Language versus Culture

A while ago we read an article about how the nuances of different languages are misunderstood by those that are not native speakers of the language. The author discussed how there are two different ways to learn a language. We can understand the grammar and the tenses and the punctuation as well as any native speaker, but still miss basic social cues. For example, the author talks about the two ways you can say "you" in Austrian. At a party, he uses the wrong one and gets disgusted looks from the people he's with. He knew what word meant "you", but because of constantly changing circumstances, he didn't know which one to use at which time. Fortunately, the people at the party were very forgiving once they understood his dilemma. When they tried to explain which word was used when, however, they found themselves confused. It was a concept they'd grown up with their whole life and had never really questioned. Those of us who speak only English are confused by the discreet subtleties.

Being an intermediate Spanish speaker, I found this story amusing. It wasn't until my last Tongan language class that I recognized what this could mean outside of the language itself. We talked about the cultural significance of kava. For some it is considered solely a cultural drink and signifies becoming an adult. Kava is reverenced and is only drunk during important events. For others it is looked down upon because of its narcotic quality. It can break families apart by keeping fathers from their homes. Because of how big a part of their culture it is, it's important to understand the two sides of the controversy.

The Tongan culture is obviously a lot more than just their language. There are things about their culture that cannot be understood except by those who have grown up with it. So if I can, I should learn about and understand ideas specific to the Tongan culture. Initially, in my Tongan language class, I was not excited to learn about the culture of the community and was more interested in understanding the language. However, this article helped me to see that there are more important things than grammar and speech.