Casa ESL · C1 Advanced · Unit 19 of 20 · Step 2
Lexical Cohesion and Text Organisation at Paragraph Level
Name
Date
Vocabulary
ethnocentrism
nounThe evaluation of other cultures according to the standards and customs of one's own culture.
"Anthropologists must guard against ethnocentrism in their fieldwork."
kinship
nounThe system of social relationships connecting people in a culture, based on blood or marriage.
"Kinship structures vary enormously across cultures and historical periods."
acculturation
nounThe process of cultural change resulting from contact between two or more cultural groups.
"Acculturation is a bidirectional process, though power imbalances mean it is rarely equal."
ritual
nounA ceremony or series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner, often with religious or cultural significance.
"Rituals serve to reinforce community identity and shared values."
taboo
nounA social or religious custom prohibiting or restricting a particular practice.
"Food taboos often have both cultural and ecological explanations."
diaspora
nounThe dispersion of a people from their original homeland.
"The diaspora communities maintained cultural traditions across generations."
indigenous
adjectiveOriginating naturally in a particular place; native.
"Indigenous knowledge systems offer valuable perspectives on environmental stewardship."
assimilation
nounThe process by which a minority group adopts the customs and attitudes of the prevailing culture.
"Forced assimilation policies have caused lasting harm to indigenous communities."
Grammar Focus
Lexical cohesion and text organisation at paragraph level
Lexical cohesion creates textual unity through vocabulary relationships. Key devices: repetition (using the same word), synonymy (using different words with similar meaning — 'culture' / 'society' / 'community'), hyponymy (general-specific — 'rituals' includes 'wedding ceremonies, funerals, festivals'), collocation chains (related words that naturally cluster — 'culture, traditions, customs, heritage, identity'). Effective paragraphs use a mix of these to create a cohesive semantic field. The 'given-new' principle places known information at the beginning of sentences and new information at the end, creating a smooth information flow.
Culture shapes identity. This identity, in turn, influences how communities interact with one another. Such interactions — whether cooperative or conflictual — ultimately define the character of a society.
The rituals of the community reflected their deepest values. Ceremonies marking birth, marriage, and death served not merely as social occasions but as reaffirmations of collective identity.
Indigenous knowledge systems encompass a vast range of practices. These practices — from agricultural techniques to medicinal traditions — represent centuries of accumulated wisdom.
Exercises
Exercise 1
Complete each gap with a word that maintains lexical cohesion within the paragraph.
1. Culture is transmitted through language. This process ensures that knowledge passes from one generation to the next.
2. The community observed strict food taboos. These had both spiritual and practical significance.
3. Migration leads to cultural contact. Such can result in acculturation, assimilation, or cultural hybridisation.
4. The diaspora maintained its traditions. These cultural served as a link to their ancestral homeland.
5. Ethnocentrism distorts understanding. This can be mitigated through sustained cross-cultural engagement.
Exercise 2
Choose the option that best maintains lexical cohesion in the paragraph.
1. Kinship structures determine social roles. These ___ vary across cultures.
2. Rituals reinforce community identity. ___, festivals and ceremonies mark shared values.
3. Assimilation policies were imposed on indigenous communities. The ___ of these policies is still felt today.
Reading
The Fabric of Culture
Culture is not a monolithic entity but a living fabric woven from countless threads — language, ritual, kinship, belief, and material practice. Each of these threads is connected to the others, so that a change in one inevitably affects the whole. Anthropologists have long sought to understand how this fabric holds together and what happens when it is torn. The concept of acculturation describes what occurs when two cultural systems come into sustained contact: elements of each are exchanged, adapted, and sometimes lost. This process of exchange is rarely symmetrical. When a dominant culture encounters a less powerful one, the pressure to assimilate can be overwhelming, and the resulting loss of traditions, languages, and knowledge systems constitutes a form of cultural erosion. Indigenous communities around the world have experienced this erosion firsthand. Their knowledge — accumulated over centuries of close engagement with specific environments — represents an irreplaceable resource. The diaspora communities that have formed as a result of displacement maintain cultural continuity through rituals, language, and the transmission of oral histories. These practices serve not merely as nostalgia but as active resistance against assimilation. Understanding these dynamics requires anthropologists to set aside ethnocentric assumptions and approach other cultures on their own terms — a deceptively simple principle that demands constant vigilance.
1. What metaphor does the passage use for culture, and why?
2. How do diaspora communities maintain cultural continuity, according to the passage?
Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner or your teacher.
Writing
Write a well-organised paragraph (6–8 sentences) about a cultural practice or tradition. Focus on lexical cohesion: use repetition, synonymy, hyponymy, and the given-new principle to create a unified text.
Example: The tea ceremony in Japan is far more than a method of preparing a beverage. This ritual — refined over centuries — embodies principles of harmony, respect, and tranquillity. The ceremony itself follows a precise sequence of movements, each imbued with symbolic meaning. Such practices connect participants to a cultural heritage that values mindfulness and aesthetic sensitivity. These values, transmitted through the tradition from master to student, have influenced Japanese art, architecture, and philosophy far beyond the tea room.
Answer Key — For Teacher Use
Exercise 1
1. transmission · 2. prohibitions / restrictions · 3. contact / encounters · 4. practices / traditions · 5. bias / tendency
Exercise 2
1. relationships · 2. Specifically · 3. impact
Reading Comprehension
1. The passage describes culture as a 'living fabric woven from countless threads', emphasising that its elements — language, ritual, kinship, belief, material practice — are interconnected, so that change in one affects the whole. · 2. Through rituals, language, and the transmission of oral histories — practices that serve as active resistance against assimilation rather than mere nostalgia.