《新编跨文化交际英语教程》复习资料U2.doc

Unit 2 Culture and Communication Some Ideas Related to Culture and Communication 1. Various Definitions of Culture The word culture has numerous meanings. It is said that there are more than 150 definitions about culture. Culture was treated earlier as a complex whole of our social traditions and as a prerequisite for us to be a member of the society. Culture can be a set of fundamental ideas, practices, and experiences of a group of people that are symbolically transmitted generation to generation through a learning process. Culture may as well refer to beliefs, norms, and attitudes that are used to guide our behaviors and solve human problem. 2. Culture as a Way to Satisfy Human Needs a) the physiological needs b) the safety needs c) the belongingness needs d) the esteem needs e) the self-actualization needs  — Abraham Maslow, a psychologist 3. Culture as an Iceberg Culture is compared to an iceberg that one tenth of it is above the water and nine tenths is below the water. The part above water is the overt culture which can be seen clearly, while the part below water is the deep culture which is out of our awareness. 4. Characteristics of Culture a) Culture is holistic. This characteristic underscores the complex nature of culture. As a holistic system, an education system, a religious system, an association system, a political system, and so on, the various aspects of culture are closely interrelated. In other worlds, any change in a subsystem will affect the whole system. For example, the American Civil Rights Movement brought about changes in different facets of American culture and altered American attitude, values, and behaviors. b) Culture is acquired. We begin to consciously and unconsciously learn our culture in our early life through the process of socialization or enculturation. Interaction with family members and friends is the most common way for us to learn our culture. Other sources for learning our culture are schools, churc