This is a sentence from an LSAT:
According to one proposed definition, a culture is the totality of the customs practiced by those whose culture it is.
Could someone please explain what does "it" refer to?
Thank you very much,
Leon
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2According to one proposed definition, a culture is the totality of the customs practiced by those whose culture the totality of the customs is.– Ronald SoleFeb 12, 2021 at 8:10
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1It's non-referential so it doesn't refer to anything. A meaningless pronoun, cf. "it is their culture".– BillJFeb 12, 2021 at 9:33
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@BillJ I see your point but is there any discussion related to this on CaGEL? Can you please give me page no?– Man_From_IndiaJul 2, 2021 at 12:51
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At the same time, I can see why people think that "it" refers to "the culture", so it is a bit tricky I guess. I wish there was some kind of discussion in the book.– Man_From_IndiaJul 2, 2021 at 13:07
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@BillJ Another doubt "...whose culture it is", is this an example of extraposition?– Man_From_IndiaJul 2, 2021 at 13:41
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3 Answers
If you concentrate on the relative clause
[those] whose culture it is
You could rewrite it as a main clause in this way:
It is their culture.
So it here is a personal pronoun referring to their culture. You could replace "it" with "this" referring to the same:
This is their culture.
You can also have similarly structured sentences with other personal pronouns:
I am their teacher. (so in your specific sentence, the similar construction would be whose teacher I am)
It refers to "a culture". The definition is self-referential.
a culture is the totality of the customs practiced by those whose culture it is.
Perhaps it will be clearer to substitute a specific culture, such as Arstotzkan (a fictional culture).
Direct substitution:
Arstotzkan is the totality of the customs practiced by those whose culture Arstotzkan is.
although we would swap the last two words because it sounds more natural:
Arstotzkan is the totality of the customs practiced by those whose culture is Arstotzkan.
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quibble: it refers to "the culture", not "a culture", as there's already a culture in question, as is the way with pronouns other than indefinite ones– gotube ♦Jul 2, 2021 at 22:16
"It" refers to a specific culture.
The sentence refers to cultures (plural), but an individual can only 'have' one culture at a time, hence 'it' is singular.
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An individual can have more than one culture. However, the sentence is describing one culture at a time. Jul 3, 2021 at 9:44
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I disagree - a person can be influenced by several cultures, can have "come from" several, but their own culture is unique to them, and fundamentally singular.– MikeBJul 5, 2021 at 8:38