The Inseparability of Culture and Language in Idiomatic Expressions

Abstract

This article investigates the bond between culture and language concerning the understanding of idiomatic utterances within the context of both Algerian and British cultures. Much has been written on culture and language but not on such an issue. Language is of prime importance to any culture and the influence of culture upon a given language is an intrinsic matter. As far as idiomatic expressions are concerned, what should be kept in mind is that language is deeply embedded in culture. Bearing this in mind, the mode of thinking is what determines the linguistic forms in expressing the concrete objects and the abstract ideas, differences in thought among cultures is of great importance when it comes to idioms. This paper sheds the light on the influence of the two already mentioned components i.e., “culture and language” in figuring out the imagery meanings of the Algerian and British idioms in particular. The inseparability between language and culture is illustrated in this article. This corroborates in a way the perspective that idioms cannot be understood without the intimate ties between culture and language