Cross-cultural Understanding
Name Darwinto
Class TBI V b
Subject Cross-cultural Understanding
Lecture Supiah !"pd
#ow are Culture and Cultural $oles %c&uired' For some time second language and bilingual educators have been concerned between first and second language acquisition. The profession has learned a great deal about optimal second language learning condition from analyzing the process by which first language is naturally acquired and the optimal ages for acquisition. Perhaps similar advances in the area of cross-cultural learning or second culture acquisition can be made by analyzing the process by which first cultures are naturally acquired. This process will be analyzed from an empirical perspective and a philosophical one. Then the prime time for cultural acquisition will be discussed. %" (mpirical )erspecti*e
An analysis of how culture is transmitted and acquired across cultures acquired discloses three factors that might be expected !. "ulture is transmitted and acquired through all perceptual modes# verbally# as well as non-verbally$ %. "ulture is transmitted within an integrated context# i. e when signals through various senses or modes send the same message$ &. "ulture is transmitted gradually# through repeated exposure to similar stimuli or events. !ulti-modal Transmission o+ Culture
The use of multi-modes will be viewed as a means of transmitting and learning other aspects of culture# such as cultural roles# values and beliefs. Analysis of case studies in cultural anthropology discloses that multiples sensory modes are utilized in transmitting cultural learning. This idea will be referred to as 'multi% modal cultural transmission.( "ultural messages are transmitted through language# sound or rhythm itself# space# time# body movement# touch# taste# smell# sight# and even telepathy. a" (motion
)motion is a departure from the normal calm state of an organism of such nature as to include strong feeling# an impulse toward open action# and certain internal physical reactions. )motion plays in critical role in cultural$ transmission. *hile it is essential to the development of emotional attitude# it Page 1
Cross-cultural Understanding is also frequently stimulated in the transmission in cultural learning. "atharsis is often used to transmit
specific cultural learning as well as to promote the groups affiliation among members of such diverse groups in the +nited ,tates as the oly host sect# the sna/e handlers# and human potential training groups such as ),T and life spring. For example# during life spring basic training# participants engage a variety of activities which lead to catharsis. b" Sound
The transmission of culture verbally# through language# is widely recognized field of study. 0ess studied is the role of sound itself in transmitting cultural learning# apart from the verbal and paralinguistic messages that are often integrated with it. The use of rhythm# such as in the beating of drums# and music# with and without words# is part of most group rituals. 1uring initiation of Arunta# an A rican tribe# sound can be heard from the beating of logs on the ground. "ommunity singing is an important part of the church service of the utterites in 2orth A merica# as with many groups c" Space
"ulture is transmitted through the organization of space. The organization of space also transmits male and female roles. 3n a study of schooling in arlem# children who were accustomed to sharing space in tight home quarters were admonished for preferring to sit closely together. 45osenfeld#!67!8. "ulture is transmitted through the organization of space communal eating house and communal of housing arrangement of transit interdependence among the utterites. d" Time
Time is a period set apart in some way$ hence# variously# a spell# a moment# a generation# an age# an epoch# etc.% the organization of time also transmits cultural learning. For example# among the 9rsna devotees and the utterites there is a very rigid structuring of time which transmits an emphasis on the group and lac/ of individual decision-ma/ing. A ll of the phrases of the day:s activities are tightly scheduled.... the whole sequence of activities being imposed from above by a system of explicit formal rulings and a body of official 41aner# !67;8. e" Bod, !o*ement and Dance
Cross-cultural Understanding importance of group harmony and individuality. Frequently body movement is integrated with
messages sent through other modes. +" T ouch
Touch is to affect# to impress# to influence one:s sense# heart# mind# will# etc. 3t is difficult to separate touch from body movement$ the distinction is used only for discussion. Touch is frequently involved in transmitting culture and promoting affiliation among group members. "himpanzees in the wild gather together and physically embrace each other when an outside threat is perceived. g" Taste oods and ood Sharing
Taste is to perceive or recognize# as if by tasting$ to become acquainted with by trial# experience# participation# or a foretaste. As with the other modes# taste and eating play an important role in cultural transmission. 0i/e the other modes# food sharing transmits cultural messages. A cross cultures# holidays are mar/ed by eating special foods. 3n the +nited ,tates# tur/ey# ham and "hristmas pudding are associated with "hristmas$ )aster eggs and hot cross burn are a ssociated with )aster. h" % esthetic and Visual %dornment
A esthetics as expressed in the form of visual arts# decorations and adornments to one: s body# also plays an important role in transmitting and acquiring culture. 1ecorations and adornment provide visual stimulation through which cultural beliefs are transmitted and reinforced. For example# both of 1in/a of the ,udan and the utterites of 2orth America transmit cultural values in daily dress. For the 1in/a# the carnal body is something to be nurtured. ,ensuous beauty is highly valued. Fashion# cosmetics and general advertising industries in the +nited ,tates transmit a similar cultural importance on carnal beauty. For example# mil/ is advertised on billboards throughout the country# with a bathing beauty beside the slogan# '=il/ does a body good(.
