Communication is Culture, and Culture is Communication

Culture and communication are inseparable because culture not only dictates who talks to whom, about what, and how the communication proceeds, it also helps to determine how people encode messages, the meanings they have for messages, and the conditions and circumstances under which various messages may or may not be sent, noticed, or interpreted. Culture is the foundation of communication.

"Culture is the "glue" that binds a group of people together." (Douglas-Brown- 1994)

"Culture" is a broad concept that embraces all aspects of human life. It includes everything people learn to do. It is everything humans have learned. Culture shapes our thoughts and actions, and often does so with a heavy hand". Of its several meanings, two are of major importance:

"Little-c" culture: Culture as everything in human life (BBV: Beliefs, Behavior, and Values)

"Big-C" culture:  the best in human life restricted to the elitists (MLA: great Music, Literature, and Art of the country).

Comprehension check...

1. Why are culture and communication inseparable?

2. What did Douglas Brown call culture?

3. There are two kinds of culture. What are they and what are the examples?

Proverbs

Unscramble the following proverbs. Then, think of the meaning with your partner.

1. you / before / look / leap

2. as / others / be / done / would / by / do / you / to

3. dog / every / day / has / his

4. tide / for / wait / and / time / no / man

5. cloud / has / every / silver / lining / a

6. spoil / rod / and / spare / child / the / the

7. is / done / begun / well / half

8. bitter / good / medicine / tastes

9. old / too / learn / to / never

10. many / the / too  / broth / spoil / cooks

Western Holiday "Easter"

◈ The Easter Egg

Originally Easter eggs were painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring and were used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts. After they were colored, the eggs were exchanged by lovers and romantic admirers, much the same as valentines.

◈ Easter Egg Hunt

On Easter morning the children of the house join in a search to locate the eggs that the Easter Bunny had hidden while they were asleep. The searching might continue throughout the house with the older children helping the youngest. Sometimes prizes of candy are awaiting the child finding the most eggs.

◈ Mathematics Problem Solving --- Easter Egg Hunt

1. There are five eggs under Tim’s bed. There are four times as many chocolate eggs as marshmallow eggs. How many marshmallow eggs are under Tim’s bed?

2. Danielle found 23 eggs. She smiled broadly because she had found nine more eggs than Chris. Jennie smiled even more. She had found exactly as many eggs as Chris and Danielle together. How many eggs did Jennie find?

3. Lee Ann is mixing blue dye and yellow dye so that she can have some green eggs. She will use an equal amount of each color (blue and yellow). She has four blue dye tablets and seven yellow dye tablets. Which one of the following statements can you be sure is NOT true.

a. Lee Ann needs more blue tablets to make the green dye.

b. Lee Ann has more yellow tablets than she needs to make the green dye.

c. Lee Ann must get green tablets to make green dye.

Mathematics Problem Solving --- Holloween

1. How many ghosts are in the haunted house? Here are some clues: There are more than the number of days in October. There are less than the product of 7 and 5. The answer is an odd number.

2. Glenda Witch went for a little broom flight on Halloween night. She flew more miles than the number of letters in “witch.” She flew less miles than the number of letters in “pumpkin.”

How many miles did she fly?

3. Sylvester Skeleton went out to frighten the kids on Halloween night. He fell down, and as you guessed it, he suffered some broken bones. The doctor said it would take seven weeks for him to heal. In what month would he be healed?

4. There were 24 apples given out to the children at Faith’s Halloween party. Each child got three apples. How many children were at the party?

Decode the Secret Messages~

A. Text messages

Try to guess what messages they are. Use your imagination hard and enough.

1. Wot do U wnt 4 ur birthday?

2. I luv yor presnt. thx so much.

3. gud luk, buddy!

4. im rly goin 2 miss u.

5. wen R U leaving?

B. Secret code

1. Y R U so L8?

2. Mary ← 4  s+cool  B+4 Tom.

3. EYE ♡ apple + π.

4. ◆s R a girl+z  best fr+end.

5. Ki+10+z  R  very  Q+t.   cf) Baby cats are called kittens.

6. The  f+@  c+@  s+@  ↑  in the ♠.

7. U  R  B+U+T+ful  &  1+der+ful.

Education

No parents are more interested in their children's education than Korean parents. They have a saying, "no learn, no food." Korean parents feel it natural to sacrifice any opportunity to enjoy their own lives for the education of their children. Their passion for their children's education has become the solid basis for the miraculous economic development of the last three or four decades. Most parents in Korea still think a college degree is a necessary "license" to enter society.

Now parents show keen interest in so-called genius education - special education for gifted children. This has brought about some bad side effects, but the passion goes unabated. Children who are under heavy pressure to study ignore this "minor" problem. Is it OK to force children to study against their will? Or should we respect their wishes about whether or not they should study? Do parents have the right to decide what their children should study regardless of the children's own wishes?

