Language precedes thought Language is not a given Language is culturally determined Language may color how we see the world Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf

Elements of Culture • Important component of cultural capital • The term cultural capital refers to non-financial social assets that promote social mobility beyond economic means. Examples can include education, intellect, style of speech, dress, or physical appearance This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA Role of Language: One of the major elements of culture • Facilitates day-to-day exchanges • Includes both the written and spoken word and nonverbal communication Language: Written and Spoken • Language: abstract system of word meanings and symbols for all aspects of culture Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis • • • • Language precedes thought Language is not a given Language is culturally determined Language may color how we see the world Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf (1930) • In the 1930s, two anthropologists, became intrigued when they noticed that the Hopi Indians of the southwestern United States had no words to distinguish among the past, the present, and the future. • English, in contrast as well as French, Spanish, Swahili, and other languages distinguishes carefully among these three time frames. • Language not only expresses our thoughts and perceptions but also shapes the way we think and perceive. When we learn a language, we learn not only words but also ways of thinking and perceiving How language shapes social reality • Cancer or Loo Doo na’dziihii -a sore that does not go away • Menopause Nonverbal Communication • Nonverbal communication: use of gestures, facial expressions, and other visual images to communicate • Learned • Differs by culture • Symbols: gestures, objects, and words that form basis of human communication Nonverbal Communication and Culture Cultural Variation • Cultures adapt to meet specific circumstances • level of technology and population • Groups within a single nation develop cultural patterns that differ from those of the dominant society Subcultures • Subculture: segment of society that shares distinctive pattern of mores, folkways, and values that differs from larger society • A subculture may develop an argot, a specialized language that distinguishes a subculture from the wider society Sub culture & counter-culture Countercultures • Counterculture: subculture that conspicuously and deliberately opposes certain aspects of the larger culture • Typically thrive among the young • Counterterrorism experts concerned about growth of ultraconservative militia groups Culture Shock • Occurs when someone feels disoriented, uncertain, out of place, or fearful when immersed in an unfamiliar culture • People tend to take for granted cultural practices of their society Theoretical perspectives • Functionalism • Conflict theorist • Symbolic interactionist Sociological Perspectives on Culture • Functionalists maintain that social stability requires a consensus and the support of society’s members; strong central values and common norms provide that support • Conflict theorists argue that common culture serves to maintain the privileges of certain groups Structural functionalist analysis of Culture Structural-functional theory proposes that culture functions as the structure in society that exists to meet human needs. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA • For example, our culture gives our lives meaning and direction, giving us cues for what to do and how to live. It encourages us to work together to find resources to help us survive and to make connections with other people who provide care and comfort. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Culture – How Norms are generated? This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA What does it have to do with culture? •

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