Humans are cultural beings.

We learn to communicate and understand our world through the

context of our languages, traditions, behaviors, beliefs and values. Our cultural experiences and

values shape the way we see ourselves and what we think is important. When individuals are part

of a cultural group, we learn the ways of that culture (e.g., behavior and beliefs), which enable us

to feel like we belong to our community. Cultural perspectives also influence language

acquisition, and other developmental phases that ever human goes through. In this essay, we

therefore look at how culture influences language development in early childhood development

setting.

Children learn to communicate in the context of their home culture. Beginning at birth, children

use their home language and culturally accepted communication styles to connect with others in

a meaningful way, forming secure relationships that are intrinsic to healthy language

development. For the early childhood teacher, it is important to establish supportive, respectful

relationships as well—with both families and children. These connections help teachers learn

more about the strengths, needs, and culture of every child in their care. Collaborative

relationships with families also provide teachers with the information they need to support

children’s individual language and literacy development based on their culture. Before teachers

can address the literacy needs of children in their care, they must first become aware of their own

cultural beliefs and practices. Self-knowledge is defined as “a thorough understanding of one’s

own cultural roots and group affiliations” (Haberman & Post, 2000).

Culture is described by Giddens (1997) as the way of life of a group including their dress code,

marriage customs, religious festivals, family habits and recreational and occupational pursuits.
The importance of children’s cultural knowledge has become a major theme in the study of

children’s learning and language acquisition. Because culture supports children’s thinking, the

activities, toys, materials and social events introduced to children in their home environments

shape their thought processes and performances. Culturally competent teachers can better

prepare environments for learning, choose materials, and plan experiences that are respectful,

stimulating and valuable for all.

Giddens’ definition is comprised of the behavioral aspects of a culture, such as dress code and

leisure activities, but fails to emphasize the values aspect of a culture. Another definition that

succeeds in encompassing both the behavioral and the values aspect of a culture is the one

proposed by Fiske. (1998). They denote that culture consists of the beliefs and values that impact

norms, customs, practices, psychological endeavors, educational institutions and organizations.

Culture influences every aspect of human development and is reflected in child bearing beliefs

and practices designed to promote healthy adaptation, given the magnitude of its influence on the

daily experience of children, the relative disregard for cultural influences in traditional child

development research is striking (Herschell et al 2002).

Language refers to a system of symbols that is used to communicate information and knowledge.

Other researchers go even further and suggest that as parents interact with their children, the

children learn language and become socialized into a particular set of cultural values and beliefs

(Herschell et al 2002). For example, Ochs (1988) shows the presence of two major ways of

speaking the language: “good speech” and “bad speech.” The latter contains fewer consonants

and is mainly spoken in informal contexts. Good speech is used when speaking to strangers or in
formal settings such as schools, church services, and when talking to a person of high status.

Along with learning both “good speech” and “bad speech,” children learn about the social

contexts in which using each “language” is appropriate.

It is essential that teachers consider all aspects of a child’s individual development and

environment in an integrated manner, for growth in all areas is interrelated. Different approaches

to child rearing and the use of different languages affect children’s reactions and performance.

Teachers convey attitudes toward the cultural groups represented in each classroom. By

appreciating the diversity of families, values, approaches to parenting, and attitudes around

school and learning children need to be shown that they are accepted and valued for who they

are. Gathering information from families is essential to creating a full description of each child as

a learner. This also provides insight into whether aspects of a child’s behavior or pattern of

development can be explained by language or cultural differences. For children who speak

another language at home, it is especially important to determine which language to use in

assessment in order to ensure that the process is tailored to the child’s strengths and abilities

(Neisworth, 1993).

Teachers should also become familiar with the language spoken at home and be intentional in

teaching appropriate literacy skills. Knowledge about cultural and linguistic differences is

essential to foster early literacy development and avoid possible confusion. The use of stories

and language, the amount of reading in the home, as well as the degree of emphasis on writing

and sharing information depends on individual family culture. Along with these astounding

cognitive developments, infancy is also marked by the first attempts to produce speech and

language. Prominent linguist Noam Chomsky believes that language ability is “hardwired” into
the human brain. When born, infants have the entire range of human language possibilities

available to them. Which language(s) they acquire depends on the cultural language(s) to which

they are exposed on a regular basis. At this point, parents and others in the child’s social

environment begin to play a crucial role in language development. If the infant produces a sound

that is part of the language spoken in her environment, this sound is acknowledged and

celebrated as an attempt to communicate (those of you with children or young siblings can

remember the excitement surrounding the first utterance of “Dada” or “Mama”). In contrast, any

sound that is not part of the cultural language environment is dismissed as babbling.

In summary, customs, traditions and values of children’s families and cultures shape and

influence their language experiences. Culture affects how we communicate with each other. We

interpret all we see or hear through the lens of our own beliefs, values and experiences. It is

common to misinterpret or misunderstand the communication style of someone from another

culture. Each culture has its own defined communication system, including actions, gestures,

words, postures, facial expressions, tones of voice, and ways of handling time, space, materials,

work and play. Children learn the rules and norms for communicating and interacting from their

families and thus reviewing, culture seem to have an important and influential role in the

language acquisition in child development stages.

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