Tuesday April 14, 2015 CULTURE

WARM-UP: Friend… People have friends in every language! Can you match the written form of “friend” on the left to the language it is written in on the right? 1.Ami 2.Freund 3.Tomodachi ( 友達 ) 4.Amicus 5.Prijatelj 6.Venn 7.Chingu ( 친구 ) 8.Amigo 9.Друг 10.Arkadaşı a)Norweigan b)Japanese c)Turkish d)French e)Russian f)Latin g)German h)Spanish i)Serbian j)Korean

THE GREAT LANGUAGE GAME!  It would be impossible for us to explore every living language…  What if we were faced with sounds from just 80 of the world’s 7,106 languages – could we recognize them?  Let’s see…  The Great Language Game The Great Language Game

 When studying a world language, we frequently talk about culture.  In your opinion, what does the word culture refer to? WHAT IS CULTURE?

 Views on Culture Views on Culture  Made up of products, practices, and perspectives.  The customs, arts, social institutions and achievements of a particular nation, people, or social group.  The attitudes and behavior characteristic of particular social group. CULTURE IS…

 There is subculture!  Subculture is…  An ethnic, regional, economic, or social group exhibiting characteristic patterns of behavior sufficient to distinguish it from others within an embracing culture or society. WHERE THERE IS CULTURE…

 The American culture encompasses the language (English), shared beliefs (Right to free speech), and traditions (Fourth of July) that set them apart from other cultures.  The Mexican-American subculture shares these same characteristics, but possesses others that may set them apart from some other Americans.  Holidays  Food  Beliefs FOR EXAMPLE…

 Sometimes we may not think that we belong to a specific culture, or it is hard for us to identify what that culture is.  Actually, just by virtue of being a human being, you automatically have a culture!  No one in the world is exactly like me.  I have many things in common with the members of my family and community.  Every person in the world needs some of the same things I need. DO I HAVE A CULTURE?

 On your handouts on Culture, you will find a series of topics. First, write a sentence or phrase about each one of the topics and how they relate to you.  Next, rank them in order of importance to you. 1 is the most important, and 10 is the least important. SO WHAT IS MY CULTURE?

 What is the difference between culture and subculture?  Give an example of a cultural PRODUCT.  Give an example of a cultural PRACTICE.  Give an example of a cultural PERSPECTIVE. WARM-UP

 Now that you have finished determining your own culture, share what you have written with the people around you and see how your answers compare.  When you identified aspects of your culture, how were your answers similar to or different from your partner’s?  How do you think your answers would compare to children your age throughout the world? SO WHAT IS MY CULTURE?

 Sometimes culture is hard to pinpoint because it is not just who we are on the outside that defines our culture, it is also who we are on the inside.  In fact, culture is often compared to an Iceberg, in that there are visible and invisible aspects of a person’s culture.  Most cultural aspects are invisible, or below the water line (90%).  The remaining culture aspects are visible, or above the water line (10%).  What do we think those cultural aspects are? WHAT IS CULTURE REALLY?

THE CULTURAL ICEBERG

 Imagine that you preparing someone for a first-time visit to the United States from another country.  How would you describe American culture to them? In your opinion, what makes up American culture?  Our nation is made up of people who have immigrated here from all over the world! What is it like for some of those people when they first encounter American culture? THE CULTURE OF OUR NATION

SUDAN BOYS IN PITTSBURG

 If we were to construct the “Cultural Iceberg” of the United States, what would it look like? Draw your iceberg on a piece of paper for your warm-up and turn it in when you have finished. WARM UP

 What did the boys from Sudan encounter in the United States that was unusual for them?  Judging from how they reacted to certain things, what can you infer about Sudanese culture? COMING TO AMERICA

 Sometimes people experience culture shock when encountered with places that are extremely different from those they are used to.  However, sometimes, we unfairly associate people with beliefs that are not always true.  Listen to what these people from England have to say about their perception of the United States and Americans.  English views on Americans English views on Americans  What do we call the perceptions these British people have about Americans?  Stereotypes. A Stereotype is…  A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.  An assumption or generalization about a person based on their culture, or about a culture in general. HOW DO OTHER NATIONS SEE US?

CountryStereotypes China Australia Italy Russia Mexico STEREOTYPES

 Cultural differences do not indicate superiority or inferiority.  Cultural differences equate to variety, and variety is the spice of life!  Can you imagine how boring the world would be if we were all exactly the same?  Do you have any cultural experiences of your own that you would like to share? LAST BUT NOT LEAST…