Components of Culture 1

Introduction

Visualize a human infant abondoned by its mother in the wild. What do you think would happen to that child? Would he grow and develop like Tarzan or would he die? Would he acquire the patterns of life culture through which humans survive?

These patterns of life through which humans meet their needs are provided not by genetic programming, but by all those ways of thinking, acting, or feeling acquired by humans as members of human societies. All societies have such a pattern of life which provides an answer to the questions of existence (Dodge, Rhyne, Rosenthal and Taylor, 1987). The human infant abandoned in the wild would not be able to survive and develop as a human character without contact with others who have themselves acquired such patterns and who will pass them on to him. Such a child may be bright enough, but held back by values and attitudes that are not conducive to educational success (Bilton, Bonnett, Jones, Skinner, Stanworth and Webster 1997). All societies need culture to survive and the Caribbean is no exception.

The Caribbean is an extraordinary cultural area, created by the dynamic mix of European, African, Indian, and indigenous cultures. This mix has given birth to distinctive linguistic and symbolic expressions, which makes each Caribbean country unique. The culture of the Caribbean is both the peoples link to the past and their guide to the future.

Components of Culture 2

Ralph Linton (1945) defines culture as, the way of life of a people; the collection of ideas and habits which they learn, share and transmit from generation to generation (). Culture possesses three characteristics, it is: shared; learned and; dynamic. Another source defines culture as the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behaviour (Scheafer, 2005). The components which make up culture are: symbols, language, values, beliefs, norms, and material objects (Walker, 2009).

Language A number of languages and dialects evolved in the Caribbean as a result of the impositon of the slave-owners language on the Africans. As a result most of the languages spoken in the Caribbean are European, the three most common being Spanish, French and English.

In the French Antilles, Kweyol which is a fusion of African and French is spoken; in the English colonies a fusion of African and English led to Patois; and in the Dutch Antilles the fusion of African, Spanish, Portoguese and Dutch is called Papiamento (Mustapha, 2007).

Language is a set of symbols whether verbal or nonverbal that expresses ideas and allows people to think and communicate with each other. Language is obviously a vital tool. Not only is it a means of communicating thoughts and ideas, but it forges friendships and cultural ties. The language of one country is different from that of another country, and it tells the features of a

Components of Culture 3

particular country which distinguishes it from another. Languages shape the way people perceive the world and it also provides help to define the culture of any society. It is an important way to transmit culture cultural transmission - as it is through language culture is passed from one generation to the next, and children learn about their cultural identity.

It is difficult to understand the subtle differences and deep meanings of another culture without knowing its language well. There are countries in which more than one language is spoken and there is the presence of more than one distinct culture in that society. For example, Grenada has the English-speaking and French-speaking culture. Due to the dominance of English-speaking culture there are some conflict between the English-speaking culture and French-speaking culture.

Language also varies across the Caribbean in terms of the names of foods and gossip, among others. For example, what is called chocho in Jamaica is known as christophene in Trinidad and Tobago. As well, in Guyana the term used for gossip is talk name, while it is sus in Jamaica.

Each countrys language has vocabularies and expressions for which there are no precise equivalents in other countries. Furthermore, each language has its own set of sounds, which may be complicated for foreigners to be capable of understanding. Therefore, a culture can be

Components of Culture 4

considered distinct based on its language.

Symbols The distinct Caribbean culture also comes across in the lyrics of the calypsonians, the rhyming quatrains of folklorist and poet Louise Bennett, or, of the story-telling humour of Paul Keans Douglas (Miranda La Rose, 2008). These represent symbols of the region. Each culture has its own unique symbols which represent something else.

A symbol can be a sign, a place, a gesture, or even a person; images, words, or even music. It is anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture (Macionis and Plummer, 2005: 107). Human has the capacity to create and manipulate symbols, evident in various meanings related to the simple act of winking an eye, which can convey interest, understanding or even insult (Macionis and Plummer, 2005). Thus, meanings vary by culture and the same symbol may have a different meaning to many different people. A typical example of this is the forming of a fist in the Jamaican culture, which represents the sign of the countrys oppositon political party, PNP. In other cultures this is an indication of blows with a fist as a use of violent physical means.

