Context and Culture

The dictionary defines context as the verbal or written environment in which a word or group of words occurs, or as the circumstances (setting, situation) in which an event occurs. This environment (surrounding text) helps determine meaning.

We use context to guess (figure out) the meaning of an unknown word according to what we understand the surrounding text (words and sentences) to mean. However, contextual meaning has many different dimensions attached to it.

In an article about Ray Charles, readers will experience many layers of meaning, depending on their background knowledge of the following: Ray Charles; blues and gospel music; race relations in America in 1930, when Ray was born; the way blind people learn how to read with their fingers; the Grammy awards.

If you have zero background knowledge about any of these topics, it is almost impossible to appreciate the many dimensions associated with Ray Charles. Unless you have been steeped (see def. 2) in American history and popular culture, you won't fully understand the meaning of the article, beyond the fact that it's about a guy who was orphaned and blind by the age of 15, who was credited with inventing a new type of music, and who won numerous awards.

Linguistic context draws its meaning from culture, and culture is the sum total of history, art, traditions, customs, religious beliefs, ways of speaking, kinds of food, and the shared experiences of a tribe, community, or nation whose members assign meaning to all of these things, and whose meaning is shared by all members. It is the thing we indentify with, and how we identify each other -- our way of thinking, talking, eating, and interacting with one another.

Language and culture are two interdependent strands, woven together and storing information like the double helix of a DNA molecule. The genetic code of language and culture, like DNA, is carried in these interwoven strands. 

If I could convey one small piece of advice, it is this: immerse yourself in American culture for as long as you are studying in the USA. I'm not saying that you should lose your native cultural identity. I'm suggesting that you learn to think like an American and learn the cultural ways of Americans. As you absorb American culture, I guarantee that you will learn English much faster.That means watching TV, reading American magazines and newspapers, and interacting and speaking with Americans as much as possible. Your experience studying in the USA will be the richer for it. Don't sacrifice your cultural identity, but don't be afraid to wear a new one either, even temporarily. To understand another person (or culture, in this case) sometimes requires you to walk in their shoes.

Neither language nor culture exists in isolation, which is why an understanding of American culture will accelerate your progress in learning English. To understand the environment in which something exists is to understand the thing itself.