An
Introduction to
Group 1
Culture
Instructor: Dr. Nguyen
Thi Thu
Member
s: Phan Kim Thanh
Nguyễn Thu Uyên
Văn Thị Thanh Trúc
Võ Ngọc Yến Như
Nguyễn Đan Vy
Content
: I. Anecdote: “What is the real
answer?”
II. Theory: What research tells us
III. Practice: What activities show us
Anecdote: “What is
the real answer?”
Culture: Language - Ethnicity -
Habits of mind
-Ways of interacting - Norms of
CROSSING CULTURES:
politeness.
+how culture shapes.
+how we see and interpret the
world
+how understanding of the various
cultural constructs.
Discussion of Key
-react and interpret situations
Issues
based on our own cultural
“eyes”.
->our cultural influeces and
-preconceptions and
conditioning.
attitudes may lead us to
misunderstand,
misinterpret, be completely
unaware of a sensitive or
Discussion of Key
Issues
-cannot all excepts to become
experts in every culure that differs
from our own.
->try to list all the differences
among cultures.
->better observers of our own
behavior.
->better recognize where potential
Chapter
1:-The issue of culture in shaping our
behavior, attitudes, and perceptions of
the world.
-The definition of culture, different
aspects of culture, and the relationship
What is culture?
-beliefs, values, norms, behaviors,
customs, language, rituals,..
-the way of life: traditions, rituals,
social habits.
-a group of people, from
generation to generation within a
community
How does culture
influence behavior?
-determines how we interact with
others, communication styles, attitudes
to work and family, responses to various
situations.
-provides a framework for
acceptable behavior in a
particular society or group.
What are some of the central
beliefs and values of your
culture?
-Cuisine: Pho, Banh mi,..
-Traditional clothing: ao dai
-Festival: Lunar New Year, Mid-
Autumn,
-Religious practices: Ancestor
worship, Buddhism,..
II. Theory: What Research tells
us 1.The Concept of Culture
2.Defining Culture
3.Elements of Culture
4.Language and Linguistic Relativity
5.Language and Culture
6.Teaching and Learning
Connections
The Concept of
culture
-Culture is pervasive, all-encompassing, and
inescapable.
-> images, messages -> receive and transmit -
> shaped by our culture.
-Culture is considered as the framework and
the context for a group of people -> to
understand and interpret the world.
The Concept of
Culture
• Theoretical
linguistics
• Applied • Physical anthropology
linguistics • Cultural
anthropology
• Sociology
• Anthropological
• Psychology
linguistics
• Communication
The field of Linguistics
Theoretical Applied linguistics:
linguistics: -language in its social
-the deep structure of context as used by
language. speakers.
-the more abstract and
Anthropology
-human culture-
Cultural anthropology
Physical -human societies around
anthropology the world.
• Language - Culture
-the biological aspects • Culture - Personality
of humankind. • The process of social
change - Acculturation
Applied linguistics: Anthropological
-language in its social linguistics:
context as used by -understanding the
speakers. meaning in
communicative
->they are closely related fields that have
interactions within
significantly impacted each other.
Sociology
-human behavior-
Early 1970s, it influenced in theoretical positions
of anthropologist and linguists (basic concept as
language, culture, and communication)
Variables: age, sex, Areas: social
attitude, motivation organizations,
->important elements descriptions of social
in studies on language. groups, social
Psycholog
y
-human perception - evaluation -
personality - cognitive-
• how society or culture -> affect personality,
motivation, attitude.
• the individual speaker’s personality -> with
perception, attitudes, motivation
• how sociocultural variables -> affect human
Communicat
ion & social context -
-perception - physical
interaction - feedback - cross-cultural
variations-
• to gain knowledge and understanding of the
many factors.
• is viewed as a process where forming and
maintaining meaningful interactions between
Defining culture
• Culture is a broad concept, complex and exists
in every aspects of human society.
• According to Hofstede (1980), culture was not only
an individual trait but also viewed as a
“collective mental programming" shared by
people in the same environment.
Language and
Culture
Definition of Culture
• The shared ideas, practices, beliefs, and values
• It is reflected in common traits like language,
behaviors, and worldviews but difference among
individuals and subcultures
Enculturation
• Definition: it is a process that each individuals learn
and internalize their culture's values, ideas, worldviews,
and actions.
• Mechanism: this process happens unconsciously
through family, friends, schools, workplaces, social
media
• Role of Culture: help shape the way people
perceive, interpret, react and know the world.
Enculturation
• Types of
Culture:
+ Big "C" culture: art, literature, and cuisine.
+ Small "c" culture: values, attitudes, and beliefs.
