The cultural dimensions of learning a language include nonverbal communication, understanding of whether the culture is individualist or collectivists and if an individual is internal or external. The reading suggests that language is composed with the beliefs, practices and ideals of that culture and entering into a culture takes more than knowing the language.
Individualist societies tend to focus more on everyone being different, forming their own type of lifestyle (to an extent). Collectivists, on the other hand, believe that everyone within the community must work in a collaborative effort where beliefs are taught and values are mutual. In collectivist societies there is harmony not only within the community but in the language. As we discussed in class there are not words to distinguish people in Turkish, they actually share a word for he and she. Similarly in Japan and in the Japanese language an individual's first name is not used instead their last name or 'family name' is used. Also, everyone considers other neutral adults to be family with them because they live in same area. Young women will be called by children 'big sister' while older men can be called 'uncle'.
The differences in cultural dimensions of language are most prominent between that of Westerners and others. This is mainly because one is a low context culture while the other is a high context culture. In America we experience a low context culture because we are without a rich cultural practices and traditions. Instead, we have large populations of people from other cultures who bring their values and beliefs here and we adapt bits and pieces from everywhere. Globalization has also brought brought typically Western habits over to areas of high context culture. In many countries around the world that were once strictly collectivists are now adapting to the individualist viewpoint of Westerners.
Nonverbal communication, another key cultural dimension, is especially significant especially wen entering another culture because there are many altered views on what is appropriate nonverbally and what is. For example personal space is understood in America but can be insulting in other cultures. In Papa New Guinea personal space is so ignored that even men walk around joined at the hands to display friendship. That would be misinterpreted in Western societies because close proximity is saved for more closely related people and even in that case it is not around the clock. Examples like this explain how important human interaction is in unison with language.
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