Some people think that a person can never understand the culture of a country unless they speak the language. Do you agree with this opinion?
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It is believed by some that only until can individuals speak the local language of a nation that they can gain sufficient understandings about that country’s culture. Personally, I do agree with this view and will share examples to prove this.
Firstly, native language is the crucial means of expressions of local etiquette, thus, a lack of local language competency would inevitably lead to consequent shortages of culture knowledge. Yet it is true that international language could help people the world over communicate with ease in a variety of situations; certain intricate and intrinsic aspects of manners could only be expressed by peoples’ mother tongues, which requires the language capability to grasp the insights from those. For instance, Vietnamese people have the uniquely conventional behavior of turning down others’ offer or invitation at the very first time before gradually accepting it after certain in-depth conversations, which is insurmountable for a foreigner to understand if he or she has no linguistic literacy of Vietnamese.
In addition, native language capability is essential to explore artistic productions which are among the most effective means to depict peoples’ ideologies and culture. Especially, despite the aggressive globalization in terms of contemporary music and art in recent decades, an array of songs and poems which are originated from local cultural settings remain being performed in its mother tongues for the sake of its pristine meanings. For instance, in Vietnam, the royal court music used to praise ancient imperial kings as well as to show deep gratitude towards the nation’s ancestors has been preserved and popularized in Vietnamese which could hinder any foreigners from understanding if they can only listen to its rhythms.
In conclusion, I personally agree with the opinion that the capability to speak and understand local language is the fundamental foundation for any individuals to truly understand a nation’s culture.