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Linguistics Language and Culture 18Th March,2020 جامعة المنيا، كلية اﻷلسن ,Mini University, Faculty of Alsun لغة وحضارة، الفرقة الثانية دراسات عليا ، Language&culture , Pre-M.A.,2020 0202 المحاضر د.إيمان العيسوى Instructor Dr Eman Elesawy Linguistics Language and Culture 18th March,2020 ILOs (Intended Learning Objectives): *To understand the definition of culture *To Identify components of culture *To criticize and compare different definitions of culture Questions: 1*Based on your reading of the 5 articles, which are the basic elements of any cuture? SOME NOTES ON CULTURE There are a wide variety of definitions of 'culture': . A culture is a way of life shared by a large group of people . Culture is what is taught by a large group to its members . Culture is the filter through which we see 'reality' . A culture is a distinctive set of o manners (customs, practices, rules) o morals (values, beliefs, norms) o arts (visual, literary, performing, aural, etc) and o traditions including knowledge and history shared by a large group of people. It doesn't matter which definition you prefer, but it is important to remember that: • Culture describes the group, not the individuals in it; so, not all members of the group agree about manners, morals, arts and traditions, about what the lifestyle is, about what should be taught to the members of the group. For example, 'racing, rugby, and beer' and 'quarter-acre, half-pint, pavlova paradise' are expressions which have been used to describe New Zealand culture, but many New Zealanders are not interested in one or more of these aspects of New Zealand life. • Cultures are changing all the time, as they influence each other and respond to changes in the environment. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between cultures because there has been so much overlap due to interaction amongst the members. • Membership in a cultural group is based on your behaviour and beliefs, not on inherent characteristics such as actual age, gender, race, sexual practices, occupation, citizenship, etc.' Being a member of a culture means that you understand how and why the group acts as it does and you know enough to be able to operate competently within it yourself. Usually, people live within the cultures of which they 'appear' to be members. For example, most people aged between 13 and 19 prefer teenage language, dress codes, music, but some people in that age group prefer older or younger cultural lifestyles and some outside that age group adopt the teenage lifestyle - both of which may be very disconcerting to others who expect them to act according to their chronological age. • Culture is like an iceberg: what is visible (ways of eating, dressing, speaking, arts) is the relatively small part; the most important parts are not easily recognised (values, worldview, etc) • In society, some cultural groups have more power/authority than others, which encourages some people to learn/adopt those cultures. For example, some women have learned to operate within heterosexual men's culture because they are more likely to get good jobs that way; many Māori have adopted Pākeha culture. • Sub-cultures are smaller groups within a large culture. Nobody has ever defined how big a group has to be to constitute a culture or sub-culture, but usually either would include thousands rather than dozens of people. For example, New Zealand culture includes Māori, Pākeha, Pasifika and Asian cultures; Māori culture includes many iwi such as Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou, Kai Tahu; Pākeha culture includes people identifying as Irish, as Dutch, as Dalmatian, etc; Pasifika culture in New Zealand includes Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island cultures; and of course there are many different Asian cultures as well. Some of the large sub-cultures even have sub- cultures within them; for example, Christianity includes both Catholics and Protestants; Protestants include Presbyterians, Mormons, Methodists and so on. The Power of Culture: An Exploration of Collective Transformation GEORGIA KELLY CHESTER ARNOLD CONSCIOUSNESS, PASSION, & PURPOSE PASSION, CONSCIOUSNESS, 32 SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2006 • # 12 • SHIFT: AT THE FRONTIERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS “Hope remains only in the most difficult task of all: to reconsider everything from the ground up, so as to shape a living society inside a dying society.” —Albert Camus oes culture evolve? Or does society, established civilization, by its very structure, denies through unconscious social agreements, simply such a transformation.” D recycle the same patterns century after century To pursue personal transformation without being in updated packaging? Examining the social trends engaged in social transformation or to engage in social throughout recorded history,it would be easy to draw the transformation without a commitment to personal conclusion that we are creatures of a deterministic world. transformation is to continue a well-established cultural Cultures steeped in Social Darwinian cycles of war, pattern: dualism.The separation of body from soul, the conquest, and power struggles might be our fate as long personal from the political, the