A concept that intrigued me was how culture affects the way we use language. The textbook mentions teasing, flattery and lying as forms of language that are influenced by culture (pg 355). In my opinion, they should have mentioned “jokes” too. Jokes are culturally based and are very difficult to be translated to another language, since meaning can be lost. What jokes mean, how they are said in that particular language, the underlying meaning, the way they are said, just cannot be translated. If jokes are translated, some people may consider them rude rather than funny. We need to be sensitive when cracking jokes where people from other cultures are around, since not everyone will share the same understanding as we do.
I also want to bring up the point of how English is spoken in many parts of the world, but how an American speaks it is very different from a British or Australian. At times we are left wondering what they said or meant. A dialect is not just another communication tool but it is part of our culture and heritage. Dialects link us to our roots.
You make a good point, as jokes can be very offensive to certain cultures and very misunderstood if translated incorrectly. Language barriers, with cultural influences, can make a joke in extremely "bad taste" if in the presence of individuals of another culture. You must always take into consideration how language is used in other cultures to know if certain "language" is appropriate or not. When working for bosses from India, I realized how different communication is in other cultures and when it was more appropriate to just keep my comments to myself. Though jokes were enjoyed by them, I did not always appreciate them myself.
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