The Unifying Aspects of Cultures

SECTION:

Standard Variations and Conceptions of Language in Various Language Cultures

Sasalatti, Shrishail (JNU New-Delhi, India)
Mother Tongue an other Tongues as Icons of Cultural Affinity and Cultural Unity: Some Reflections from India

"Birds of same feather flock together" goes an old proverb suggesting metaphorically that speakers of similar languages and cultures tend to come together within the larger framework of languages, cultures and communication especially in a multilingual society like India. And mother-tongues and other tongues play thereby, as indicators of cultural identity and cultural affinity, an important role in the process of unifying cultures.

The process of acculturalization is best achieved through a common thread of linguistic cultures. Hence the underlying issues, which need to be addressed are: could language(s) be a binding force in the process of unifying the "mutually related cultures" in the first instance and then secondly could languages function as the binding thread for unifying the mutually "unrelated cultures". To put in other words, whether the icon of "linguistic affinity" between languages, namely mother-tongue and other tongues could lead to establishing an icon of "cultural affinity" within the larger framework of diverse cultures in a multilingual and multicultural society like India and other similar multilingual and multicultural societies around the globe like that of unified Europe? And how do sociocultural and sociopolitical forces reckon with such icons of cultural affinity through the icons of linguistic affinity? Thus in this paper, I shall try to reflect upon some of the expectations and experiences of India in an effort to answer these basic questions and draw certain conclusions for constructing a SOCIOLINGUISTIC AND SOCIOCULTURAL MODEL mainly at two levels:

And while proposing the model some of the interplaying parameters of language and awareness; language and loyalty; language and prestige; language and power and finally linguistic affinity and cultural affinity within the framework of a multilingual and multicultural societies like India and unified Europe will be given due consideration.

THE UNIFYING ASPECTS OF CULTURES