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Gloria Gonzlez, Cameron Paredes, Megan Ranus, Ezequiel Gonzalez

Professor Tate

Sociology 1301-02

10 May 2017

Literature Review: Intersectionality Between Language and Culture

In the field of sociology, language and culture tend to be treated as interwoven

items; nonetheless, recent studies have found that the foundation for this

intersectionality is self-identity.1 Notably, recent studies have shown that language

influences self-expression and future success; thus, our research focuses on

relationships and the concept of belonging by investigating In what ways, and with

what consequences, does speaking a 2nd language create boundaries between us and

them amongst college-aged students in Austin, TX ?

In order to answer this question, we analyzed the interpersonal and intrapersonal

relationships of bilingual college students by conducting a survey on forty-three

bilingual individuals. Our questions revolved around their level of fluency in their

native and target language, as well as how their level of proficiency affected their

connection with their family and culture. For this research, we focused on Spanish and

English speakers in the state of Texas because of the state's position with the language.

The Texas Government Code: Title 10 2. states that all government resources must

provide information in English and Spanish. Furthermore, this code adds value to our

research by showing that the identity created through language and culture is also

affected by geography. Moreover, it justifies the importance of our research by

1 Van Zyl, Hannelize, and Herbert L. Meiselman. The Role of Culture and Language in Designing Emotion Lists: Comparing the
Same Language in Different english and Spanish Speaking Countries. INFONA. n.p., n.n. Web.
2 The Texas Government Code: Title 10. GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 2054. INFORMATION RESOURCES. Subtitle B.
Information and Planning: Chapter 2054 Sec.2054.116, n.d. Web.
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uncovering the deep social ties that come along with being raised in a bilingual

household. Our research highlights the unique cultural background of our participants

(bilingual household) in three general aspects: the different levels of proficiency in both

Spanish/English speaking cultures in Texas, the effects of relationships for bilingual

students in a college environment, as well as the boundaries between us vs. them in

terms of family.

Different levels of proficiency in both Spanish/English speaking cultures in Texas

We started our research by asking the participants what level of fluency they felt

they had in their first and second language on a scale from 1 to 10. Although it may

sound irrational to ask participants how fluent they are in their first language, in reality

this question was modeled after Nils Lber's findings in her intercultural

communication study on Mexican immigrants in Border states of the US 3. This study

implies that having a disconnection to language influences disconnection to culture.

Therefore, this question was meant to identify if native Spanish speakers have lost

language proficiency in their first language due to lack of exposure. Lber's study

claims an idea that these immigrants or children of immigrants feel they are neither

Mexican nor American. She claims that the history between the US and Mexico created

a new culture that is so complex that it is even difficult for those that identify with said

culture to delineate its characteristics.

After reviewing our participants' responses, we found that 15 felt their fluency

in Spanish was not as good as their fluency in English; however, interestingly, 7 of

those 15 students also responded that their fluency in English was also not at its highest.

Furthermore, of those 28 students who said they spoke Spanish fluently, 2 claimed that

3 Lber, Nils. "GRIN - La Influencia Cultural De Los Inmigrantes Mexicanos En Los Estados Fronterizos De Los Estados Unidos
De Amrica." La Influencia Cultural De Los Inmigrantes Mexicanos En Los Estados ... | Publique Su Tesina, Trabajo Final De
Bachelor O Otros Trabajos Acadmicos. N.p., n.d. PDF. 09 May 2017.
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they didn't speak English fluently as well. The students responses correlate to Lber's

study and indicates that language and culture are intertwined but their relationship

depends on individual experiences and other factors such as environment and

community.

Effects of relationships for bilingual student in a college environment

During our research, we used a source that holds a similar standing as vital

guiding: Martha S. Hittingers Bilingualism and Self-Identity4. This source was similar

to Lber because it analyzes the importance of self-identity for bilingual individuals.

Contrary to Lbers work, Hittingers research takes an alternate approach by looking at

groups of younger aged students, primarily those in elementary school. She argues that

a supportive environment is vital for child development. She claims that if bilingual

students arent receiving support and help at school they will not perform well and will

have trouble developing. If all environments have an initiative to help students

linguistically, then they have a better chance succeeding socially and emotionally.

Hittingers works are essential to our research because they imply that if a student is

obliged to repress their use of their native language they will not be able to express

themselves fully. In the long run, like Lbers study states, this inability to fully express

oneself on the daily can lead to inability to recognize cultural attributes that are essential

to the self.

