Culture - English

Culture: Recognizable Behaviours and the Grammar of Englishness

American and British use the English language in many different ways (not about the pronunciation), features, sense and linguistic terms. Linguistic and social behaviours are based on commonalities, regularities and routines which are shared, recognizable, accepted by members of a given community. By observing the people talk or behave, we recognize the mass as a representative of a given culture despite surface differences between them (even if there are exceptions).

Before going to school, your parents recommend you to give a good impression (the ethnographic dazzle, impression that in some cases becomes the opposite). The idea of stereotypes originates from its recognisability, which is usually so strong that instances of deviation from it are considered as idiosyncrasies or eccentricities. The notion of culture is what allows us to distinguish between stereotypical and atypical behaviours.

What is culture?

Culture is not necessarily ‘high culture’, something that is thought and learned relevant to a restricted body of knowledge (literatures, arts, music). Culture is:

• Shared system for interpreting reality and organizing experience;
• A shared mental model or map of the world;
• A system of congruent and interrelated beliefs, values, strategies and cognitive environments which guide the shared basis of behaviour;
• The sum of social group’s patterns of behaviour, costumes, way of life, ideas, beliefs, values.

Rule-making character is intrinsic and implicit in sorts of human activities and in the way humans have of conceptualizing reality (civilization, i.e. rules, relationship, practices, products, etc.).

• Screaming in public place: is it good or bad?
• Rain: is it positive or negative?
• Eating meat: is it good or not? (We don’t really know)
• 2 o’clock in the morning: is it early or late?
• Classic music: is it interesting or boring?
• Eating stuff with your fingers: is it good or bad?
• Is poetry better than prose?

The definition of culture accounts for three factors:

• Internal ideas: beliefs from a recognized source (Bible, capital) and values (ideologies);
• External behaviours: language, gestures, customs, routines, patterns, habits;
• Products: literature, folklore, art and artefacts.

Factors ranged in a hierarchical order where internal ideas are likely to affect cultural practices, artefacts and symbols (any recognizable sign meant to communicate meaning).

UK vs. US: American People

• Americans evaluate sociability and cooperation (positive face);
• Are often found to be quite loud.
• Americans accept informality in both interpersonal relationships and professional contexts:
  • In terms of language, where ‘hi’ is a much more common way of greeting people than ‘hello’;
  • In terms of behaviour, casual way of dressing.