Language as a Mirror of Cultural Identity The Case of Proverbs in English and Algerian Arabic

Abstract

The question of the interrelationship between language, culture and identity has caught the interest of many sociolinguists and cultural researchers. As is well-known, language, culture and identity are closely connected and influence each other. Language reflects culture; it also serves to maintain one’s identity and sense of belonging. Among the prominent expressions that are culture -bound representing part and parcel of every society are proverbs through which a given social group identity is embodied as well as constructed. This paper is an attempt to shed light on the correlation between language, culture and identity, especially by comparing and contrasting some proverbs in English and Algerian Arabic. Such popular sayings are taken as a sample of the study to see to what extent they are shaped by their speakers’ underlying cultures and in what way they mirror their identities. Therefore, the more a proverb is universal, the more uniqueness of a people it brings out, and the more culture-bound it is, the more diversity of cultures and identities it displays.