Symbols, often taken for granted, are the means by which we make sense of our lives. Not understading the symbols of a culture leaves a person feeling lost and isolated, unsure of how to

Components of Culture 5

act, and sometimes frightened. Symbols vary globally and even within a given society, and societies create new symbols regularly. Although people live in the same society, people from different cultures perceive symbols in society differently. A well-known symbol in the Caribbean, particularly in Jamaica is Rastafarianism. Rastafarians wear the colours red, green, gold and black; and wear their hair in dreadlocks which makes them very distinct.

Beliefs The interpretation of stories passed down from generation to generation affects people's behaviour. This can be a living, contributing component of a given society's culture. These stories or myths, whose interpretation can give people insight into how they should feel, think, and/or behave, are regarded as beliefs.

Beliefs are specific statements that people hold to be true whether or not they have evidence to support it (Scheafer, 2005). The most prominent systems of beliefs tend to be those associated with formal religions; however, any system of belief in which the interpretation of stories affects people's behavior can be a contributing component of culture. For example, a system of supersitions exists in Caribbean countriesis very much a strong belief of Caribbean people.

Beliefs are usually the same around the world and indeed in the Caribbean countries, it is not a distinct component of culture. This is evident in the Caribbean countries superstitious beliefs. In

Components of Culture 6

Jamaica it is refered to as obeah; in Haiti, voodoo; in other countries witchcraft, black magic and so on.

A common belief of all Caribbean countries is folklore. Folklore is general term for the verbal, spiritual, and material aspects of any culture that are transmitted orally, by observation, or by imitation (Microsoft Encarta, 2006). Folklore across the countries of the Caribbean has a common thread. The familiar story line that runs through the folklore is the allusion of the African culture (Mustapha, 2007). The La Diablesse or the Devil Woman, Anansi the trickster spiderman in Jamaica are well known characters in Caribbeam folklore. Beliefs, therefore, are the same throughout the Caribbean.

Values The Caribbean, particularly Jamaica is notorious for its promotion of heterosexuality. This is considered to be a value of the region which is an absolute good and worthwhile. All cultures teach their members ideas about what is desirable and valuable. These are the cultural values, and they define the goals we are expected to strive for.

Values are collective conceptions by which members of culture define what is considered: desirable or undesirable, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, and proper or improper (Scheafer, 2005).

Components of Culture 7

Basically, a value system differentiates right feelings, thoughts and behavior from wrong feelings, thoughts and behavior.

Values can and very often do grow out of belief systems. For example, one could argue that the value system behind The Good Samaritan Law, a law which protects off-duty medical personnel from being sued for malpractice when they assist someone in an emergency, is a direct descendant of the Christian belief system - a belief system whose story of the Good Samaritan gives the law its name. However, other value systems - those governing incest, for example -appear to exist independently of formal belief systems.

Values around the world and in the Caribbean countries are usually the same. For example, if you go to any Caribbean country it will be evident that promiscuity is looked down on and considered to be wrong; and it is expected of everyone to honor their parents.

Norms Around the world and in the Caribbean it is expected that persons listen when someone else is talking and; stealing is also deemed to be wrong globally. These perceptions are norms that have specific guides to actions which define acceptable and appropriate behaviour in particular situations.

Components of Culture 8

Norms are defined as rules about what people should or should not do, say or think in a given situation (Gelles and Levine, 1999). Norms order what people actually do. They can be proscriptive, dictating what we should not do, or prescriptive, stating what we should do (Macionis and Plummer). Norms are similar to rules and regulations and are linked to social order and control.

