1、Chapter TwoHuman beings draw close to one another by their common nature,but habits and customs keep them apart.ConfuciusWarm-up CasevFish Is FishLearning ObjectivesvDefine the term of culturevDescribe the characteristics of culturevUnderstand the nature of culturevBe aware of cultural differencesCu
2、lturevSome people in many parts of the world put dogs in their ovens,but people in the United States put them on their couches and beds.Why?vSome people in Iran pray five times each day while sitting on the floor,but some people in Las Vegas sit up all night in front of video poker machines.Why?vSom
3、e people paint and decorate their entire bodies,but others spend hundreds of dollars painting and decorating only their faces.Why?vSome people talk to God,but others have God talk to them,and still others say there is no God.Why?vSome people shake hands when introduced to a stranger,but other people
4、 bow at such an encounter.Why?CulturevDefinitions of culture are numerous.vWe define culture as the deposit of knowledge,experience,beliefs,values,attitudes,meanings,social hierarchies,religion,notions of time,roles,spatial relationships,concepts of the universe,and material objects and possessions
5、acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.The Basic Function of CulturevAt the core of culture is the idea that it is intended to make life easier for people by“teaching”them how to adapt to their surroundings.vAs the English writer Thomas Fulle
6、r wrote 200 years ago,Culture makes all things easy.Elements of CulturevHistoryvReligionvValuesvSocial organizationsvLanguageCharacteristics of CulturevCulture Is Not Innate;It Is Learned.vCulture Is Transmitted from Generation to Generation.vCulture Is Based on Symbols.vCulture Is Subject to Change
7、.vCulture Is an Integrated System.vCulture Is Ethnocentric.Culture Is Not Innate;It Is Learned.vCulture is learned in a variety of ways and from a host of different sources.Informal learning,which is often very subtle,normally takes place through interaction,observation and imitation.The formal teac
8、hing of a culture is far more structured and is often left to the various institutions of the culture,such as schools and churches.Learning Culture through Proverbs Learning Culture through Proverbs Learning Culture through Proverbs.vStrike while the iron is hot and He who hesitates is lost.vActions
9、 speak louder than words and Nothing ventured,nothing gained.vMan does not live by bread alone and Make hay while the sun shines.vGod helps those who help themselves,Pull yourself up by your bootstraps,and No pain,no gain.vA mans home is his castle.vThe squeaky wheel gets the grease.vVariety is the
10、spice of life,Lightning never strikes twice in the same place,and There is more than one way to skin a cat.How would someone from a culture other than the United States interpret the following sentences?vThere is just too much red tape involved in applying for a fellowship.vPassing the history exami
11、nation was a piece of cake.vTry not to deal with him;hes a cutthroat.vThe deadline has passed;I think I have missed the boat.vThe only way she could do it was to go cold turkey.Learning Culture through Folktales,Legends,and MythsvAmericans revere the tough,independent,fast-shooting cowboy of the Old
12、 West.vThe English admire good manners,courtly behavior,and dignity,as is reflected in the“Canterbury Tales”.vThe Japanese learn about the importance of duty,obligation,and loyalty from“The Tale of the Forty-Seven Ronin”.vThe Chinese teach the folly of impatience by telling the tale of a farmer who
13、did not like the slow growth of his plants so he tugged on them an inch each day until he managed to uproot them.Learning Culture through ArtvIn Asian cultures,most art depicts objects,animals,and landscapes rather than focusing on people.vAmerican and European art,however,often emphasizes people.Wh
14、ether in portraits of a single person or pictures of an entire family,people are the focus.Learning Culture through Mass MediavIn the United States,films,video games,and television glorify violence.The language we use in sports mirrors and sanctions violence.Watching a sporting event on television,y
15、oull hear statements like“he has that killer instinct,”“he is a headhunter,”“its war on that court,”“they are out for blood,”and“they are playing smash-mouth defense.”Characteristics of CulturevCulture Is Not Innate;It Is Learned.vCulture Is Transmitted from Generation to Generation.vCulture Is Base
16、d on Symbols.vCulture Is Subject to Change.vCulture Is an Integrated System.vCulture Is Ethnocentric.Culture Is Transmitted from Generation to GenerationvIf a culture is to endure,it must make certain that its crucial messages and elements are not only shared,but are passed on to future generations.
17、In this way,the past becomes the present and helps prepare for the future.Characteristics of CulturevCulture Is Not Innate;It Is Learned.vCulture Is Transmitted from Generation to Generation.vCulture Is Based on Symbols.vCulture Is Subject to Change.vCulture Is an Integrated System.vCulture Is Ethno
18、centric.Culture Is Based on SymbolsvThe mind,books,pictures,films,religious writings,videos,computer accessories,and the like enable a culture to preserve what it deems to be important and worthy of transmission.vThe most important symbolic aspect of culture is language.Characteristics of CulturevCu
19、lture Is Not Innate;It Is Learned.vCulture Is Transmitted from Generation to Generation.vCulture Is Based on Symbols.vCulture Is Subject to Change.vCulture Is an Integrated System.vCulture Is Ethnocentric.Culture Is Subject to ChangevCultures are highly adaptive.vAlthough many aspects of culture are
20、 subject to change,the deep structure of a culture resists major alterations.Characteristics of CulturevCulture Is Not Innate;It Is Learned.vCulture Is Transmitted from Generation to Generation.vCulture Is Based on Symbols.vCulture Is Subject to Change.vCulture Is an Integrated System.vCulture Is Et
21、hnocentric.Culture Is an Integrated SystemvThe civil rights movement in the United States,which began in the 1960s has brought about changes in housing patterns,discrimination practices,educational opportunities,the legal system,career opportunities,and even communication.This one aspect of culture
22、has altered American attitudes,values,and behaviors.Characteristics of CulturevCulture Is Not Innate;It Is Learned.vCulture Is Transmitted from Generation to Generation.vCulture Is Based on Symbols.vCulture Is Subject to Change.vCulture Is an Integrated System.vCulture Is Ethnocentric.Culture Is Eth
23、nocentricvSumner defined ethnocentrism as the technical name for the view of things in which ones own group is the center of everything,and all others are scaled and rated with reference to it”.Nature of CulturevCulture is like an iceberg.Intercultural CommunicationvSamovar et al.defines it as“commu
24、nication between people whose cultural perceptions and symbol systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event”.Communication betweenva Chinese and an American,va Canadian and a South African,va male and a female,va father and a son,va person from Beijing and one from Tibet,va Chinese of Han nationality and a Chinese Mongolian,va first-generation Chinese American and a third-generation one,va student from Hong Kong and a teacher from Xian,va software technician and a farmer,etc.
