MODULE 8 Elements of Culture Learning Objectives LO 8-1 Define language and describe its influence on culture. LO 8-2 Distinguish between norms and values and identify examples of sanctions for formal and informal norms. LO 8-3 Discuss the differences in values concepts for global cultural war and clash of civilizations. LO 8-4 Analyze culture and the dominant ideology using the major sociological perspectives. Module Outline 64 CHAPTER THREE Culture LO 8 8-1 1 R Role of Language Language is one of the major elements of culture. It is also an important component of cultural capital. Recall from Chapter 1 that Pierre Bourdieu used the term cultural capital to describe noneconomic assets, such as family background and past educational investments, which are reflected in a person’s knowledge of language and the arts. Members of a society generally share a common language, which facilitates day-today exchanges with others. When you ask a hardware store clerk for a flashlight, you don’t need to draw a picture of the instrument. You share the same cultural term for a small, portable, battery-operated light. However, if you were in England and needed this item, you would have to ask for an electric torch. Of course, even within the same society, a term can have a number of different meanings. In the United States, pot signifies both a container that is used for cooking and an intoxicating drug. In this section we will examine the cultural influence of language, which includes both the written and spoken word and nonverbal communication. LANGUAGE: WRITTEN AND SPOKEN Seven thousand languages are spoken in the world today—many more than the number of countries. For the speakers of each one, whether they number 2,000 or 200 million, language is fundamental to their shared culture. The English language, for example, makes extensive use of words dealing with war. We speak of “conquering” space, “fighting” the “battle” of the budget, “waging war” on Role of Language Language: Written and Spoken Nonverbal Communication Norms and Values Norms Values Global Culture War Sociological Perspectives on Culture
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