What is Culture?

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.

The Center for Advance Research on Language Acquisition goes a step further, defining culture as shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization. Thus, it can be seen as the growth of a group identity fostered by social patterns unique to the group.

The word "culture" derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin "colere," which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture. "It shares its etymology with a number of other words related to actively fostering growth," Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London, told Live Science.

Many countries are largely populated by immigrants, and the culture is influenced by the many groups of people that now make up the country. This is also a part of growth. As the countries grow, so does its cultural diversity.


Western culture
The term "Western culture" has come to define the culture of European countries as well as those that have been heavily influenced by European immigration, such as the United States,according to Khan University. Western culture has its roots in the Classical Period of the Greco-Roman era and the rise of Christianity in the 14th century.

Other drivers of Western culture include Latin, Celtic, Germanic and Hellenic ethnic and linguistic groups. Today, the influences of Western culture can be seen in almost every country in the world.

Buddha statuePin It Eastern culture was heavily influenced by religion. This giant statue of Buddha overlooks Hong Kong.

Eastern culture
Eastern culture generally refers to the societal norms of countries in Far East Asia (including China, Japan, Vietnam, North Korea and South Korea) and the Indian subcontinent. Like the West, Eastern culture was heavily influenced by religion during its early development, but it was also heavily influenced by the growth and harvesting of rice, according to the book "Pathways to Asian Civilizations: Tracing the Origins and Spread of Rice and Rice Cultures" by Dorian Q. Fuller. In general, in Eastern culture there is less of a distinction between secular society and religious philosophy than there is in the West.

Latin culture
Many of the Spanish-speaking nations are considered part of the Latin culture, while the geographic region is widespread. Latin America is typically defined as those parts of the Central America, South America and Mexico where Spanish or Portuguese are the dominant languages. Originally, the term “Latin America” was used by French geographers to differentiate between Anglo and Romance (Latin-based) languages, according to the University of Texas. While Spain and Portugal are on the European continent, they are considered the key influencers of what is known as Latin culture, which denotes people using languages derived from Latin, also known as Romance languages.

El-Deir Monastery at Petra, JordanPin It The El-Deir Monastery at Petra, Jordan, is an example of traditional Middle Eastern culture.
Credit: Zurijeta | ShutterstockView full size image
Middle Eastern culture
The countries of the Middle East have some but not all things in common. This is not a surprise, since the area consists of approximately 20 countries, according to PBS. The Arabic language is one thing that is common throughout the region; however, the wide variety of dialect can sometimes make communication difficult. Religion is another cultural area that the countries of the Middle East have in common.  The Middle East is the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

African culture
The continent of Africa is essential to all cultures. Human life originated on this continent and began to migrate to other areas of the world around 60,000 years ago, according to the Natural History Museum.

Africa is home to a number of tribes, ethnic and social groups. One of the key features of this culture is the large number of ethnic groups throughout the 54 countries on the continent. Nigeria alone has more than 300 tribes, for example.

Currently, Africa is divided into two cultural groups: North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. This is because Northwest Africa has strong ties to Middle East, while Sub-Africa shares historical, physical and social characteristics that are very different from North Africa, according to the University of Colorado. The harsh environment has been a large factor in the development of Sub-Saharan Africa culture, as there are a number of languages, cuisines, art and musical styles that have sprung up among the far-flung populations.

Constant change
No matter what culture a people are a part of, one thing is for certain, it will change. Culture appears to have become key in our interconnected world, which is made up of so many ethnically diverse societies, but also riddled by conflicts associated with religion, ethnicity, ethical beliefs, and, essentially, the elements which make up culture," said De Rossi.  "But culture is no longer fixed, if it ever was.  It is essentially fluid and constantly in motion." This makes it so that it is difficult to define any culture in only one way.

What Is Communication?

What is Communication?
The discipline of communication focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings within and across various contexts, cultures, channels, and media. The discipline promotes the effective and ethical practice of human communication.

Communication is a diverse discipline which includes inquiry by social scientists, humanists, and critical and cultural studies scholars. A body of scholarship and theory, about all forms of human communication, is presented and explained in textbooks, electronic publications, and academic journals. In the journals, researchers report the results of studies that are the basis for an ever-expanding understanding of how we all communicate.

Transactional Model of Communication

The transactional model of communication is a graphic representation of the collaborative and ongoing message exchange between individuals, or an individual and a group of individuals, with the goal of understanding each other. A communicator encodes (e.g., puts thoughts into words and gestures), then transmits the message via a channel (e.g., speaking, email, text message) to the other communicator(s) who then decode the message (e.g., take the words and apply meaning to them). The message may encounter noise (e.g., any physical, psychological, or physiological distraction or interference), which could prevent the message from being received or fully understood as the sender intended. Click on the image to enlarge.

Areas within Communication 

Areas of emphasis differ from one institution to another, but listed below are some of the most common areas of study. For a description of all of NCA's Interest Groups, please click here.

Applied Communication - The study of how communication theory, research, and/or best practices help inform knowledge and theory about communication for practical issues.

