Language and Culture.

Language and Culture

There are many who would say much about language and culture. Some might even say that the two are intertwined. There is ample evidence that language determines a culture. However some would save that language does not determine culture. My personal belief is that the use of the language determines the culture. One such place to find this evidence would be in any branch of the United States' armed forces.

Every day military culture includes a vast variety of ways to make the language shorter and quicker. Military acronyms range from branch name to procedures to names of people, places, or things. Take in account the very names of the services; USN: United States Navy, USA: United States Army, USMC: United States Marine Corps, USAF: United States Air Force, USCG: United States Coast Guard, and USMM: United States Merchant Marines. All of these services can be identified by a three or four letter acronym.

To shorten the link of speech in writing, there are many military acronyms that represent phrases of words. Some of these acronyms include SAM: Surface-to-Air-Missile, AWOL: Away WithOut Leave, SAW: Squad Automatic Weapon, and AFRCC: Air Force Rescue Control Center. In addition to acronyms words are broken down and made into compound words. Some examples are FITCOM: Fighter Command, DefCon: Defense Condition, and FTTEX: Fire Team Training Exercise. All of these examples are ways to make the language of the military shorter, more precise, and quicker. The shorthand language makes the military culture more rigid and strict in its everyday use.

The end result of all this strictness and swiftness is the two basic cultures of the military: NCO-(Non-Commissioned Officer) and Officer-life. The NCO Culture is rude and crude yet It is still refined. The NCO is the man, or woman, on...