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Week 8 notes
Based on the feedback that I have gotten, I will focus on the overlying ideas presented by the examples I have below in the article. As such, I am currently rereading and going through my sources in order to expand on the general ideas that I wish to represent in the final article. For example: how exactly does culture affect the formation of language and symbols? How are the values of a culture represented through behavior? Why does language change as a culture changes? How do all of these things form alongside a culture? I will mainly be using the the following books this following week, as I believe they are broad enough to help me answer these questions.

Non-material culture
Culture consists of both material culture and non-material culture. Non-material culture consists of the "beliefs, values, norms, symbols, and language" that make up and shape a particular cultural. In contrast to material culture, non-material culture does not include any physical objects or artifacts.

Language
Language is created by the people in a particular society and culture, and that language helps represent that culture. People use language to associate themselves with their culture, and there can exist variations in one language within sub-cultural groups. Language is one way humans are able to communicate, making it possible for people to share thoughts and opinions with one another. This type of communication impacts the formation of culture.

Language and culture are closely tied together and continuously affect one another. One example of culture shaping language is the case of the Pirahã people. Their lack of words for numbers makes it impossible for them to have complex mathematical systems in their culture. Their lack of number words can also be based on their cultural requirements: because they have no need for extensive mathematics, there would be no need for them to form number words. This is one way that language is formed to suit the needs of a culture. The formation of American slang can also serve as a reflection of culture and has changed throughout history as American culture develops. Several unique periods in American history have had an impact on American slang. For example, as people began speaking out in defense of homosexuality in the 1960s, vulgar language and slang became more acceptable to use and began to be included in dictionaries.

While culture alters the formation of a society's language, there is also a theory based on the works of Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf which holds that language actually limits and shapes how people see the world around them. This theory of linguistic relativity would indicate that language alters and restricts the formation of language.

Symbols
In his 1973 book, The Interpretation of Cultures, anthropologist Clifford Geertz refers to culture as "a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life," expressing the importance he placed on symbols in culture. Just like language, symbols form as a culture grows. People in a particular society attribute meaning to specific objects, and that imbued meaning transforms that object into a widely recognized symbol in that society. There can be symbols that cross cultural boundaries. For example, a cross is a universal symbol of Christianity, and is so universally known due to the prevalence of Christianity in different cultures. Though the first stop sign first appeared in Michigan in the United States, the physical attributes are know so well known in many different cultures due to its wide use in so many different countries. However, while there are universal symbols there are also symbols that only have meaning to particular cultures. In American culture particularly, a white picket fence symbolizes a successful and happy suburban life and is a widely recognized icon.

Behavior
The culture that an individual is part of influences several aspects of that individual, including behavior. Through socialization, an individual will learn the values and norms inherent in their society and, in most cases, will behave according to those values and norms. Behavior is important because it can convey the values of a society and most individuals in a society will behave how that society expects. For example, in Japanese culture, which depends on the "fundamental relatedness of individuals" it is important to fit in with those around you and maintain harmonious personal relationships. Individuals in Japanese culture behave to avoid exclusion from society, putting flexibility, empathy, and self-restraint above expression of personal thoughts and opinions.

While culture influences behavior, behavior can also have an impact on a culture. This can be seen in the in the caste system in India. In higher caste levels, it is customary for an individual to abstain from meat and alcohol, and follow Sanskritic customs. Those in the lower caste levels take on this behavior in order to move up in the caste system. This type of behavior has had an influence on Indian culture: the numerous amounts of lower caste individuals participating in Sanskritic customs helped spread those customs all throughout India.