WHAT IS CULTURE?

o Tylor: That complex whole which includes

knowledge, believe, art, law, morals, custom,
and any other capabilities and habits acquired
by man as a member of society. (concrete
elements)
o Arvizu, et al.: A set of ways of behaving;
possession of high level of education, or a
particular style of artistic expression in areas
like art and music. (behavior)
o The context within which a member of a
society exists, thinks, feels and relates to other
(= the shared value system of a societys
members).
WHAT IS CULTURE?
o The blue print or integrated patterns of
abstraction derived from observable behavior
of a group of people.
o Culture is the acquired knowledge people use
to interpret experience and generate behavior.
o Hofstede: culture is the software of the mind
(mind= hardware= human brain)
Categories of Cultures
Culture consists of
three interrelated
categories, i.e.
products, ideas,
and behaviors.
ELEMENTS OF CULTURE
A Culture consists of VISIBLE elements (i.e. the achievement or
product of people as reflected in their history, social
institutions, music, architecture, literature) and INVISIBLE
elements (i.e. the culturally influenced beliefs and perceptions,
as expressed through language and behaviors, that affect
acceptability in the host community).
LAYERS OF CULTURE
People even within the same culture carry several
layers of mental programming within themselves.
Different layers of culture exist at the following
levels:
The national level: Associated with the
nation as a whole.
The regional level: Associated with ethnic,
linguistic, or religious differences that exist
within a nation.
Global Culture: Associated with the

universal habits, norms, and ways of life

though they are manifested in a bit
different way.
The gender level: Associated with gender
differences (female vs. male)
The generation level: Associated with the
differences between grandparents and
parents, parents and children.
The social class level: Associated with
educational opportunities and differences
in occupation.
The corporate level: Associated with the
particular culture of an organization.
Applicable to those who are employed
BASIC NATURE OF CULTURE
BASED ON THE PREVIOUS DEFINITIONS, ELEMENTS.
LAYERS, AND CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE, TWO
IMPORTANT CONCEPTS ARE DERIVED:
1. Culture is dynamic and it changes according to the
behavior and thought process of the people in that
culture.
2. Culture is not one entity: it is a body comprising
different but interrelated elements. Proper
understanding of one element of culture can only
be achieved with the contribution of other elements
within the same culture.
THE ROLE OF CULTURAL TEACHING
IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM
IN COMMUNICATING THROUGH LANGUAGE, PEOPLE
INVOLVE BOTH LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE &
PERCEPTION, IDEA, GESTURE & OTHER THINGS
SHAPED BY THEIR CULTURE
OBJECTIVES OF CULTURAL TEACHING
TO ENABLE THE LEARNERS TO EXPLAIN
ASPECTS OF A SPECIFIC CULTURE
TO DEVELOP CULTURAL AWARENESS AS
PART OF THE LEARNERS PERSONAL
GROWTH AND EXPERIENCE
TWO BARRIERS IN STUDYING CULTURES
ETHNOCENTRISM: the belief that ones
own culture is the best and that his
interpretation of the world of reality is the
most reliable and truthful the principle
of cultural relativity
STREOTYPES: an over generalized and
sometimes distorted description of groups

of people Know more about them

LANGUAGE & CULTURE
INTERRELATIONSHIP
LANGUAGE IS A PART OF A CULTURE AND A CULTURE IS A PART OF A LANGUAGE.
THUS, CULTURAL INSTRUCTION IS VERY CRUCIAL IN A SECOND/FOREIGN
LANGUAGE LEARNING/TEACHING PROGRAM.