A CONTRASTIVE STUDY OF CULTURAL INFLUENCE ON FOOD TERMS IN ENGLISH AND OKPAMERI

Abstract

Language and culture are symbiotic in that they cannot be separated from each other in the linguistic event. Given this premise, therefore, it would not be out of place if lexical items of a particular language are regarded as carriers of the culture that produces the language. Hence, this paper contrasted food terms in English and Okpameri so as to investigate how English and Okpameri view the same lexemes semantically and also to see how English and Okpameri lexical items are affected by cultural influence. Predicating the study on Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, Okpameri data were drawn from sources through the instrumentality of oral interview and test instrument of translation of some of the English food items to Okpameri language. The similarities may not cause much problems to the Okpameri ESL learners. This corresponds to Lado (1957) who claims that where the language patterns are similar in the two languages being compared, learners of the target language would find language relatively easy. However, areas of differences may pose problems to Okpameri ESL learners. The study revealed translation equivalents as the main problems Okpameri ESL learners might be confronted with in an attempt to translate some of the Okpameri words to English. The study therefore recommends that curriculum planners should include Okpameri language in our school system. By so doing, the problem of translation will be minimized.