"Our society and culture influence the way we use language." Explain with examples

Language does not exist in isolation — the society and culture a speaker belongs to shape the words considered acceptable, and in turn those words reinforce the community's values.

Social norms guide what can be said: society decides what type of language is acceptable in public — many Nepali communities avoid explicit sexual vocabulary and prefer indirect expressions because of Hindu cultural taboos.

Etiquette expressions are socially required: phrases like "excuse me," "I beg your pardon," and "thank you" are expected by convention, and ignoring them can get a speaker labelled uncivilized.

Body language reflects cultural values: Japanese speakers bow before a conversation, and Nepali juniors touch the feet of senior relatives as a mark of respect — Barack Obama greeting Indian leaders with "Namaste" is a well-known example of a speaker adapting to another culture's norms.

Language shifts with cultural sub-context, even within one country: a non-Newar living in a Newari community needs some familiarity with Newari expressions and customs to communicate smoothly there.

Real misunderstandings show the depth of this influence: in the well-known Rolpa case, a District Education Officer misunderstood a teacher's use of "swanchari" (locally meaning wife and daughter); similarly, a professor from eastern Nepal was confused by the Baitadi expression "Goruko dudh" (cow's milk), simply because it was unfamiliar outside its local cultural context.