Cultural Transmission and %c&uisition as an Integrated )rocess
The topic of cultural transmission> According to its current meaning of transfer process carrying cultural information from one generation to the next and the acquisition is the process of receiving the information from the transmission. *ith such a multi-modal# integrated context# it is not surprising that cultural transmission and
learning are
cultural transmission using multi-modal# integrated context
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effective. This is the
example
of
Cross-cultural Understanding The opi child# from the day of his birth# was being weaned from his biological mother. =any arms
gave him comfort# many faces smiled at him# and from very early ages he has given bits of food which were chewed by various members of the family and placed in his mouth. ,o for a opi# the outside world in which he needed to find satisfaction was never far away. e was not put in a room by himself and told to go to sleep$ every room was crowded by sleepers of all ages.. . his weaning then# was from the breast only# and as he was being weaned from the biological mother# he was at the same time in a situation which increased his emotional orientation toward the intimate in-group of the extended family > which was consistent with the interests of opi social structure 4 )ggan# !67;# p. &!78. 4=y italics8 3n the above example# independence is transmitted through an integrated set of multi-modal messages# including touch# taste and spatial arrangements. 3n this way independence becomes an unconscious emotional attitude as well as conscious value# transmitted through the total environment.
*e hear speech within a particular context# and we write things pertaining to a particular context. ?et such disconnected items which lac/ any authentic meaning are common to second and foreign language exercises in toolbox# as well as in recently developed computer software. =any texts include 'cultural notes( or discussions set apart from the language exercises. 3t is not uncommon to find a collection of discrete# unrelated topics about the target culture is in a potpourri or smattering of experiences# without any intentional interrelationship among them. First and second year language programs typically present some discrete item linguistic exercises# in which the items within exercises as well as across exercises switch from topic to topic some literature# some current affairs# some films and perhaps some recipes 45obinson# !6@!8. 5epeated exposure to ideas within an integrated context less frequently occurs. '1iscrete point( instruction is not only unrepresentative of the process by which culture is naturally acquired# according to the anthropological studies reviewed$ it is equally unrepresentative of all individual learning and language learning in particular# from the point of view of human memory. The experimental group was instructed to learn the words in each list by creating a sentence or small story which contained all the words in one context. The following is an example of one subect:s response. The capitalized words indicate the /ey words to be learned.8
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Cross-cultural Understanding A B))TA<0) can be a useful 32,T5+=)2T for a "C00)) student. A carrot can be a 2A30 for
your F)2") or
decoding letter recognition and production through modeling# copying and matching
exercise -
Teacher reads the first paragraph of the story.
Lesson two > vocabulary development exercise
-
Teacher reads entire story# showing illustrations.
Lesson three > sentence writing exercise
-
,tudents put story sentences into correct order by cutting out and rearranging the words
Lesson +our > story comprehension exercise
-
1escriptive phase teacher reads story$ as/s factual questions to test comprehension$ e.g.# '*hat was Tito# *hat was he li/e# *here did he live( etc.
=any language and cultural immersion programs fail to ta/e advantage of the natural reinforcement provided by integrating topics of study. For example# most university ),0 summer immersion programs offer formal language classes guest lectures# and sightseeing activities. owever these activities are commonly not related to each others. The principles of integrated context multi-modal
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Cross-cultural Understanding acquisition were used throughout a one > month intensive language and cultural seminar. The
participants were Gapanese +niversity women# aged !6 > %!. -
America# the reat =elting Pot how ethnic composition influences diversity in all dimensions
The next language class focused on the relationship between science and creativity 'much of what is now scientific truth begins as the creative imagination. '*ithin context# students were engaged in the following activities -
,tudents read a concept from science fiction novel by 9urt Bonnegut. )ach student choose a topic for a science fiction story ,tudents and teacher moved to the art room. )ach student read her suggested topic to the class The students were as/ed to illustrate the story on the walls of the art room
The resulting story and mural symbolized their own confusion in a country where many things were the same as in their own. )hilosophical perspecti*e
"ultural acquisition and change can also be viewed from a philosophical perspective. =ar/ suggests that culture change is a socio-historical# dialectic process in which the new product is the result of a synthesis between the old and the new. egel referred to this as thesis-antithesis-synthesis. This idea of acquisition and change as a dialectic process 3n which the old experience and the new experience react to and respond with each other is not new to the literature in psychology# anthropology or education. owever# the implications have not been widely applied to student:s responses to culture learning in second language# foreign language and bilingual programs. 3n this programs student:s home cultures come in contact with and must respond to different cultures. 3n contrast# educators generally strive to elicit obective response to the new culture. An ideal response is often considered to be one which sees the culture from the native:s point of view. 0anguage and bilingual educators are not alone. *ithin education in general# subectivity has become a dirty word which tends to undermine scientific inquiry. 3n programs dealing with culture# the aims is usually to avoid biased observations which result from interpreting the new culture through the learner:s own cultural perspective$ therefore# obective reporting is preferred. *hile such a strategy learning in the
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Cross-cultural Understanding sense of expanding the learner:s own repertoire of experiences to become culturally versatile. To repeat
once again# 'as people express their lives# so they are. ' 4=arx and )ngels# !6;H8 .hen is the prime time to transit and ac&uire cultural leanings'
0anguage educators have often been concerned with the question of an optimal age to acquire languages# because of its relevance in curriculum planning. The question of an optimal age to acquire cultural learning would have similar relevance. 3s there a prime time for acquiring cultural learning for the purposes of developing cross cultural understanding
(arl, childhood
The literature in cognitive psychology suggests that early childhood is he most essential period for basic cognitive development. ,ome psychologists even suggest that a child:s general intelligence and personality are formed during the first few brain and category prototypes may occur in childhood. A study of how pariah children have school failure and literacy illustrates the importance of childhood experiences. 0earning to read involves perceptual learning %dolescence
The optimum time for cultural acquisition depends on what is being acquired. *hile selective perceptual patterns and basic levels of representation may be optimally transmitted during childhood# other aspects of culture such as identification and group affiliation may optimally be acquired during adolescence# as the learner enters a biological stage of transition to adulthood. 3n identity# youth and adolescent period s mar/ed by a sense of identity
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