Nelson Floress article also believes in an initiative for multicultural students. In

his article, The Specter of Semilingualism in the Bilingualism of Latino Students

Flores discusses the way that Latino bilingual students should be treated 5. He talks

about how bilingualism has changed over the past century from something that was

negative to something that is an advantage. In particular, he discusses how Latino

4 Bilingualism and Identity. Studies in Bilingualism (2008):n.pag.Web.

5 Flores, Nelson. "The Specter of Semilingualism in the Bilingualism of Latino Students."Repository Home. N.p., n.d. PDF.
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students who are bilingual are seen as semilingual because they are thought to not be

very proficient at either of their languages. Flores idea of semilingualism is connected

to the research weve conducted because we have focused on college students cultural

identity is based on how proficient they are in their first and second language. More

importantly, Flores initiative on multicultural students presents a new perspective to

our research by emphasizing how negative and positive perceptions on bilingualism

impact students. In our case, it helps us understand that if at some point a student was

told that the fact that they are bilingual is negative this may have negatively impacted

both a student's proficiency with their second or first language as well as their cultural

identity.

The boundaries between us vs. them in terms of family

Another source that contributed to our findings was Cognitive Disadvantage

and Disadvantages in Early and Late Bilinguals by Sabra D. Pelham 6. This article

discusses how bilinguals and monolinguals differ in cognitive abilities, from verbal

tasks, to identifying pictures, names, and words, monolinguals would react and answer

much more rapidly. Pelham analyzes how learning a second language, especially within

the early stages of growth, is linked to cognitive deficits in verbal tests, as well as

vocabulary fluency.

These findings imply that being bilingual or monolingual highly affects

conversations, and ability to respond as fast and comprehensively as those around them.

This directly connects to our results on students interpersonal relationships with their

relatives. In our survey 48.8 % of the participants agreed that proficiency in their first

language affected their family relationship while 53.5% agreed that proficiency in their

second language also affects their family relationships. Although 46.5% of our

6 Pelham, Sabra D. "Cognitive Disadvantage and Disadvantages in Early and Late Bilinguals." (n.d.): n. pag. Print.
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participants strongly disagree, disagree, or were neutral in terms of how their second

language proficiency affected their family relationships; our general data confirms

Pelhams argument that cognitive abilities are influenced by knowledge of first/second

language, since nearly half of the St. Edwards bilinguals believed that language

influenced their social interaction.

The 2008 study by Wendy Jones and Isabella Lorenzo-Hubert for the

Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development in Washington DC,

summarizes the overall premise of our findings by stating four major aspects about

culture and language. (1) Culture defines language , and language is shaped by culture

; (2) Language is a symbol of cultural and personal identity ; (3) Cultural groups have

different worldviews based on the shared experiences that influence their various

languages; (4) Language is the medium by which culture is transmitted from generation

to generation. 7 Jones et al.s major aspects of culture highlight that language and

culture are intertwined , but when we look at our survey answers it is clear that the

relationship between language and culture depends on individual experiences and other

factors such as environment and community. Therefore, cross-cultural communication

creates boundaries between us vs. them. Furthermore, in a state like Texas where

Spanish and Latino culture are predominant the gap between us vs. them becomes

obvious when language proficiency influences self-identity within the Latino/Hispanic

community.

7Jones, W., & Lorenzo-Hubert, I. (2008, September 15). The Relationship Between Language and Culture (National Literacy Trust,
Ed.). Retrieved May 09, 2017
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References

Bilingualism and Identity. Studies in Bilingualism (2008): n.pag.Web.

www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_196912_hittinger.pdf

Flores, Nelson. "The Specter of Semilingualism in the Bilingualism of Latino Students."Repository

Home. N.p., n.d. PDF.

Jones, W., & Lorenzo-Hubert, I. (2008, September 15). The Relationship Between Language and

Culture (National Literacy Trust, Ed.). Retrieved May 09, 2017, from

http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/talk_to_your_baby/news/2542_the_relationship_between_langu

age_and_culture

Lber, Nils. "GRIN - La Influencia Cultural De Los Inmigrantes Mexicanos En Los Estados Fronterizos

De Los Estados Unidos De Amrica." La Influencia Cultural De Los Inmigrantes Mexicanos En

Los Estados ... | Publique Su Tesina, Trabajo Final De Bachelor O Otros Trabajos Acadmicos.

N.p., n.d. PDF. 09 May 2017.

Pelham, Sabra D. "Cognitive Disadvantage and Disadvantages in Early and Late Bilinguals." (n.d.): n.

pag. Print.

The Texas Government Code: Title 10. GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 2054. INFORMATION

RESOURCES. Subtitle B. Information and Planning: Chapter 2054 Sec.2054.116, n.d. Web.

Van Zyl, Hannelize, and Herbert L. Meiselman. The Role of Culture and Language in Designing

Emotion Lists: Comparing the Same Language in Different English and Spanish Speaking

Countries. INFONA. n.p., n.n. Web.https://www.infona.pl/.../bwmeta1.element.elsevier-

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