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Culture as Ways of Thinking, Beliefs and Values

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Culture is, first of all, perceptions concerning our system of values, our ways of thinking, our beliefs, our psychological orientations. Intercultural understanding is therefore the ability to understand the perceptions concerning one’s own culture and the perceptions of the people who belong to another culture, and the capacity to negotiate between the two.

The Greek philosopher Socrates had chosen for himself the following maxim: “ gnôthi seauton,” “Know Thyself.” The same is true for intercultural understanding. The first step for intercultural understanding is to have a clear idea about one’s own culture and about our personal perceptions of this culture. This is not an easy task, however. Perceptions about one’s culture are mostly unconscious. When asked to describe one’s culture, a person might have very vague answers or often provide certain social generalizations which are stereotypes about one’s culture. There are two important facts concerning perceptions of one’s culture:

First, nations are not culturally homogeneous, individuals in a nation might have different perceptions about their culture. These perceptions will vary according to social class, age, education, gender, experiences in life and many other factors.

Second, cultures are not static, they change constantly. These two facts are true for all cultures. Does this mean that it is practically impossible to find out the perceptions a person has about her or his own culture or the perceptions a person of a different culture holds about her or his own culture?

No, it is quite possible through questioning, debates, discussions, reflective writing about one single cultural aspect, thus allowing the person to reflect about her or his own perception about one cultural aspect, often linked to other aspects of the culture.

Thus, the door to one’s perception of one’s culture has been opened. The types of questions and discussions in this approach will vary according to the age and background of students. Let’s say that we are dealing with university students. If a student or a person of another culture is present, this is an ideal situation because that person can also answer the same question and then a lively discussion can take place. When it is not possible, however, answers for a question can be found in books dealing with a variety of cultures. Here are some examples of questions that students have to answer, and statements they have to qualify: 1/ strongly agree, 2/ agree, 3/ no opinion, 4/ disagree, or 5/ strongly disagree:

· Men in my country usually expect women to prepare and serve food. __________

· A married man should help around the house, doing cleaning, ironing and cooking. __________

· In my country, it is common for a man to give up his seat to a woman on public transport. __________

· In my country, it is not typical for women to speak their minds and contradict men. __________

· Should both husband and wife contribute to the household income? ___________

· Is it normal “going Dutch” (when each pays half of the costs) when a man and a woman go out? __________

· If a man and a woman are having dinner together, is it OK for the woman to pay the bill? __________

· Is it OK for a man to give a woman a pat on the backside to show he likes her? __________

· Is it proper for a man to hold a door open for a woman? __________

· Whenever a mixed group of people (male/female) come together the men always sit together. __________

· If you are a student at school and you received a mark that seemed not to reflect your knowledge, is it proper to talk to the teacher about it? __________. Is it proper in your country?

· If children do well at school, parents should reward them with a present or pocket money. __________

· Students treat what the teachers and textbooks teach as something final and unquestionable. __________. Do they in your country?

· Faithfulness is the most important factor for a successful marriage. __________

· In English, the terms stewardess (or steward for men) have been replaced with the gender-neutral term “flight attendant.” ____________. Can you give examples of such changes in your language?

These are only a few examples. Statements and questions could be prepared dealing with all aspects of life, but only one cultural aspect at a given time. After discussions, students can be asked to do some reflective writing, for instance, describe what YOU think of marriage. It is quite possible that students of the same culture have different perceptions about several cultural aspects. Pictures and videos showing daily life scenes of people (for instance, ways of greeting between two men, two women or between a man and a woman) from one’s country and other countries are also excellent indirect ways to start fascinating discussions about differences in cultures and students’ reactions about these differences. This approach is the first step to the understanding of one’s perception about one’s culture and absolutely essential for apprehending the perceptions of a person of another culture, that is, intercultural understanding and communication.

3. Culture as Language: The Close Link Between Language and Culture

It is quite evident that the teaching and learning of a second language could be an excellent way to access another culture and therefore to improve intercultural understanding and communication. This, however, is possible only if this learning and teaching begin with the idea that language and culture learning are fundamentally interrelated and that this interrelationship constitutes the centre of the teaching and learning processes. A language is a window into the culture of people speaking this language. For instance, the teaching of personal pronouns I and You in languages like French, German, Spanish, and Japanese is an excellent opportunity to enter various aspects of the cultures of these languages, such as the social relations between two persons talking together: How well do they know each other? Is one superior to the other because of age, sex, position, or the social group to which one belongs?

In these languages, there are choices of personal pronouns which have to be selected according to the reference points mentioned earlier. In French, for You, tu or vous, in German, du or Sie, in Spanish, tu or usted.

In Japanese, for I, (to mention only a few) ore, boku, watakushi, watashi, for You, omae, kimi, anata (Saint-Jacques, 1971). In the English language, the speaker does not have to worry about these various points of reference: the personal pronouns I, and You are the only pronouns. However, in these other languages, the teaching of these pronouns provides a unique opportunity to observe language as an essential and closely integrated element of social behavior. In these languages, the wrong choice of pronouns can have disastrous effects for the speaker. Recently, a German driver who was arrested for speeding was so mad that he forgot the basic rules of pronouns in his mother tongue: the pronoun du is not to be used with people who are not close friends. He was fined for using du to the officer who arrested him!

Intercultural learning involves developing an understanding of one’s own language and culture in relation to an additional language and culture. Traditional language teaching and learning with the sole emphasis on phonetics and syntax cannot produce speakers who have acquired some understanding of one’s own language and culture in relation to an additional language and culture— necessary conditions for intercultural understanding and communication.

Moreover, there is also another important reason to link the teaching and learning of a language together with the culture of the people speaking this language. To learn a language, whether it is a first or second language, two basic conditions are essential: motivation and the opportunity to use this language.

