L2 Cultural Paradigms

Question 1

emic

Answer 1

accounts, descriptions and analyses expressed in the vocabulary and conceptual categories deemed meaningful and appropriate by the native members of a culture
- it is local and reflects an insider view

Question 2

Etic

Answer 2

accounts, descriptions and analysis in the vocabulary and conceptual categories deemed meaningful and appropriate from a scientific point of view (given quality requirements on the nature and production of such knowledge)
- aims for universal (outsider observer) validity, irrespective of whether members of a culture recognize it as such

Question 3

Culture and the institutional environment

Answer 3

People are shaped by participating in the meanings, opportunities, and norms of specific cultural contexts, and in turn, these culturally shaped people reinforce, recreate, and maintain those cultural contexts.

Question 4

Criticism of descriptive approaches to culture; five limitations of homogeneity assumptions of cultures

Answer 4

1. Cultures are stable, but change over time
2. Cultures are homogenous, but allow for individuality
3. Cultures are often classified into general categories that overlook subtle differences
4. Cultures can help explain, but not predict, behavior
5. Cultures represent a unified whole, but also consist of multiple and often conflicting subcultures

Question 5

Alternative ways of looking at a culture and conceptualizing it

Answer 5

Schemas: cognitive lenses or templates that guide our interpretations, expectancies, and responses
Norms: rules and standards that are understood by members of a group, and that guide and/or constrain social behavior without the force of laws