"sociologists stress that a gap always exists between ideal culture and real culture in a society. ideal culture refers to the values and standards of behavior that people actually follow; whereas real culture refers to the values and standards of behavior that people in a society profess to hold; verbal (spoken) language and nonverbal (written or gesture) language us describe reality. one of our most important human attributes is the ability to use language to share our experiences, feelings, and knowledge with others."