These two facts are closely related to each other, if there is no opportunity to use a language, motivation also ceases to exist, that is, the learner’s motivation to learn the language will become weaker and eventually disappear. The opportunity or necessity to use a language is a fundamental law of language learning. A language which is not used for frequent communication will slowly disappear, first on the active level, speaking and writing, and eventually on the passive level, listening and reading. Does it mean that the teaching and learning of a second language is a waste of time?

The various benefits of second language learning usually identified in the defense of language education fall into two categories: (1) the practical and tangible benefits of being able to communicate in a second language, and (2) the broader benefits of expanding one’s intellectual experience, the improvement of cross-cultural awareness and a better understanding of other cultures. A language is like a window to the world of another culture (Saint-Jacques, 2006). Even if a person loses the active and even the passive knowledge of a second language, the learning of this language is a very enriching and beneficial process.

Sakuragi (2006), in a recent paper, gives the example of second language teaching in the United States: “While the practical benefits of language learning in the United States are sometimes questioned due to the increasing dominance of English in international communication, the argument that language study helps students develop a sense of being a ‘world citizen’ remains cogent”. There are many second language learners who will never become fluent in their second language because of the lack of opportunity to use the language for communication. Even for them, in the cultural perspective, the study of languages is very beneficial.

There are many countries in the world where a great majority of citizens does not have the necessity or opportunity to use another language for communication.

The learning of languages, however, is part of the curriculum in schools and universities because it can provide students with a better understanding of other cultures as well as their own culture.

REVISION: MAIN TOPIC AND SUBTOPICS, TEXT ORGANIZATION, MAKING INFERENCES, EXPLICATION OF SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Instruction: This is another revision unit in which you should combine all skills you have mastered in the preceding nine units. You will have to start with identifying the main idea, the main topic, or the main purpose of the text. Then follows the task of deciding if headings match with paragraphs or sections, and identifying if sections relate to definite topics. Basing on circumstantial evidence, inferences and vocabulary in context you will have to look into specific information given in the text.

Step 1. Survey the text. The list of headings will give you some clues to help you quickly understand what each part of the text is about. Step 2. Skim-read each paragraph. Every paragraph deals with a specific aspect of a topic. The first sentence of a paragraph may tell you what the rest of the paragraph is about. Therefore while trying to identify the main idea of a paragraph, you should read the first sentence and skim the rest of the paragraph.

Task: Scan the text for key words

This title How to teach multicultural communication can help you realise that key words must concern intercultural communication which cannot be learned without intercultural understanding. E.g., in paragraph 3 it is possible to point out the following key words: learning languages, understanding cultures, cultural perspective. Follow the three-step strategy to make finding key words easier.

Step 1. Make sure you know what you are looking for.

Step 2. Scan each paragraph for 5-10 key words. Do not read every word.

Step 3. Select 5-10 key words for the whole text.

Task:

· Basing on paragraph 1 give a definition of intercultural understanding.

· Basing on paragraph 1 explain why the “overt culture” is easily observable in the “iceberg model of culture”.

· Basing on paragraph 1 explain why the “covert culture” is below the waterline in the “iceberg model of culture”.

· Basing on paragraph 2 explain why Socrates’ maxim: “Know Thyself.” is true for intercultural understanding.

Answer the following questions:

· What is the main topic of the passage?

(A) Different meanings of cultures.

(B) Intercultural learning involves developing an understanding of one’s own language and culture in relation to an additional language and culture.

(D) A better understanding of cultures.

· What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) New approach to intercultural understanding.

(B) Intercultural understanding, which is based on the knowledge of culture.

(D) Lack of opportunity to use the language for communication.

· What is the author's attitude toward the opinion that it is practically impossible to find out the perceptions a person has about her or his own culture?

(A) He shares this position.

(B) He strongly disagrees.

(D) He doesn’t care.

· Where in the four sentences does the author discuss culture as ways of thinking: modes of perception, beliefs and values?

(A) When asked to describe one’s culture, a person might have very vague answers or often provide certain social generalizations which are stereotypes about one’s culture.

(B) Cultures are not static, they change constantly.

(C) Even if a person loses the active and even the passive knowledge of a second language, the learning of this language is a very enriching and beneficial process.

(D) Nations are not culturally homogeneous, individuals in a nation might have different ideas about their culture.

Collect specific information by pointing out groups of synonyms, semantic and thematic groups. Keep it in mind that vocabulary in context includes both single words (usually nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs) and two- or three-word phrases.

Read the passage: “Perceptions about one’s culture are mostly unconscious. When asked to describe one’s culture, a person might have very vague answers or often provide certain social generalizations which are stereotypes about one’s culture. There are two important facts concerning perceptions of one’s culture:

First, nations are not culturally homogeneous, individuals in a nation might have different perceptions about their culture. These perceptions will vary according to social class, age, education, gender, experiences in life and many other factors.

Second, cultures are not static, they change constantly.

These two facts are true for all cultures. Does this mean that it is practically impossible to find out the perceptions a person has about her or his own culture or the perceptions a person of a different culture holds about her or his own culture?

No, it is quite possible through questioning, debates, discussions, reflective writing about one single cultural aspect, thus allowing the person to reflect about her or his own perception about one cultural aspect, often linked to other aspects of the culture. Thus, the door to one’s perception of one’s culture has been opened..”

This passage is marked for semantically coupled expressionsn characterising perceptions:

Unconscious – vague; generalizations – stereotypes; not homogeneous – different (they vary); are not static – change; it is practically impossible – it is quite possible.

How do these expressions illustrate the author’s idea that the door the perception of culture has been opened?

Qualify the following questions and statements by marking that you 1/ strongly agree, 2/ agree, 3/ have no opinion, 4/ disagree, or 5/ strongly disagree: