Language and Culture Interconnectedness

Abstract

Numerous criticism directed at the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis called forth the viewing of the hypothesis through the prism of language and culture interconnection and check to what extent the linguistic determinism is an applicable and useful tool in foreign language studies. For this reason, the present paper carries out a discussion to construct a somewhat modified version of the linguistic determinism idea by adding to the language–culture unit a third element such as expressiveness. To make the proposed here version of linguistic determinism comprehensible, it has been decided to describe and explain the notions of language, culture, and expressiveness to make them clear and digestible for the purpose of the present discussion. In the course of the discussion, strengthened by quotations from the literature, the main stress is put on the language-culture interconnectedness viewed as the key element determining successful language studies, especially in the foreign languages domain. Finally, the attention is directed at the role of creativity and expressiveness as factors responsible for the level of the language user’s competence, which, in turn, is viewed as creative communicative competence.