The definition of culture has been the subject of debate among sociologists and anthropologists since the 19th century. Culture is vital to the perseverance of a society and has its own identity that distinguishes it from others. Culture is not ingrained in a person from birth, but is learned wherever they come from. This works subconsciously in that when one culture differs, one society may find another society strange. Every society has a different culture in which people share specific language, gestures, beliefs, behavior, norms, sanctions, etc. Language greatly influences the way we see the world. Languages ​​shape the way we understand aspects of life such as time, direction, space and even causality. For example, while English speakers tend to say "Lisa broke the vase", Spanish and Japanese speakers would tend to say "the vase broke by itself". These opposing interpretations can give rise to different understandings of how events are perceived. Language is part of culture and behavior. According to the hypothesis of linguistic determinism (Sapir, 1956), “no language is ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality. The worlds that different societies live in are distinct worlds, not just the same world with different labels. » Language and culture are so closely linked that accurately understanding the relationship between the two is fundamental in intercultural communication. Each country has a different way of greeting each other and different types of gestures that they share. Gestures are body movements to communicate with others and express messages without using words. The gestures all vary around the world and the meaning of ...... middle of paper ...... he Coca-Cola Company is an example of cultural leveling because not only is Coca-Cola sold in America, but it is all over the world, such as South Korea, India and 200 other countries. The positive factor of cultural leveling is that it unifies cultures but the negative is that cultural originality is lost. Works Cited Billikopf, Gregorio. “Cultural differences.” College of Natural Resources - UC Berkeley. June 1, 2009. Internet. March 08, 2011. .Jervis, Nancy. “What is a culture? » P-12: NYSED. State University of New York, 2006. Internet. March 8, 2011. .Wescott, Roger Williams. “Broadcast.” NEAR homepage. New England Antiquities Research Association, 2002. Web. March 8. 2011. .