The
use of speech in different cultures varies depending on gender, age, whether or
not the speaker is in public, and others. According to the authors of our
textbook “Language, Culture, and Society: An Introduction to Linguistic
Anthropology”, Plato states in Athenian culture the people not only take
delight in talking, but also talk a great deal. However Spartans were reserved
and Cretans prefer to be concise in speech. The authors also mention the
Araucanians in Chile where men are expected to talk often, but women are
supposed to speak quietly in public and keep silent around their husbands. Some
cultures use gender as the deciding factor of who can speak, while in other
cultures it is expected that everyone hold back their words to form a response
before they speak. For example the Western Apache will refrain from speaking
when meeting strangers and the initial stages of courtship. If a stranger is
quick to speak they are seen as wanting something. Even though the Apache are
slow to respond in certain situations, public speaking is valued in all
societies. Different cultures have different ideas about what it means to speak
well in public, but as a general rule a natural speaker will see their native
language as the most natural. The context of language use also plays a role in
how different cultures view speech. Context is a process that grows and changes
among the people having conservation. In the Apache culture parents would
refrain from talking to their children for several days after the kids returned
home from a boarding school. Although the children were not strangers, the
parents felt they needed to see how the kids would adjust to being back and
would not talk to their children. The most efficient means of communication for
people is using their native language because they not only know all the words,
but they know the cultural background that plays a role in the context in which
they are in.
Source:
Adachi, N., Salzmann, Z., & Stanlaw, J. (2015).
Language, Culture, and Society: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. Boulder: Westview Press.
I really enjoyed this section of the book; it covered many different cultures, which as an Anthropology major, I loved and it really delved into some sensitive topics: gender roles in society. Speech often determines the social rankings or statuses of several aspects of a culture based on whats expected of the people there. I did not know about the ancient greek gender perspectives or rituals in the vocal context and that was fun to read about!
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