Language and culture are not fundamentally inseparable. At the
most basic level, language is a method of expressing ideas. That is,
language is communication; when usually verbal, language can also be 【M1】_________
visual (via signs and symbols), or semiotics (via hand or body gestures).
Culture, on the other hand, is a special set of ideas, practices, customs 【M2】_________
and beliefs which make up a functioning society as distinct.
A culture must have at most one language, which it uses as a distinct 【M3】_________
media of communication to convey its defining ideas, customs, beliefs, 【M4】_________
etc. , from one member of the culture to any member. Cultures can 【M5】_________
develop multiple languages, or “borrow” languages from other cultures
to use; not all such languages are co-equal in the culture. One of the
major defining characteristics of culture is which language is the primary 【M6】_________
means of communication in that culture; sociologists and anthropologists
draw lines among similar cultures heavily based on the prevalent 【M7】_________
language usage.
Languages, on the other hand, can be developed apart from its
originated culture. Certain language has scope for cross-cultural 【M8】_________
adaptations and communication, and may not actually be part of some 【M9】_________
culture. Additionally, many languages are used by different cultures
(that is, the same language can be used in several cultures).
Language is heavily influenced by culture—as cultures come out with 【M10】________
new ideas, they develop language components to express those ideas.
The reverse is also true: the limits of a language can define what is
expressible in a culture (that is, the limits of a language can prevent
certain concepts from being part of a culture).
【M3】
most—least