. Microcultures

The Cultural Context

Characteristics of Microcultures  Physical or cultural trait  Membership is usually not voluntary  Generally practice endogamy  Awareness of subordinate status  Experience unequal treatment

Muted Group Theory  Suggests that the speech and writing of microcultural groups are not valued by the dominant cultural group.  In response, microcultural group members can:  Attempt to change the dominant mode of expression.  Create their own “private” language.

Examples of Microcultures  Asian Americans  African American  Hispanic/Latino  The Amish  Hmong  LGBT

Asian Americans  Size: nearly 6% of the U.S. population  Diversity as a microcultural group  Six dominant values held by most Asian Americans include:  collectivism  conforming to norms  emotional self-control  family recognition through achievement  filial piety  humility

Hispanic/Latino  Size—approximately 16% of the U.S. population.  Values—family and the Roman Catholic faith.  Language/Dialects—Spanish, Spanglish, Chicano English.  Stereotype: Machismo.

Spanglish  Lonchando  Frizando  El autopar  Guarejaus  Pisa Ho  Guendis  I’m lonchado. Can’t talk now.  Turn up the heat. Estoy frizando.  Take it to el autopar.  He stored it in the guarejaus.  Estoy hungry. Goin’ to Pisa Ho.  No yo. I like Guendis better.

African Americans  Size: approximately 13.6% of the U.S. population.  Language/Dialect: Ebonics, “call- and-response” communication pattern.  Cultural attitudes about Ebonics.

Black Language  Omission of final consonant  Past -> pas, hand -> han  ‘Th’ as ‘t’  Bath ->bat  Regular rules  Omit present tense ‘is’ and ‘are’  Pedro trippin. They all right.  But pronouce present tense ‘am’  Ahm walkin.  Use invariant ‘be’  Actions that occur regularly or habitually and not just once

The Hmong  Size—approximately 150,000 in the U. S.  History of the “free people” or “mountain people”  Family—grouped into clans.  Patrilineal.  Value arranged marriages.  Dialects -- Hmoob Dawb (White Hmong), Hmoob Ntsuab (Blue Hmong).  Nonverbal characteristics: paj ntaub, eye twitching.

Rap Vocabulary  Ace boon coon  All that  Bang  Cave boy  Coconut  Roll up  Tight  Best friend  Have good qualities  Fight or kill  White person  Latino  Arrive  Feel good

The Amish  Size—approximately 150,000 in the U.S.  Average of 7 children per family  Religion—Anabaptist  Isolation—do not serve in the military, pay Social Security taxes or serve on juries.  Do not receive social security, welfare or collect settlements.  Language—high German and low German (i.e. Pennsylvania Dutch)  Nonverbal communication through dress

LGBT  Most difficult of the microculture examples to characterize and define.  Gayspeak—serves three functions:  Protects against detection of sexual status  Facilitates expression of roles within gay culture  Vehicle for political identity and activism