Harper, D. Etymology of culture. Online Etymology Dictionary. Harper, Douglas. Definitions of culture. Synonyms: acculturation. Culture is a powerful human tool for survival, but it is a fragile phenomenon. It is constantly changing and easily lost because it exists only in our minds.
Our written languages, governments, buildings, and other man-made things are merely the products of culture. They are not culture in themselves. For this reason, archaeologists can not dig up culture directly in their excavations. The broken pots and other artifacts of ancient people that they uncover are only material remains that reflect cultural patterns--they are things that were made and used through cultural knowledge and skills.
Layers of Culture. There are very likely three layers or levels of culture that are part of your learned behavior patterns and perceptions. Most obviously is the body of cultural traditions that distinguish your specific society. When people speak of Italian, Samoan, or Japanese culture, they are referring to the shared language, traditions, and beliefs that set each of these peoples apart from others. In most cases, those who share your culture do so because they acquired it as they were raised by parents and other family members who have it.
The second layer of culture that may be part of your identity is a subculture. In complex, diverse societies in which people have come from many different parts of the world, they often retain much of their original cultural traditions. As a result, they are likely to be part of an identifiable subculture in their new society. The shared cultural traits of subcultures set them apart from the rest of their society. Examples of easily identifiable subcultures in the United States include ethnic groups such as Vietnamese Americans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans.
Members of each of these subcultures share a common identity, food tradition, dialect or language, and other cultural traits that come from their common ancestral background and experience.
As the cultural differences between members of a subculture and the dominant national culture blur and eventually disappear, the subculture ceases to exist except as a group of people who claim a common ancestry. Most of them identify themselves as Americans first. They also see themselves as being part of the cultural mainstream of the nation. The third layer of culture consists of cultural universals.
These are learned behavior patterns that are shared by all of humanity collectively. No matter where people live in the world, they share these universal traits. Examples of such "human cultural" traits include:. There was a culture of success at the school. Full Definition of culture Entry 1 of 2. Definition of culture Entry 2 of 2. Examples of culture in a Sentence Noun In this new view, genes allow the human mind to learn, remember, imitate, imprint language, absorb culture and express instincts.
It's important to learn about other cultures. The company's corporate culture is focused on increasing profits. Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Beyond leading a company to succeed financially, women are particularly successful in creating a positive company culture.
Madrigal, The Atlantic , 15 Aug. First Known Use of culture Noun 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4 Verb , in the meaning defined at sense 1. History and Etymology for culture Noun and Verb Middle English, cultivated land, cultivation, from Anglo-French, from Latin cultura , from cultus , past participle — see cult. Learn More About culture. Time Traveler for culture The first known use of culture was in the 15th century See more words from the same century.
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster. Time to go home. Phrases Related to culture culture of success.
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