Language, Culture, and identity Chapter 7

What is culture? Culture – culture is the manner in which people… Reason Interact Base society on Aspects of Culture: Individualism versus Collectivism Power Distance – status gap Uncertainty Avoidance – how people deal with uncertain situations Gender Role Differences Action Focus – “doing” versus “being” Space Distance – physical touch Time Orientation – time versus relationships Tightness – homogenous or diverse

Language, culture, and worldview Worldview – the way that one sees the world Metanarrative – how you see history Stereotype – oversimplification and blanket assumption Framing – how our worldview changes our perspective Linguistic Determinism – language and culture shapes ideas Language Relativity Your Worldview

What is happening?

What is happening?

Communities of Practice Communities of Practice – groups of people that share the same cultural attributes Mutual Engagement – everyone is engaged in the same thing Joint Enterprise – actions based on same understanding Shared Repertoire – using the same materials In Korea, are there many cultures or one culture? Is the culture of Seoul different than a countryside town?

Identity/Cultural shock Identity – how an individual sees himself Culture Shock – when identity is challenged based on interaction with another culture Acculturation – creation of new identity Social Distance – the distance between two cultures socially Attitudes – our ideas and emotions about other cultures What do you think about Japan? China? USA?

English as a world language English in recent years has become a global language World Englishes – English from different countries (nativization) USA UK Australia Canada South Africa Lingua Franca – which English is the right English? English as a Second Language (ESL) – learning inside English countries English as a Foreign Language (EFL) – learning outside English countries

Intercultural competence The ability to cross cultural lines Why should we teach intercultural competence? What is the importance of teaching intercultural competence? Inhibitions Ego Boundaries (thick or thin)