The origin of the word culture comes from the Latin verb colere = "tend, guard, cultivate, till". So it is a human construct rather than a product of nature.The use of the English word in the sense of "cultivation through education" is first recorded in 1510. The use of the word to mean "the intellectual side of civilization" is from 1805; that of "collective customs and achievements of a people" is from 1867. The term Culture shock was first used in 1940. (Adapted from The Online Etymology Dictionary. http://www.etymonline.com)
How do we define culture? There are literally hundreds of different definitions of culture as writers have attempted to provide the all-encompassing definition.
Culture consists of language, ideas, beliefs, customs, taboos, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, works of art, rituals, ceremonies and symbols. It has played a crucial role in human evolution, allowing human beings to adapt the environment to their own purposes rather than depend solely on natural selection to achieve adaptive success. Every human society has its own particular culture, or sociocultural system. (Source: Encyclopeadia Britannica)
Generally culture can be seen as consisting of three elements:
- Values - Values are ideas tell what in life is considered important.
- Norms - Norms consists of expectations of how people should behave in different situations.
- Artifacts - Things, or material culture - reflects the culture's values and norms but are tangible and manufactured by man.
Different Models of Culture used in Intercultural Analysis
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