Culture can be defined in several ways: 1. Traditionally, culture referred to civilization as opposed to nature, including high art and intellectual achievements. 2. Anthropologists view culture as a worldview comprising the knowledge, beliefs, arts, and customs acquired by people as members of a society. 3. Cultural anthropologists see culture as systems of symbols people use to communicate and understand each other. Culture encompasses the distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of a society or group, including art, literature, lifestyles, beliefs and values.

2. What is Culture?
1. Traditionally Culture = Civilization (as opposed to
nature)
“High culture”,
Mathew Arnold’s definition: “the result of the best that has been
thought and said in the world”
Elite view: indigenous peoples as 'noble savages’
Culture with capital C (as opposed to popular culture: culture
with K)

3. What is Culture?
2. Social anthropology: Culture as world view. Edward
Taylor: “It includes knowledge, belief, art, morals,
law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits
acquired by man as a member of society”
3. Cultural anthropology: Culture as symbols. The
universal human capacity and activities to classify,
codify and communicate their experiences
symbolically. People use common symbols to
communicate and understand each other

4. What is Culture?
 UNESCO definition (Universal Declaration of Cultural
Diversity, 2002): “the set of distinctive spiritual,
material, intellectual and emotional features of society
or a social group, which encompasses, in addition to
art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together,
value systems, traditions and beliefs”

5. Sterotypes

6. Sterotypes

7. Sterotypes

8. Culture and Language Learning
 From a linguistic point of view, cultural competence is one of the
competences which are part of communicative competence.
 3 sets of contents (Plan Curricular Instituto Cervantes)
 Cultural references (Culture)
 General knowledge about the countries
 Past and present events and people
 Cultural creation and products
 Sociocultural behaviour (culture)
 Way of life
 Interpersonal relations
 Collective identity
 Intercultural attitudes and abilities (20th-21st century migrations:
the need for Interculturality)

9. 9
Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes
REFERENTES CULTURALES
CATEGORÍA APROXIMACIÓN PROFUNDIZACIÓN CONSOLIDACIÓN
• Televisión y
radio
• Canales de
televisión de
mayor
audiencia
• Programas
históricos de
la televisión
(Un, dos
tres…)
• Periodistas de
prestigio de
televisión y
radio
SABERES Y COMPORTAMIENTOS SOCIOCULTURALES
• Relaciones
sentimentales,
familiares y de
amistad
• Fórmulas para
saludar (dar la
mano, besar),
tratamiento,
tono
empleado,
registro,
movimientos y
posturas
corporales, …
• Horas a las
que se puede
llamar por
teléfono,
grado de
permisividad
con las
visitas
espontáneas
• Convenciones
sociales y
fórmulas en el
acto de halagar
utilizando
piropos (es
frecuente que
quien recibe el
piropo minimice
su valor)