Essay on Theoretical and Researched Based Frameworks of Culture

Over the years the concept of culture has shaped people and what they believe in. According to the textbook culture is defined as a set of beliefs, traditions, and practices. The conception of culture can be described as material or nonmaterial. Material culture is described as everything that is a part of our constructed, physical environment. On the other hand, nonmaterial culture refers to values, beliefs, behaviors, and social normal. I believe culture can be defined and shaped in many ways. I feel that culture differs from one location to another because the natural environment has an impact on the culture. Also, some people come up with their own ideas and values. There are changes within cultures across time because people grow and develop

Bowe, H. J. & Martin, K. (2007). Communication across cultures: Mutual understanding in a global world. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

During this cultural observation, the anthropological concepts that will be examined will be: culture, society, language and communication and finally kinship. For the purpose of the observation, the concepts are defined as: culture is ideas and behaviors that are learned and transmitted and are not a genetic means of adaptation. Along with the understanding that society is the learned behavior patterns and thought that help a group adapt to its surroundings (Park 2015, p.G2). Language and communication being defined as the human communication by means of shared symbols in the form of sounds or representations of sounds (Park 2015, p.271). Last of the

There are many ways in which the phenomena of language and culture are intimately related. Both phenomena are unique to humans and have therefore been the subject of a great deal of anthropological and sociological study. Language, of course, is determined by culture, though the extent to which this is

When I think of a culture I think of a group of people from the same region(s) who share similar views on beliefs, values, and behaviors. For example, Mexican cultures a persons emotional sensitivity is highly valued as well as their role in society isn’t confined to just the workplace (1). Such non-verbal communication Edward T Hall would consider to be a part of a high-context language culture, which is defined as a language in which people state things indirectly and implicitly (2). When compared to the United States, a low-context culture, things are explained direct and clear.

Language plays a key role in communication in any society, culture and organization. This medium of social interaction is universal and has been passed down for centuries as a legacy. Therefore, it is imperative that the purity of the language is kept within each framework of heritage. Culture also plays a very important role in the evolution of language. It is the foundation of social engagement and personal commitment. Verbal and non-verbal communication can help define the way in which intercultural communication is conducted, and is of significance as it allows for individuals to learn the differences that exist in the language of various cultures. Communication of any magnitude, if fully achieved can be one of the most rewarding experiences, since by learning the language one becomes familiar with the culture.

This chapter was easy to follow for me because in my anthropology class we are studying the chapter on language this we. In my anthropology class I leaden that language is a key aspect to culture. As languages are disappearing and becoming more narrowed down to one language that most people are now speaking we a gradually losing culture. In a sense I can relate to this because my whole family speaks a different language other than english. I am able to fluently speak my fist language punjabi but my brother on the other hand is only able to understand it. He has a difficult time forming words and sentences in punjabi. Because he can’t speak punjabi very well its difficult for him to understand our culture. There are many words he doesn’t understand

Intercultural communication: A discourse approach attempts to explain the discourse approach and points to the authors ' distinction between cross-cultural communication and intercultural communication. The chapter underlines the authors ' approach and theory to intercultural communication. It covers several explanations and the distinction between cross-cultural communication and intercultural communication. The chapter discusses the many varieties of culture that exist. It also clarifies that intercultural communication can occur in conversations not necessarily when two people are from different countries.

In addition to differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammatical structures among cultural groups, variations also exist in the rules for general discourse in oral communication, covering such specific acts as narratives and conversation. In communicating with one another, teachers and students naturally will follow the assumptions and rules governing discourse within their respective cultures. Discourse rules govern such aspects of communication as: opening or closing conversations; taking turns during conversations; interrupting; using silence as a communicative device; interjecting humor at appropriate times and using nonverbal behavior. Once again, an American student studying in the middle east, who would constantly interrupt the teacher in order to clarify the professor’s opinion, would be considered to be

The idea behind language as culture is explained succinctly by dividing the description into a framework of separate ideas. By breaking down how perception is developed through environment and the presence of norms, culture is demonstrated as the provider that perpetuates this social environment. The cohesion required of large populations begins with cooperation and communication. From the expression of traditions, the reinforcements of norms through stories and the passing of knowledge, language is the cohesive glue of people to environment. This can be exemplified further by a pursuit that transcends individual populations to create a separate culture and therefore maintains its own environment. In this paper I hope to analyze and illustrate how culture and perception are directly influenced by language.

Another way in which language is a social process is the influence of current societal culture on the

To study culture is to also study a people's means of communication—it is to investigate a group's way of life, to consider the thought processes behind the choices they make, and to realize the reasons and means by which they maintain their relationships. Communication and culture are inseparable due to the reality that one cannot exist without the other. This concept of acknowledging the connectedness of culture and communication is iterated in the Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication when William B. Gudykunst and Bella Mody use this quote by anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher Edward T. Hall, "Culture is communication and communication is culture" (Gudykunst & Mody, 2004, p.26).  The claim that communication and culture are invariably connected is supported by the universally understood truth that communication styles vary around the world due to differences in environmental contexts, the prevalence of regionally specific issues, and the value of relationships within a cultural group (Gudykunst & Mody, 2004). Examples of this phenomenon are the differences between the methods that people of the United States use to communicate with each other and the methods that people of other countries utilize to fulfill the same task. The discrepancies relating to verbal and nonverbal communication between different cultures prove that communication is cultural, and culture is built on communication.

Culture is a group of characteristics such as customs, beliefs and attitudes that groups of people share within a certain geographic area. Different geographic locations have different norms and cultures that are followed by the people that live in that specific location. That being said, religion can be indigenous or non-indigenous. Indigenous religions are religions that are native to a place. Some good examples of indigenous religions are Shintoism, which is native to Japan, Christianity which, originated in Rome and Islam, which is believed to be originated in Mecca. A couple examples of non-indigenous religion are Voodoo and New Age. Religions originate when people that live close get together share their belief systems and can distinguish right from wrong. When a religion is created the cultural rules get included in the religious rules. For example, in Buddhism, nuns have way more rules that have to be followed than the priests. Buddhism is native to India, and women in India are ruled and taken care of by the men. Primarily, the men in this country have power over the women and it is believed that while creating these rules the culture and norms were incorporated into it.

One of the most influential and central concepts of anthropology is the nature and concept of culture. The concept and idea of culture dominated 20th century thought, and can be used as an explanation as well as an object of fascination for many anthropologists today. While there are various theories and approaches to culture and the interpretation of it, I would solely like to examine the Cultural Relativist approach, and the Boasian thinkers associated with this particular approach. I would also like to examine how the current time period in which the cultural relativist approach emerged truly conflicts with the dominant politics. In specifics, I would like to examine Franz Boas himself, but most notably Ruth Benedict, and the paradoxes that have occurred within the period after her publications.

Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1962) identify over 150 scientific definitions of the concept of culture. Indeed, many authors have tried to define culture and this is why there are so many definitions and that a unique one is hard to find. First of all, Kroeber and Kluckholn (1952) assume that culture is a suite of patterns, implicit and explicit, “of and for behaviour acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artefacts” (p.47). Later, Hofstede adds that culture is “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another” (Hofstede, 1991, p.51). This definition is the most widely accepted one amongst practitioners. For Winthrop (1991), culture is the distinctive models of thoughts, actions and values that composed members of a society or a social group. In other words,