spiritual from the as humans inhabit the Earth.What is it in our cultural story material, all suggest that one area is more important than that recycles war, exploitation, and empire? What are the the other or should take precedence. Believing that unconscious social agreements that make these cycles all of creation is one is not the same as living as if we all but inevitable? are one.The former is a personal belief; the latter is the Every culture has stories about its origins and integration of theory and practice, or praxis. history.These stories weave together a cultural mythos, a way of making sense of the world by defining beliefs, CONFRONTING THE values, and appropriate behavior. Mythos provides the DOMINATOR MYTHOS foundation for cultural patterns and incorporates both conscious and unconscious social agreements that are passed Both Marcuse and evolutionary theorist Riane Eisler down from generation to generation. Although mythos identify a dominator system of social organization that has offers structure and meaning, it also confines and limits. prevailed throughout recorded history. The dominator If we wish to transform embedded patterns, we need to mythos, which also characterizes our current culture, understand our cultural stories and what needs they satisfy. supports authoritarian power structures and patriarchal Noam Chomsky,recently voted the world’s number one social values. It glorifies war, exploitation, and the con- public intellectual, says that the principles of language and quering of new frontiers. Rebellions and revolutions have moral judgment are part of the human condition. been followed by counter-revolutions and restorations.As These are innate abilities. But culture has an extraordinary historian Hannah Arendt put it, “The most radical influence on both language and moral judgment. revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the Undoing ingrained patterns is far more difficult than revolution.” As a society we have been trained in the many personal growth workshops would lead us to dominator mythos, and we have internalized dominator believe. Certain patterns we exhibit on a personal level are values and dominator methods of action. reinforced by the culture, so attempting to transform These values and methods are held in check by them becomes problematic in a society that is invested in conscious and unconscious social agreements. Three maintaining the old patterns. examples that bear exploration are (1) the belief that Philosopher and psychologist Herbert Marcuse war is part of human nature, (2) the selective memory of (1898–1979) claimed that the optimal development historical events, and (3) the role of hero. of a person’s potential or the realization of their individ- The agreement that war is an innate quality of human uality couldn’t be attained within our current culture. He nature serves the dominator system of social organization did not believe they were unattainable because of by maintaining a mythos about the inevitability of any human limitations or even because of limitations in war. Not only does war prop up ruling elites and expand psychological or spiritual methods, but because “the their economic opportunities, it also maintains a value SHIFT: AT THE FRONTIERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS • # 12 • SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2006 33 system that says might makes the relevant factor in societal right. Even if we don’t accept transformation is that it pro- the idea that war is part vides those frames of reference. of human nature, we are Knowing our own culture and influenced by it because it how we are captive within its pervades the entire culture. biases is a necessary step in Entertainment and propaganda learning how transformation reinforce this assumption on a takes place, whether we are daily basis. Cultural beliefs are talking about personal or social also held in check because transformation, our own or people want to fit in and someone else’s.Even our quest appear normal. Peer pressure for personal growth or spiritual and self-censorship thus development has arisen from a become other means of particular set of beliefs. How sustaining the status quo. does our culture influence the Selective memory of his- type of search we undertake? torical events is common to What beliefs in our mythos all cultures. Beliefs we hold morph into tenets of our new about our nation, our people, philosophy? Do we understand and our religious or ethnic that relationship? groups will determine how Another common agreement we construct a historical record in most cultures throughout that supports these beliefs. Some historical facts will be recorded history is the archetype of the hero. The omitted or glossed over, others will be embellished with belief is that heroes show us what is possible and inspire legend and larger-than-life heroes, and some will simply greatness. Often, heroes exalt some type of sacrifice for a not be seen.What we are capable of seeing or not seeing greater good.They also offer projection screens for us to reflects our relationship to the existing mythos, which also create idealized personas that we can honor, respect, fear, defines what we call “reality.” or adore.
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