With many participants flocking to BYU’s Education Week, one lecture series aimed to inform the human need for connection and cultural understanding, emphasizing that we are all children of God.
How can we better understand who we are in the eyes of God? In the lecture series “Nations, Kindreds, Tongues, and People,” presenters from the College of Humanities and the BYU Marriott School of Business explained how we can better connect communities by understanding culture, embracing diversity, and building connections.
Defining Arabic Culture
The familiar phrase “Nations, Kindreds, Tongues, and People” is worded intentionally because God has a plan, said Associate Professor Spencer Scoville (Russian/Arab Literary Relations): “God didn’t need one nation. He needed nations. He didn’t need one family. He needed kindreds across the world. He didn’t need just one language. We need languages.”
In his lecture “Understanding the Cultures of Those Who Speak Arabic,” Scoville discussed the difficulty in defining Arabic culture and shared his personal experiences from living in Arabic-speaking countries. He connected God’s need for plurality with the importance of knowing and understanding one another, as expressed in both the Doctrine and Covenants and the Quran, in order to become better instruments in the Lord’s hands.
In Syria, he saw how Arabic culture valued family, hospitality, and relationships. One day, Scoville and his wife accepted a dinner invitation immediately, later learning that in Arabic culture it is polite to decline the invitation so the host can insist. The same situation occurred when the Scovilles offered a guest breakfast—she refused until Scoville and his wife insisted. “I’m a better guest because I understand how to make room for my host to be generous. I’m a better host because I understand how to reach out and how to offer what I have,” Scoville said.
As he works with BYU’s Arabic program, he hopes to further implement the lessons he’s learned living in Arabic communities—most importantly, the power and importance of cultural exchange and building relationships.
Learning and Loving Russian Culture
What comes to mind when you think of Russia? Do you think of cold weather, stoic leadership, or even cute grandmas known as babushkas? Professor Jennifer Bown (Second Language Acquisition) broke down Russian stereotypes in her lecture “Understanding the Cultures of Those Who Speak Russian” and explains why we should familiarize ourselves with other cultures.
One difference stems from something as simple as facial expressions. Smiles in the West are seen as polite, but Russians see them as a mask: Russians feel that smiles show genuine emotion and joy, not just politeness. “In public life, Russians are often very reserved and serious,” Bown said. In private and among their friends, she explained that Russians flash many warm smiles and laugh often. “It’s a sign of sincerity, and it signals depth and trust and belonging,” she said.
In Russian friendships, Bown discovered that presence and loyalty are more important than punctuality when she once told a friend she could only visit for a limited time. “She was really upset, because she felt like I was treating our time together as something that needed to be rationed out rather than an open-ended expression of our friendship,” Bown said. “In Russian culture, real friendship bends the clock.”
Bown emphasized the importance of finding meaningful ways to connect with and understand different cultures—including our own—to be able to love all God’s children. “So let us see more clearly. Love more generously, and remember that every culture, every person, and every life is precious to God,” she said.
Food, Family, and Faith
With a population of 1.4 billion people, India is a popular travel destination known for their rich history, cultural diversity, and many different languages. In her lecture “Understanding the Cultures of People in India,” Saritha Ignatius, a finance career manager in the BYU Marriott School of Business, explored the characteristics of Indian culture—food, family, and faith. As a native of Bengaluru, India, she also shared what her family does to honor the Indian lifestyle and traditions.
Ignatius discussed that in India, food is much more than fuel—it is a sacred resource that is very meaningful and respected due to economic and social factors. When her mother visits, Ignatius explained that her family has to be careful about throwing out excess food, since her mother often counsels them on its importance and reverence.
Much like the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hinduism places family as a top priority. Hindu Indian families are closely structured with meaningful roles and practices such as showing respect to elders and having reverence for family members. “We believe that family is the first school,” Ignatius said.
Hinduism’s fluid structure means that Indian culture embraces many religions, including Christianity. Ignatius invited the audience to learn from Indians and to get to know them better the next time they cross paths. “That’s what makes India what it is today: the diversity, but being diverse and being united in that diversity,” she said.
It’s All French
Language is more important than you think. In his lecture “Understanding the Cultures of Those Who Speak French,” Assistant Professor Adam F. McBride (French Phonetics and Phonology) discussed how the French language has become culturally significant not just to France but to many cultures around the world, creating linguistic diversity throughout time.
When French became the official language in France, only a small minority of the population spoke it fluently. Now, French has developed into many regional and global varieties with more than 200–500 million speakers. “There has never been a single pure French language,” McBride said. “French is plural. It happens all over the place.”
From a linguistic perspective, there is not one variety that is the best, McBride said. “It’s all French. No matter how it’s spoken or what words are used, sometimes there’ll be some differences or some misunderstandings—but it’s all the same language,” McBride said.
In the Doctrine and Covenants, individuals are invited to be acquainted with good books, languages, tongues, and people. Though everyone is uniquely and individually different, McBride said our core needs are the same—we are all children of God. By learning different languages, their distinct linguistic varieties, and even appreciating how others speak, individuals can better serve each other. By doing so, McBride said, “We’re able to make greater connections and feel closer to one another and create community.”