The 'emic' and 'etic' approach
Another approach to the study of culture is the 'emic' and 'etic' perspectives. In short, the 'emic' approach focuses on studying cultures from the inside. This perspective attempts to understand cultures as the members of the cultures understand them. In contrast, the 'etic' approach focuses on understanding cultures from the outside by comparing cultures using pre-determined characteristics. The two approaches are based on anthropological, sociolinguistic, and ethnographic research models. Brislin (1983) argues that in its current usage the distinction is employed basically as a metaphor for differences between the culture specific approach (emic, single culture) and cultural-general (etic, universal) approaches to research. The table below sets out the main differences between the emic and etic approaches.