Think about...

1. Do you think a college degree helps you get a better job? Why or why not?

2. Do you understand what "genius education" is? What is it in Korean?

3. Do you think everybody has to take "genius education" to succeed?

Idiomatic Expressions

Idiomatic expressions don't mean what they seem to say. They have special meanings that must be learned. Try to match the expressions in column A with the meanings in column B.

Column A		Column B
1. Kill two birds with one stone.		a. Wait a minute.
2. It's raining cats and dogs.		b. Did you get married?
3. You let the cat out of the bag.		c. You were unfriendly to them.
4. Did you learn it by heart?		d. Are you depressed?
5. You gave them the cold shoulder.		e. We were just chatting.
6. Did you get cold feet?		f. Did you get scared and decide not to do?
7. We were just shooting the breeze.		g. That's exactly right.
8. You have to face the music.		h. Get both things done at the same time
9. Let's go Dutch!		I. Don't worry about something that is already done or happened.
10. You hit the nail on the head.		j. You must confront the problem.
11. Have you tied the knot?		k. Did you memorize it?
12. No use crying over spilt milk.		l. Let's share the bill.
13. Hold your horse!		m. You told a secret.
14. He is down in the dumps.		n. It's raining very hard.
15. You passed with flying colors!		o. You got a very good grade.

Similes

Similes refers to a word or phrase that compares something to something else, using the words "like" or "as", for example, "a face like a mask" or "as white as snow".

Try to match the following similes with an appropriate animal!

1. as slow as ...............................

2. as sly as ...............................

3. as proud as ...............................

4. as quiet as ...............................

5. as hungry as ...............................

6. as playful as ...............................

7. as big as ...............................

8. as hairy as ...............................

9. as gentle as ...............................

10. as stubborn as ...........................

11. as eager as ...............................

12. as fat as ...............................

13. as silly as ...............................

14. as slippery as ...........................

15. as busy as ...............................

16. as blind as ...............................

17. as wise as ...............................

18. as free as ...............................

19. as brave as ...............................

20. as sick as ...............................

21. as strong as ...............................

22. as happy as ...............................

23. as drunk as ...............................

a beaver, a bird, a snail, a pig, a skunk, an ox, a lion, a lark, a dog,

a bat, a fox, a whale, a kitten, a lamb, an ape, an eel, a wolf,

a mouse, a bee, a mule, a goose, a peacock, an owl

Poetry

The following is a poem about how to treat children. Try to complete the poem with an appropriate word, according to the context of the sentence.

Children Learn What they Live

If a child lives with criticism,

she learns to condemn

If a child lives with hostility,

he learns to ..........................

If a child lives with ridicule,

she learns to be ..........................

If a child lives with shame,

he learns to feel ..............................

If a child live with tolerance,

she learns to be .............................

If a child live with encouragement,

he learns ..........................

If a child lives with praise,

she learns to  ..........................

If a child lives with fairness,

he learns ..........................

If a child live with security,

she learns to have ..........................

If a child lives with approval,

he learns to ........................ himself

If a child lives with acceptance,

she learns to find .......................... in the world.

Movie Ratings

In the United States, movies are rated in order to provide people with information about content. This rating system is especially helpful for parents who want to make decisions about what kinds of movies their children see.

G      General Audiences

All ages admitted. Movies with a G rating do not contain scenes with drug use, violence, nudity, sex, or bad language. ... Disney movies

PG     Parental Guidance Suggested

Movies with a PG rating may contain scenes with some violence, nudity, and bad language. These movies do not contain scenes with drug use or sex. ... Star Wars

PG-13   Parents Strongly Warned

Movies with a PG-13 rating may contain scenes with some drug use, nudity, violence, and sexual language. These movies do not contain scenes with sex. Movies with a PG-13 rating are not suggested for pre-teens. ... Gladiator

R     Restricted

Movies with an R rating may contain scenes with drug use, violence, nudity, and bad language. These movies can also contain sex scenes, but the sex is not real. Children under 17 years old are not admitted to R-rated movies without an adult. ... Die Hard

NC-17   No Children Under 17 Admitted

Movies with an NC-17 rating may contain scenes with drug use, violence, nudity and bad language. These movies can also any kind of sex scene.

Think about...

Try to rate the following movies and share your reasons.

Old Boy    /   D-War  /  The Host  / King's Man

A 5-year old bungee Jumper

PARIS Friday November 17 - A French agency has banned a 5-year-old boy from bungee jumping. Mike Traut from Grenoble has already completed 30 jumps before the authorities stopped him. A local child protection agency discovered the boy's liking for bungee jumping after his father advertised for sponsors in the local newspaper. "I did it all for my son," Peiter Traut, the boy's father, claimed. The money gained through the advertising was allegedly going to be put aside to support a jump that would have put the boy in the world record books French daily Liberation reported on Friday. The boy's father who already holds a world record in bungee jumping, received a letter warning him that he faces heavy fines and a minimum of two years imprisonment if he allows any child under the age of 16 to compete in such dangerous sports. The boy seemed confused by all the sudden media attention, and when interviewed he stated, "It's fun, and it makes my dad happy. I want to be famous just like him." Currently, Traut senior is seeking legal counsel in order to challenge the Child Protection Agency's decision.

