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CULTURAL VALUES OF POLITENESS IN EFL CLASSROOM: A STUDY OF ETNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION
Cultural Values In the expression of culture, language is a fundamental aspect (Triyuni, et.al.: 2018). Human beings use language as a means of communication. Communication is always accompanied by interpretations containing meaning. From a discourse point of view, meaning is never absolute; always determined by various contexts always referring to the signs in human life in which there is culture. Therefore, language is never separated from the cultural context and its existence is always overshadowed by the culture (Dharma, et.al: 2018). Different culture causes different views of values, which affects the criteria of politeness and leads to differences in various themes. According to Huang (2014), there are many types in cultural differences such as ways to greet each other and farewells, addressing terms, ways to praise other, and ways to express thanks. When we are communicating with people from different cultures, it is best to know what is appropriate in their culture and act with regard to that, so as to avoid misunderstandings caused by culture differences.
A culture's values are its ideas about what is good, right, fair, and just. Sociologists disagree, however, on how to conceptualize values. Conflict theory focuses on how values differ between groups within a culture, while functionalism focuses on the shared values within a culture. For example, American sociologist Robert K. Merton suggested that the most important values in American society are wealth, success, power, and prestige, but that everyone does not have an equal opportunity to attain these values. Functional sociologist Talcott Parsons noted that Americans share the common value of the “American work ethic,” which encourages hard work. Other sociologists have proposed a common core of American values, including accomplishment, material success, problem‐solving, reliance on science and technology, democracy, patriotism, charity, freedom, equality and justice, individualism, responsibility, and accountability.
A culture, though, may harbor conflicting values. For instance, the value of material success may conflict with the value of charity. Or the value of equality may conflict with the value of individualism. Such contradictions may exist due to an inconsistency between people's actions and their professed values, which explains why sociologists must carefully distinguish between what people do and what they say.Real culture refers to the values and norms that a society actually follows, while ideal culture refers to the values and norms that a society professes to believe.
No matter what school district you teach in or how diverse it looks on paper, students in every school and classroom across America are unique. After learning about cultural values, students will reflect on and write about what they value.
Begin by giving each student a piece of copy paper and coloring materials. In the center of the paper, each student should draw an image of himself. Encourage them to do their best work, but even a student who can only draw a stick figure will get value from this.
After drawing the person, they will surround that image with things that they identify with for their culture. They will want to put things near the body part related to it (or symbolically related). Some ideas include:
Near the heart: Images/ descriptions of their belief systems, traditions important to their family, etc
Near the mouth: Images/ descriptions of the language they speak, their heritage
Near the leg and feet area: Images/ descriptions of what they like to do for fun and how it ties into their culture
For older students, the assignment can be completed on a computer using the same basic criteria. As appropriate, older students should also include a reflective paragraph that describes their cultural values and how this makes them unique.
Students can include additional things as they see fit.
Prior to teaching this lesson, you may want to create an example so that students have an idea of what they are looking to create. f an American traveled to Mexico around November 1 or 2, they might be surprised to see what, to a person from the American culture, seems strange. People of Mexico are celebrating with festivities, food, and dancing while wearing masks that look like skulls. They are also eating candy shaped into skulls! Even more confusing is they are doing this in cemeteries. In Mexico, the Day of the Dead is based on a belief that relatives and friends who have passed on can visit and reunite with their loved ones. The food, flowers, and drinks are intended to welcome those spirits as guests.
An American who celebrates Veterans Day or Memorial Day most likely considers cemeteries to be places of quiet and reverence, so this might seem disrespectful or even scary. However, it is anything but that, and to those living in Mexican culture, it is a loving, joyful occasion.
From the outside, a group's cultural values are often difficult to understand if you are not familiar with their culture. For members inside the group, cultural values are the core principles and ideals upon which the entire community exists.
While the terms 'culture,' 'values,' and 'customs' are often used interchangeably, each is actually a distinct piece of the bigger picture. A custom is a ritual or other tradition that is an outward sign of the group's cultural values. The group's values aren't always obvious right away - they run deep! Cultural values can be pieced together by observing the various customs that the people have passed down for generations. Culture is defined as all of a group's guiding values and outward signs and symbols taken together as one big whole
In our example of Mexican culture, the cultural value is believing that loved ones who have passed on can return and reunite with their friends and families, a celebration of honoring ancestors. The custom originated with the Aztec people and was brought to Mexico by Spanish invaders in the 1500s. It represents a larger picture of Mexican culture.
Do Cultural Values Change?
Culture adapts and evolves along with the group members' needs, wants, and opportunities. Change can be the result of the group moving to a new geographic location or simply be due to the passage of time. Technological advances have commonly been the driving forces behind changes in daily practices, shifting the framework inside which humans operate.
Historically, many cultural values changed in response to the Agricultural Revolution, when human groups became sedentary farmers, and the Industrial Revolution, when we moved from the farm to the city.
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