A language is one of the many defining aspects of a culture. Language allows for members of a culture to communicate with one another, express ideas, emotion, and most importantly, express who they are as individuals. Certain phrases, or “idioms,” can also be expressed through a culture’s language. These idioms are often unique to a cultural group and can have their own ties to the culture’s history, values, and practices. The remainder of the text will examine the Spanish language, its influence on the culture, and three idioms and their connections to the Spanish culture.
How Language Influences Culture As previously stated, language is one of the many defining aspects of a culture. In fact, language is often described as the “cornerstone” …show more content…
More specifically, it is part of the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European language family (“Spanish Language,” 2017). It was derived from a certain dialect of spoked Latin that was shaped in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula in the fifth century. It is spoken primarily in the Iberian Peninsula and in Latin America. This language has been carrier by Spanish colonists to many other parts of the world that include the Canary Islands, the Philippines, southern parts of North America, and the coast of Africa, making it very widespread across the world. The grammatical structure of Spanish is very similar to the structure of the other romance languages. One distinguishing factor is the use of the preposition “a” (which typically means “to”) before the direct object of a verb, if the object happens to be a person (“Spanish Language,” …show more content…
These phrases often have meaning that is not derivable from the words in the phrase, but derivable from pieces of history, values, or practices in a particular culture. One well-known Spanish idiom is “estar sin blanca” (“17 Spanish Idioms You Should Know but Don’t,” 2018). The literal translation for this idiom is “to be without white.” In English, this means “to be broke, or without money.” This is related to Spanish history because of the blanca, a 16th century coin that was used in Spain. Another Spanish idiom is “despedirse a la francesa,” which translates to “to leave without saying goodbye/to take the French leave.” The literal translation is “to say goodbye in French style. This idiom is said to be connected to the history between Spain and France and how it was a common French custom to leave gatherings without saying goodbye to the host. The final Spanish idiom is “arimarse al so que mas calienta” (“17 Spanish Idioms You Should Know but Don’t,” 2018). The literal translation is “to get closer to the sun that heats the most” and the English meaning is “to know which side one’s bread is buttered on.” While this idiom’s meaning is mostly up to interpretation, this can be tied to the collectivistic nature of the Spanish culture. Spanish individuals place more of an emphasis on working together rather than independently. The idea of “getting closer to the sun that heats most” can be seen as a
How Language Influences Culture As previously stated, language is one of the many defining aspects of a culture. In fact, language is often described as the “cornerstone” …show more content…
More specifically, it is part of the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European language family (“Spanish Language,” 2017). It was derived from a certain dialect of spoked Latin that was shaped in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula in the fifth century. It is spoken primarily in the Iberian Peninsula and in Latin America. This language has been carrier by Spanish colonists to many other parts of the world that include the Canary Islands, the Philippines, southern parts of North America, and the coast of Africa, making it very widespread across the world. The grammatical structure of Spanish is very similar to the structure of the other romance languages. One distinguishing factor is the use of the preposition “a” (which typically means “to”) before the direct object of a verb, if the object happens to be a person (“Spanish Language,” …show more content…
These phrases often have meaning that is not derivable from the words in the phrase, but derivable from pieces of history, values, or practices in a particular culture. One well-known Spanish idiom is “estar sin blanca” (“17 Spanish Idioms You Should Know but Don’t,” 2018). The literal translation for this idiom is “to be without white.” In English, this means “to be broke, or without money.” This is related to Spanish history because of the blanca, a 16th century coin that was used in Spain. Another Spanish idiom is “despedirse a la francesa,” which translates to “to leave without saying goodbye/to take the French leave.” The literal translation is “to say goodbye in French style. This idiom is said to be connected to the history between Spain and France and how it was a common French custom to leave gatherings without saying goodbye to the host. The final Spanish idiom is “arimarse al so que mas calienta” (“17 Spanish Idioms You Should Know but Don’t,” 2018). The literal translation is “to get closer to the sun that heats the most” and the English meaning is “to know which side one’s bread is buttered on.” While this idiom’s meaning is mostly up to interpretation, this can be tied to the collectivistic nature of the Spanish culture. Spanish individuals place more of an emphasis on working together rather than independently. The idea of “getting closer to the sun that heats most” can be seen as a