106
IN THIS UNIT
GRAMMAR
• reported speech
• reporting verbs
VOCABULARY
• culture
• adjectives
SCENARIO
• creating impact in a
presentation
• giving a formal
presentation
STUDY SKILLS
• improving reading
skills
WRITING SKILLS
• formal
correspondence
Cultures
11.1
DEFINING CULTURE
11
The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.
Ludwig Wittgenstein, 1889–1951, German philosopher
READING AND VOCABULARY
CULTURE
1
What do you understand by
a culture
?
What comes into your mind?
2
Read the webpage on page 107 quickly
and choose an appropriate heading for each
section from the box.
Architecture Climate Cuisine Values
Customs/Traditions Geography Religion
Historical events
Institutions The arts
Language Life rituals Rules of behaviour
3
a
Look at these meanings for words and
phrases from the webpage. Which section
(1–13) do you think you might find each of
the words in?
a
a kind of food eaten every day
b
a particular linguistic form (often spoken)
c
ways of behaving politely
d
a belief that some things are lucky/unlucky
e
a particular type of land
f
a ceremony which makes you remember
and respect someone or something from
the past
g
a small group with particular beliefs and
practices
3
b
Find the words or phrases in the webpage
which match the definitions in Exercise 3a.
4
Work with a partner. Select three or four of the words
from Exercise 3b to discuss. Give an example from Bahrain, or
another country you know well.
5
Reflecting on the topic
Work in small groups and discuss
the questions.
1
Which three of the thirteen factors listed on the webpage do
you think are the most useful for defining cultures? Why?
2
What do you think are the typical features of your own
national culture? What do you imagine people from other
cultures would say?
3
The heritage of a society is those aspects or things from the
past that are considered important to its culture today. What
parts of your heritage are you most proud of?
4
Which factors do you think make your culture different from
those of other countries? (Think about countries which are far
away and those that are near neighbours.)
5
Are there aspects of any other cultures which you admire?
What? Why?
