SOCL 2001 Lecture : Lecture Notes 5
Document Summary
Culture: (language and culture directly related) a system of ideas, beliefs, knowledge, norms, customs and technology; way of life. Ideas- nonmaterial: beliefs- nonmaterial, knowledge-nonmaterial, norms-nonmaterial, customs-nonmaterial, technology-material. Culture is different from one society to another. Symbols: something that is used to represent something else, such as a word, gesture, or object used to represent some aspect of the world. Language: most important symbol and most important aspect of culture, understanding language is the only way to communicate effectively with another"s culture. Sapir-whorf hypothesis: language is not a container of our thoughts, language defines our thoughts, dictates how we see the world. Exp: in japan they use written language they borrowed from china, one group of symbols can have multiple meanings. Eskimos have 21 terms for different types of snow. Norms: formal and informal rules of conduct and social expectations for behavior. Prescriptive norms: tell people what they should do. Folkways: customary ways we fallow without any consequences.