Enculturation
Pike (1954)
Emic Etic
insider's outsider's
perspective perspective
comprehending cultural analyzing from a broader,
components from within the more objective perspective,
culture. finding general characteristics
or comparisons.
Stages elements of
Beliefs
culture
• Ideas and convictions that people hold to be true.
• Cultural beliefs play an important role in determining
reality and social expectations.
• Individuals may have different beliefs, they often have
relatively similar beliefs.
Ex: In Japan, giving gifts is considered a symbol of everyday
life
Stages elements of
Values
culture
• Abstract standards of what is good, right, or important,
influencing individual behavior in cultural contexts.
• They have evaluative dimensions that regulate behavior and
guide decision-making.
Ex: In Western countries such as the United States and Canada,
living together without legal connections is becoming more
popular
Stages elements of
Norms
culture
• Formal norms (mores): managing socially, culturally
acceptable behaviors, and enforce laws with penalties for
violations
Ex: respecting private property, laws protect for the child girl.
• Informal norms (folkways): other less strict regulations,
and only light penalties if violated
Ex: Table manners, avoiding loud music late at night
Stages elements of
Taboos
culture
• Taboos define permissible and impermissible behaviors
+ Strong: murder, incest
+ Weakness: in the Muslim religion, the people cannot eat pork
Stages elements of
culture
Attitudes
• Emotional responses to objects, ideas, and people, shaped
by cultural context.
• Cultural attitudes significantly impact communication and
can cause misunderstandings in cross-cultural contexts
Language and linguistic
relativity
• Language and culture are closely related and influence each
other. Language affects people's worldview, and culture
shapes the way they communicate and perceive the world.
• According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, language and
thought are so closely linked that a speaker's perception
of the outside world is influenced by their language.
Language and linguistic
• relativity
Language forces speakers to express themselves in a
certain way, thereby forming unique "thinking habits".
• Native language may affect thinking but does not completely
limit individuals from receiving or recognizing other points of
view.
• Language mirrors and influences culture, shaping thought
processes. However, it does not entirely determine how people
perceive the world.
Language and
Culture
Definition of Language
• A structured system of communication.
• As a medium for sharing information.
• Shaping how individuals perceive and interact
with the world.
The relationship between
language and culture
Every verbal message is shaped by
Language is not just a tool for
• cultural assumption
communication
• norms
• practices of the speaker's
=> It is a reflection of the
community
speaker’s cultural
=> making language an
background and unique
inseparable part of culture.
experiences.
Frames of Reference in
Language
• Provides its speakers with a unique set
of "frames of reference."
• Include the ways people perceive,
categorize, and interpret.
• Within a culture through enculturation
For example: A person raised in a Western
culture may prioritize directness, while a person
from an Asian culture may value politeness and
harmony.
Cultural Assumptions and Their
Role in Communication
• Misunderstandings in cross-cultural
communication.
• Share the same cultural and linguistic
norms.
For example, conversational practices such as
how to greet, express politeness, or disagree vary
greatly across cultures and can lead to confusion
when misinterpreted.
The Importance of Cultural
Awareness in Communication
• Effective cross-cultural communicators
recognize the relationship.
• Identify potential amit that might arise
misunderstandings .
• Explain and resolve these
misunderstandings.
Enculturation and Norms of
Interaction
• Expose individuals to specific
norms of social and communicative
behaviors.
• These norms vary from one culture
to another.
Practical Implications and
Applications
Activities like "Draw Me!" are tools to help participants experience
and understand the challenges of cross-cultural communication.
A person from a Western
A person from a Southeast
culture (Culture A) is required
Asian culture (Culture B) will
to describe a house.
draw a house based on that
Description:
description.
"Draw a simple house with a
Results:
triangular roof, a window in the
“The person drawing can form
middle, a door below the
a stilt house (influenced by
window, and a chimney on the
local architecture)”
roof."
Teaching and learning
connections
Impact of Native Language and Culture:
• A person's native language and culture
=> shape their understanding of a new
culture.
• Influenced by the worldviews, beliefs,
assumptions, and presuppositions.
Role of Teachers in Cultural
Awareness
• Helping students recognize the effect of
the culture.
• Foster tolerance and acceptance of
different perspectives.
Importance of Cultural
Awareness
Cultural awareness is vital for:
• addressing communication
difficulties between people from
divergent cultures.
• opposing beliefs, values, norms, and
attitudes.
Kramsch's Perspective on Teaching
Culture:
• Consider both the native language
and the new culture in their own
contexts.
• Explore students’ responses to
cultural phenomena without
imposing their own interpretations.
The ICF Principles
Teachers should adhere to the three principles of the ICF
(Intercultural Communicative Framework)
• Relativity of Perspectives: cultural perspectives and
individual experiences and social contexts.
