Language, Culture, and Child Development: Vygotsky's Theory

Introduction: Language and Culture

Language and culture are inextricably linked. The ways in which culture directly shapes language development are well documented in the academic literature, though there is little consensus on the processes involved in language acquisition or on the ways culture is manifested in socialization and language development. One assertion, however, seems widely accepted: culture is a learned attribute that language helps convey to others. Because people use language to impart cultural beliefs and societal mores, the nexus between language and culture is an important consideration in the fields of education and communication, especially regarding the varied pedagogical theories of child development.

Much of what has been studied in communications and education concerning the connection between language and culture is attributed to a Russian-born educator named Lev Vygotsky.

Vygotsky's Theory of Cultural Development

Vygotsky believed that children developed and acquired knowledge through the assistance of competent others — perhaps their own parents, teachers, or even higher-skilled peers. He believed that higher cognitive processes manifested themselves through a systematic imbuing of cultural and societal expectations. The mechanism for imparting cultural norms, Vygotsky argued, was language — specifically, interpersonal communication. While much of Vygotsky's theory extends beyond the scope of this paper, it is important to detail the connection he drew between culture, language, and higher cognitive processes.

Through social interactions, Vygotsky believed children learned cultural habits and customs, including patterns of speech, written and oral language conventions, and symbols through which social meanings are derived. These culturally derived meanings, in turn, affect a child's construction of knowledge and understanding. The skill sets and customs learned are varied, of course, because cultural differences exist in the development and acquisition of knowledge. For example, while children in North America might depend on an adult or competent peer to learn how to ride a bicycle or kick a soccer ball, children from Pacific Asian islands might learn how to weave a blanket or knit a shawl. Both are culturally based and socially valued activities. In this way, the knowledge a child gains is socially constructed during interactions with others, who serve to validate and support the child's learning processes.

Two-Stage Cultural Learning Process

Tools and symbols, then, represent the intermediary between a child's learning and the socially required or desired skill sets in a given society. Vygotsky argued that a child's cultural development occurs in two separate but equally important stages: first, in a broad social setting, and then internally, as the child internalizes the social and cultural lessons learned in infancy. As Vygotsky writes:

"Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological), and then inside the child (intrapsychological). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of concepts; all the higher functions originate as actual relations between human individuals" (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 57).

This two-stage model places social experience at the very foundation of cognitive and cultural growth, suggesting that what a child learns from others in a community context becomes, over time, part of that child's own inner mental life.

Conclusion

In summary, Vygotsky's work on the interaction between language and culture has provided a foundation for current research in child development and education. While his theoretical underpinnings may not be universally accepted, they are essential to understanding how children communicate within families, communities, and cultures. Much research has been conducted to find new and appropriate ways to support children in educational settings, including work such as that of Kyratzis (2005). The issue of language acquisition and cultural influence is especially important for educators working in today's globally diverse society. The more we understand the cultural differences of others, the better positioned we are to appreciate our own unique contributions to family, community, and country.

References

Kyratzis, A. (2005). Language and culture: Socialization through personal story-telling practice. Human Development, 48(3), 146–150.

Miller, P. J., Hengst, J., Alexander, K., & Sperry, L. L. (2000). Versions of personal storytelling/versions of experience: Genres as tools for creating alternate realities. In K. Rosengren, C. Johnson, & P. Harris (Eds.), Imagining the impossible: The development of magical, scientific, and religious thinking in contemporary society (pp. 212–246). Cambridge University Press.

Miller, P. J., & Mehler, R. (1994). Personal story-telling, socialization, and self-construction at home and in kindergarten. In A. Haas Dyson & C. Genishi (Eds.), The need for story: Cultural diversity in classroom and community. National Council of Teachers of English.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Problems of method (pp. 52–75). In Mind in society (Trans. M. Cole). Harvard University Press.