Mores and folkways are terms William Graham Sumner used to describe different levels of norms as he believed that some norms are more important than others. Mores are norms that have moral significance and everyone understands and adheres to. The breaking of a more anywhere in the Caribbean can cause embarrassment because a more is understood and observed by everyone (Sheafer, 2005). A public quarrel between married couples, for example, is a type of mores as it is forbidden in all societies. Folkways, however, are not as morally significant as mores, and instead order everyday actions. Through folkways we know what to expect from others and what we should do in everyday interaction (Walker, 2009). For example, saying good morning is a folkway in most Cribbean countries.

Another category of norms is law. Laws are a body of official rules and regulations, generally found in constitution, legislation, judicial opinions, and the like, that is used to govern a society and control the behaviour of its members (Microsoft Encarta, 2006). Commiting murder in any

Components of Culture 9

Caribbean country is an example of breaking a law which attracts strong sanction, usually a prison sentence.

Society uses sanctions to reinforce its cultural norms (Macionis and Plummer, 2005). Sanctions are socially imposed rewards and punishments by which people are encouraged to conform to norms (Gellen and Levine, 1999). Positive sanctions reward people for adhering to a norm. While, strong, negative sanctions punish people for violating a norm. Examples of positive sanctions include: a hug, pat on the back, a raise, promotion, and a prize. Examples of negative sanctions include: a spanking, going to jail, and being fired.

In addition, sanctions can be formal or informal. Formal sanctions are official, public rewards and punishments, such as a promotion or dismissal at work (Gellen and Levine, 1999: 91). The same source defines Informal sanctions as unofficial, sometimes subtle or even unconscious checks on everyday behaviour, for example, an encouraging or contemptuous look.

Throughout the Caribbean norms are comparable and usually attract similar sanctions, thus making norms a very poor example of a distinct component of culture. Furthermore, most important norms are applied virtually in all Caribbean countries at anytime. For example, parents expect obedience from their children regardless of the setting. Material Culture

Components of Culture 10

Homes, cities, churches, offices, factories and plants, means of production, goods and products, stores, and so forth are present worlwide. All of these are physical or material aspects of a culture which help to define its members' behaviors and perceptions.

Material culture consists of all tangible aspects of a given society, that is, the things that we create and use for survival. Material culture reflects a culture's technology, which is the application of cultural knowledge to the task of living in a physical environment. Technology is a vital feature of material culture in todays Caribbean society. For example, Caribbean students must learn to use the computer to survive in college and in business.

The significance of material culture is similar in all Caribbean countries. Desks, computers houses, chairs, food, clothing and so on are all used for the same thing.

Components of Culture 11

Disscussion and Conclusion

Of all the components of culture, language and symbols seem to be the most distinct. Striking differences are evident in the use of laguage in the various Caribbean countries. This is evident even when two countries speak the same spoken language. For example, a Jamaican who is visiting St. Lucia might be puzzled the first time he hears a St. Lucian says, Buller. The Trinidadian means homosexual. In every Caribbean country the language is different. The language of Jamaica can be easily identified different from that of Trinidad and Tobago or any other Caribbean country.

Likewise, the symbols of each the countries of the region are distinct. The flag of Barbados is a distinct symbol which can be identified differently from that of The Bahamas. The symbols of the different Caribbean countries are varied and diverse. The power and significance of each of the different countries of the territory is manifested through their music, flags, dance, even some words and the like. These symbols are representations of each countrys distinct identity.

Despit the presence of cultural universals - those aspects of culture, all cultures demonstrate even if in different forms, there is still great diversity among the Caribbeans many cultures; they develop cultural patterns, in the components of language and symbols, that differ from the patterns of others.

Components of Culture 12

In concluding, it is my opinion that values, beliefs, norms, and material objects do not best reflect a societys distinctiveness. This is so because these components of culture can be considered cultural universals. Each Caribbean countrys culture evolved out of a common inheritance, that of slavery, yet the culture of each country is unique in terms of language and symbols. Therefore, I believe that, a societys distinctiveness is best reflected in its language and symbols and not in terms of the other components of culture.