• Critical Cultural Awareness: evaluate and reflect on one’s
own culture and those of others.
• Mediation of Understanding: facilitate understanding
between people of different cultures.
Questions for Study and
Discussion
The authors distinguish between Culture written with a capital C and culture written
with a lowercase c, and they provide examples of what is meant by each term. What
additional examples of subjective culture can you include? What makes these examples
part of subjective culture?
Subjective culture refers to the
Example: Some cultures (e.g.,
aspects of culture, including
Finnish or Japanese) value silence
values, beliefs, attitudes,
as a form of respect or reflection,
norms, and customs. This
whereas others (e.g., Italian or
contrasts with Culture (with a
American) may find silence
capital C), which refers to
uncomfortable and fill it with
cultural artifacts like
conversation.
literature, art, music, and
monuments.
Questions for Study and
Discussion
Discuss this statement: "Culture is a set of lenses through which we
see the world." What examples can you provide from your own
experience?
The statement emphasizes that Example: In Southern Europe,
culture shapes how we perceive, punctuality is so relaxing with social
interpret, and respond to our events starting much later than
environment. It means that how scheduled. This contrasted with the
we see light and color, culture upbringing in a culture where
influences our worldview, values, punctuality was strictly
behaviors, and interactions with emphasized.
others.
III. PRACTICE
A. Defining culture :
Which problems did
your group
encounter in trying
to agree on one
definition?
B. Class Begins
Purpose Work in
How daily routines
are controlled by group:
sets of rules and “How do you
how these rules know when
are different
class begins?
Are the “rules" for the beginning of
class explicit or implicit ?
Both Explicit:
“Be started when the bell rings”
“Have your materials and homework out rea
for review?”
Implicit:
+Can be learned through observation,
teachers’ behavior
+Keep quite when teacher enter the class
C. Our eyes deceive
us
Purpose
PICTURE
Emphasize how
Keep secret
ILLUSTRATION
our perspective
about your
is affected by
picture. (work in
prior experiences
group)
Which image do you see first when you saw this image?
“We interpret the world not the way it
necessarily is
Etics
of
Culture
Emics
of
Culture
D. Emics & Etics of
Culture
EMI ETIC
the point of view of the the point of view of
C
people who use the people who do not
language or live in the use the language or
culture who live outside the
culture
E. VALUES
• Duration
15-20 mins on the first day
10-15 mins on next day
• Purpose
Help raise awareness about the role of
culture in shaping a person’s value
system.
Procedure
Procedure
Preparat Full Group
Sharing
ion
Value
Discuss Eliminatio
Values
Individua n
Class
l Ranking Discussion
Homework
Value
Assignmen Addition
t
Small Final
Group Discussion
Compariso
F. SHARED BACKGROUNDS
• Duration
15-20 minutes
• Purpose
To raise awareness of how culture and
personal preferences shape individuals.
Generate
Preferences
Form Pairs
Create Lists
Procedure
Draw Circles
Full Group
Comparison
Discuss
G. REACTIONS
• Duration
15-20 minutes
• Purpose
To explore the relationship between
culture, language, and meaning.
Procedure
Group
Discussion Share Identify
& Response Patterns
Record s
Responses
H. DRAW ME!!!
• Duration
20 - 25 minutes
• Purpose
Demonstrate the impact of prior knowledge
and expectations on communication.
Explore the challenges faced in intercultural
or foreign language contexts where non-
Procedure
Setup Give Instruction Discuss
• Divide into Describe how Share your
to draw it thoughts and
pairs
• Sit back-to- without feelings about
back revealing the the activity.
Provide image. Execution
activity Allow the pairs
•supplies
Drawer: to engage in the
paper, activity
After 5-10m,
• pencil
Describer: display the
IV. Suggested
Emics and Etics of Culture
projects
-prepare a poster presentation
-introduce them to big C and
small c culture
->understanding the emic and
etic ways of examining culture.
IV. Suggested
projects
Research work on linguistic
relativity
-focus on specific aspects:
naming categories, the
perception of color, the role of
grammatical gender, verb
-a more general
sentence position,.. presentation on
contrsting viewpoints: write a
report, make diagram, graphic
organizer, create a poster,..
IV. Suggested
projects
Make connections between theory
and practice:
-What evidence do you see of
different cultural expectations
and practices?
-How are these impacting the
classroom learning
environment?
V. Internet
Resources
-TED Talks
-Pelligrino Riccardi: a popular speaker who uses a
great deal of humor.
-Saba Safdar: a more serious approach for this
chapter.
-Cognitive styples: a great deal of research
-Geert Hofstede: a well-known expert on culture.
and discussion.
“east vs west cognitive styles”.
Thank You
