2.0 Introduction
Do you still remember the metaphor we introduced in the first chapter, the water fish swim in? Here is another metaphor. Culture is seen as an iceberg. The most part of the iceberg is down deep in the water which we cannot see clearly. The most part of the culture that we cannot see clearly is the core values and beliefs. But it's the "thinking" and "feeling" part of culture, it is so important that we absorbed from childhood on and is passed down from generation to generation. It is very difficult for us to notice or understand when one first comes into a new culture. Therefore in this chapter, we are going to introduce some cultural values by discussing some cultural phenomena, such as privacy, taboo, and euphemism.