Think about...

1. What did Child Protection Agency say to the boy's father and why?

2. How do you feel about Mike Traut's father?

3. Do you think Mike Traut should be allowed to bungee jump? Why / why not?

Misprints

The following sentences contain misprint. Underline what is wrong and try to correct it.

1. Crows gathered at Heathrow to greet the arrival of Michael Jackson.

2. Queen Victoria was on the thorn for 63 years.

3. Jenny was late for school today because she missed her bust.

4. God for sale. Black Puddle. 1 year old.

5. Due to repairs to the air-conditioning system, offices will be very humid for the next three days. Please bare with us.

6. He received his degree in unclear physics.

7. Window, aged 50, good sense of humor, seeks mature man for friendship.

8. It is said that there are more golf curses per square mile in North Carolina than anywhere in the world.

9. FOUND: One white rabbi with brown ears.

10. Superintendent James said that more polite dogs were to be used to help control crowds at football matches.

11. EXTERMINATING: We are trained to kill all pets.

12. The doctor felt her patient's purse.

13. He gave his girlfriend a red nose on St. Valentine's Day.

14. His first book, Beekeeping for Beginners, was a great success and made him a lot of honey.

15. He won Wimbledon by eating Pete Sampras in the final.

16. The children's party was hell on Saturday at St. Joseph's church.

17. The winners of the holiday competition will receive free flights, hotel rooms, all meals and $500 spending money.

18. WANTED: Single woman to share fat with two others. Central London.

19. The police are looking for a man with a long, black bear.

20. To get a loan, you must sing this form.

Signs and Their Meanings

Where would you see the following signs? In pairs, think about the place, product or the situation the following sings would be used.

1. KEEP OFF THE GRASS

2. PAY CASHIER

3. WASH IN COLD WATER ONLY

4. DON'T WALK

5. DRY CLEAN ONLY

6. DON'T LITTER

7. USE CORRECT CHANGE ONLY

8. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN

9. USE ONLY AS DIRECTED

10. REFRIGERATE AFTER OPENING

11. PUSH

12. CLOSE TIGHTLY

13. KEEP TO THE LEFT.

14. HANDLE WITH CARE

15. CUSTOMERS ONLY

16. QUEUE HERE

17. PROCEED WITH CAUTION

18. RETURN TO SENDER

19. USE FRANKLIN AVENUE DETOUR

20. NO SMOKING

Different Table Manners

Try to read each paragraph and match the title with the paragraph

1.

Koreans set their spoon and chopsticks alongside their bowl or plate. They will stick silverware straight up in a bow only during memorial services for deceased family members

2.

Americans may use their fingers for eating certain foods such as fried chicken, hamburgers and pizza, and will even lick their fingers after a meal, especially in informal settings. While some Americans may object slightly to this practice, Koreans find this very disgusting.

3.

Out of politeness, Koreans will offer to share their food with their friends and often eat soup from a common, same bowl. Americans very rarely do this because they believe this practice is unhygienic. This can be viewed as an example of selfishness or greediness.

4.

For Americans, meal time is also a time for socializing. Therefore, silence at the table creates an uncomfortable atmosphere. American-style allows one person to talk while the other is chewing; then the roles are changes. Koreans are taught not to talk much while eating.

5.

If an American asks a Korean guest if he or she would like more to eat, the Korean will generally say "no" the first time. Generally, it is good practice to offer something at least three times in Korea. The American, however, will hear "no" and believe the Korean guest-often leaving hungry.

6.

Americans, who are accustomed to pouring their own drinks whenever they feel like it, may unintentionally leave their Korean hosts feeling uncomfortable and thirsty.

a. Don't pour drinks for anyone else

b. Talk too much while eating

c. Lick their fingers while eating

d. Take "No" as a "No!"

e. Stick their silverware in a rice bowl

f. Don't offer to share their food

Blending

Blending is one of the many ways new words are made in English. It     refers to joining the beginning of one word and the end   of another to make a new word with a new meaning.

ex) brunch : breakfast + lunch

2. In pairs, read the following blended words and write the original words and meaning.

Blending		Original words	Meaning
1	smog	smoke + fog
2	Konglish
3	camcorder
4	motel
5	blog
6	spork
7	pixel
8	edutainment
9	Jazzercize
10	slanguage	slang +
11	sportscast
12	Oxbridge	Oxford +
13	infomercial
14	netiquette
15	Brangelina	Brad +

3. With your partner, try to make your own words by blending.

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