Culture
Definition
Language and Culture
Intercultural Communication
Culture shock
Individualist and Collectivist cultures
Individualist Cultures
Collectivist Cultures
Focus on the group, Interdependence, Unity, Tradition, Religion, Family, Hierarchy, Laws, Achievement of collective goals, collective will prioritized
Culture can be expressed by holidays and cuisine and that's why we celebrate and cook differently around the world
Focus on the individual, Independence, Autonomy, Self-sufficiency, Equality, Freedom, Pursuit of happiness, Achievement of individual goals, individual will prioritized
The language is more than a tool to label things, it's a symbolic ability developed to satisfy the necessity of communication in a certain society.
The use of language is related to which culture we are and how this reflects the way we see and express us in the world.
Ethnocentrism and the values of our culture create stereotypes towards different cultures
Language affects the way
we see the world
In Chinese culture, individual does not
make sense outside a context
every language carries cultural meaning
language varies with the needs of society
translators have to adapt texts not only in language matters but also its cultural refferences
Similarities are perceived as good things
Difference among languages cause differences in the thoughts of their speakers
We tend to think that our way of doing things is always right; that is called ethnocentrism
The rules of our own culture are invisible to us, as we were born into it.
Different cultures must not be seen as a homogenous mass, therefore generalizations and stereotypes are not welcome.
Edward T Hall defines culture as "the sum total of the way of life of a people."
To be more easily understood, culture can be divided in: products, behaviours, ideas.
However, we shouldn't be discouraged to learn another language. We should have our minds opened in order to understand other ways to see the world and learn new things.
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All languages have a commom core that alouds us to understand the main idea of what other people are trying to say to us.