Although we will talk about the role of intercultural communication in a later chapter,
it is important to note the relationship between language and culture here. Culture
may be defi ned as all of the socially transmitted behavior patterns, beliefs, attitudes,
and values of a particular period, class, community, or population. We often think of
the culture of a country (Greek culture), institution (the culture of higher education),
organization (the IBM culture), or group of people (the Hispanic culture). Culture and
language are thus related as the transmission of culture occurs through language.
The relationship between culture and language is not as simple as it might fi rst
appear, however. Let us take the example of women and men and communication.
Several years ago, books and articles were written on the differences between women
and men in their communicative practices. As this research further developed, gender
was expanded to refer to a complex social construct rather than simple biological
sex. Some authors argued that gender was just as important as social class in
understanding variations in communication (Schilling-Estes, 2002).
Language and culture are related in a second way. Culture creates a lens through
which we perceive the world and create shared meaning. Language thus develops