Perpetuating Navajo Culture through Language
Culture is dynamic. It evolves through time. According to Kuper (1994) culture is “learned, adaptable, symbolic behavior, based on a full-fledged language” (cited in Monagham & Just, 2000, p.51). Language expresses many things about a particular culture. Apart from speech, other ways of communication such as symbols, gestures, written characters, drawings, and artistic expressions comprise a peoples’ language. It serves as the foundation of culture because it unifies the members of a particular society. Through language, people communicate with each other to identify their issues, problems, and concerns. They are then able to make decisions regarding problems existing within their community. The Navajo ...