Communication Education - The study of communication in the classroom and other pedagogical contexts.

Communication Theory - The study of principles that account for the impact of communication in human social interaction.

Electronic Media - The study of radio, television, media technology, and web design with streaming audio and video.

Health Communication - The study of communication as it relates to health professionals and health education, including the study of provider-client interaction, as well as the diffusion of health information through public health campaigns.

International and Intercultural Communication - The study of communication among individuals of different cultural backgrounds, including the study of similarities and differences across cultures.

Interpersonal Communication - The study of communication behaviors in dyads (pairs) and their impact on personal relationships.

Language and Social Interaction - The study of the structure of verbal and nonverbal behaviors occurring in social interaction.

Legal Communication - The study of the role of communication as it relates to the legal system.

Mass Communication and Media Literacy - The study of how mass forms of communication, such as print, radio and television disseminate information and influence society.

Mediation and Dispute Resolution - The study of understanding, management, and resolution of conflict within intrapersonal, interpersonal, and intergroup situations.

Organizational Communication - The study of processes used to analyze communication needs of organizations and social interaction, including how to improve communication between supervisors and employees.

Performance Studies - The study of components such as performer(s), text, audience, and context within the communication discipline.
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Political Communication - The study of the role that communication plays in political systems.

Public Address - The study of speakers and speeches, including the historical and social context of platforms, campaigns, and movements.

Public Relations - The study of the management of communication between an organization and its audiences.

Rhetorical Criticism - The process of defining, classifying, analyzing, interpreting, and/or evaluating rhetorical artifacts.

Semiotics and Philosophy of Communication - The study of philosophical frameworks and our understanding of communication, including verbal and nonverbal symbols and signs in human communication.

Small Group Communication - The study of communication systems among three or more individuals who interact around a common purpose and who influence one another.

Speech Communication - The study of the nature, processes, and effects of human symbolic interaction. While speech is the most obvious mode of communication, human symbolic interaction includes a variety of verbal and nonverbal codes.

Theatre and Drama - The study and production of dramatic literature.

Visual Communication - The study of visual data, such as architecture, photography, visual art, advertising, film, and television as it relates to communication.

Communication And Culture

Cultural relativism is the view that cultures are merely different, not deficient, and each culture’s norms and practices should be assessed only from the perspective of the culture itself, not by standards embraced by another culture. It is the idea that one cannot make judgments about a culture just because they are not a part of one's own. Outsiders should be able to see the cultural from a neutral perspective and not judge the culture before understanding it. Each culture should be viewed with respect and as an equal because no one culture is better than any other. They should be allowed to practice their own beliefs, what a cultures believes to be true, and values, a shared view about what is right. Cultural relativism emphasizes that ethnocentrism, which is the belief that one’s culture is superior to everyone else’s, should not be forced upon cultures, and cultures should remain unprejudiced toward each other. Cultural relativism is the moral and ethical way to look at different cultures.

Intracultural miscommunication draws on the fact that all humans subconsciously reflect their cultural backgrounds in day to day communication. Culture does not just lie in the way one eats or dresses, but in the manner in which people present themselves as an entity to the outside world. Language is a huge proponent of communication, as well as a large representation of one's cultural background. Cultural miscommunication often stems from different and conflicting styles of speech and messages. A perfectly normal intonation pattern for a native German speaker may seem angry and aggressive to a foreign listener. Connotations of words, as well as meanings of slang phrases, vary greatly across cultural lines, and a lack of tolerance and understanding of this fact often results in misinterpretations.

Non-verbal communication greatly varies across cultural lines. One must take the time to study different cultures so as to fully understand messages being transmitted. There are many aspects of non-verbal communication, such as gesture, facial expression and inter-personal space, that affect the way a message is construed.

High- and Low-Power Distance: Power distance is the degree of equality, or inequality, between people in a particular society. The lower the power distance of a country, the more dominant individuality and individual rights are. When power distance is low, society does not emphasize people’s status, power, or wealth. In other words, individualistic cultures have low power distance and collectivist cultures have high power distance. Examples of countries with high power distance include Malaysia, Russia, and Romania while countries with low power distance include Austria, Israel, and Denmark.

Individualism-Collectivism (The Me-We Dimension):The individualism-collectivism dimension is thought to be the most important of all value dimensions that distinguish cultures. The individualist culture has a “me” consciousness. Individuals are loosely linked to each other, but largely independent of group identification. Emphasis is placed on the self; they are motivated by their own preferences, needs, and goals, and personal achievement and initiative are stressed. Words such as “independence,” “self,” “privacy,” and “rights” are common in individualistic cultural conversations. Examples of individualistic societies would be the United States, or Western Europe countries.

The collectivist culture has a “we” consciousness. Individuals are closely linked to one or more groups. Commitment to these valued groups is a primary goal of collectivists, and they tend to look to the goals and successes of the group rather than to the individuals. Words such as “loyalty,” “responsibility,” and “community” permeate collectivist cultural conversations. Examples of collectivist societies are many Asian, African, and South American cultures.