ABSTRACT
In many cases technical terms and theories of culture became powerful metaphors, spread from the realm of academia to first order discourses and back. This chapter discusses positivism, essentialism, constructionism, and critical approaches to language and culture. The notion of layers is commonly used to describe 'culture' in this context, and metaphors of objects with interconnected and hidden parts are typical in the relevant literature. The notion of culture as a multilayered entity is deeply entrenched in academic work and scholars distinguish between the layers that are related to the individual, those relevant to larger units such as an organisation, a society, or a whole country. Crossing borders for study, work, or leisure involves contact with systems and structures that, at times, require the individual to question their own perceptions of common sense and normality. Language shock refers to the challenges involved in using a second/foreign language in the new environment.
