Is there a word or phrase for language and culture combined?
Mr. Doe is committed to learning and teaching language and culture.
Is there a term that embodies both language and culture? I want something concise, as I need to state it multiple times.
I considered "linguistics" as a possibility:
Mr. Doe is committed to learning and teaching linguistics.
... but that doesn't really embody the customs and cultural side of the issue. I'm looking for a word that encompasses that aspect, as well as language.
Solution 1:
In a very important sense, "culture" does include language. Your point, however, is that you want to emphasize both the common social elements of the culture in question, as well as the language of choice. So it's almost as if you are looking for something that goes against your actual goal. I might suggest that you stop trying to mash these things together, and simply look for different ways of saying it each time it comes up. Also pay attention to the fact that some of the times you are mentioning this fellow's interests might be unnecessary or superfluous, and so you may be able to cut down the number of times you have to say it.
Solution 2:
The closest term you're going to find is "linguistic anthropology". Anthropology is, in essence, the study of culture (though, in and of itself, it covers art, language, and human behavior as a whole). Calling it "linguistic anthropology" specifies exactly what aspect of culture is being studied, in this case, specifically the relationship between language and culture. If that is the primary focus of study (as opposed to studying language as a whole and culture in a broader sense), linguistic anthropology is the correct term.
Unfortunately, though, that phrase will probably sound disgustingly snooty in most conversational contexts, and having such a "scientific" term may be off-putting, depending on the overall tone of any piece you are writing, and you may have to define the term for some audiences, making the use of the phrase as a "simpler" form completely null and void.