sign language that aids in communication between infant and adult, but that is not the same communication as a spoken out loud language. Children learn by simply putting things together by example, observation, and listening.


"Many of the world's languages have a "standard" dialect." (Daniels, pg 24)

-This quote helps support the fact that language is also cultural. Although the "standard" language in the United States is English, there can be some consideration that there are different dialects. Take for instance, Black English and good 'ole southern English. The same language, English, is spoken, just with different twists to them and different termonology when referring to different things. Also with northerners and southerners. It depends on your cultural background for which dialect you may speak. For instance, I was born and have been raised in the south, so I use some termonology that northerners don't use, but we still speak the same language. I might say "Can y'all please pass the sweet tea?" or "I'm going for a swim down at the holler." and they may have no idea what that is.


"I remember coming home and my grandma asked me to talk Indian to her and I said, 'Grandma, I don't understand you,' " Wright says. "She said, 'Then who are you?' " (Bear, pg 1)

-This quote clearly shows how language is a very vital and meaningful part of their culture. I think it even has more of a special meaning to them, since it is a part of their culture and who they are. They are the minority and their race is thinning out, so the fact that their language survive is crucial. Their cultural language is as much of their identity as their actual physical traits.