Languages and Worldview Textbook PART 4 Language, Worldviews, and Intercultural Communication

Language , and Intercultural Communication Learning Objectives After completing this module , students will be able to . Identify and illustrate the and challenges of intercultural communication . Analyze instances of cultural misunderstandings from an intercultural perspective . and cultures . Explain how different understandings of politeness can shape intercultural communication and foster cultural misunderstandings If you were to ask Russel Arent , author of Bridging the Cultural Gap , he would tell you that , Intercultural communication is the sending and receiving of messages across languages and cultures . It is also a negotiated understanding of meaning in human experiences across social systems and This provides not only a concise but it also describes the importance that understanding has in intercultural interactions . In this , a man who spent 27 years traveling the world to experience different cultures , refers to culture as , A system of behavior that helps us act in an accepted or familiar Cross cultural communication ?

Intercultural communication is often used interchangeably with communication . Intercultural Communication A Dialectical Approach Intercultural communication is complicated , messy , and at times contradictory . Therefore , it is not always easy to conceptualize or study . Taking a dialectical approach allows us to capture the dynamism of intercultural communication . A dialectic is a relationship between two opposing concepts that constantly push and pull one another ( Intercultural Communication 73 ) To put it another way , thinking dialectically helps us realize that our experiences often occur in between two different phenomena . This perspective is especially useful for interpersonal and intercultural communication , because when we think dialectically , we think relationally . This means we 57

58 FIGURE . Dialectics of Intercultural Communication . Adapted from Martin , Judith , and Thomas . Thinking Individual Dialectically about Culture and Communication . Communication Theory , vol . no . 1999 , I I . Personal Contextual look at the relationship between aspects of intercultural communication rather than viewing them in isolation . Intercultural Differences Similarities communication occurs as a dynamic betweenness that , while connected to the I individuals in an encounter , goes beyond the Static Dynamic individuals , creating something unique . Holding a dialectical perspective may be challenging for some Westerners , as it asks us to hold two contradictory I ideas simultaneously , which goes against I much of what we are taught in our Privilege Disadvantage formal education . Thinking dialectically helps us see the complexity in culture and identity because it doesn allow for . are dualistic ways of thinking that highlight opposites , reducing the ability to see that exist in between concepts . such as , right , subjective , and so on , form the basis of much of our thoughts on ethics , culture , and general philosophy , but this isn the only way of thinking ( Thinking Dialectically 14 ) Many Eastern cultures acknowledge that the world isn dualistic . Rather , they accept as part of their reality that things that seem opposite are actually interdependent and complement each other . I argue that a dialectical approach is useful in studying intercultural communication because it gets us out of our comfortable and familiar ways of thinking . Since so much of understanding culture and identity is understanding ourselves , having an unfamiliar lens through which to view culture can offer us insights that our familiar lenses will not . we can better understand intercultural communication by six dialectics ( see Figure , Dialectics of Intercultural Communication ) For the purpose of this course , we will focus on the four . The dialectic captures the interplay between patterned behaviors learned from a cultural group and individual behaviors that may be variations on or counter to those of the larger culture . This dialectic is useful because it helps us account for exceptions to cultural norms . For example , earlier we learned that the United States is said to be a culture , which means that we value verbal communication as our primary , form of communication . Conversely , Japan is said to be a culture , which means they often look for nonverbal

LANGUAGE , AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION 59 clues like tone , silence , or what is not said for meaning . However , you can people in the United States who intentionally put much meaning into how they say things , perhaps because they are not as comfortable speaking directly what on their mind . We often do this in situations where we may hurt someone feelings or damage a relationship . Does that mean we come from a culture ?

Does the man who speaks more than is socially acceptable come from a culture ?

The answer to both questions is no . Neither the behaviors of a small percentage of individuals nor occasional situational choices constitute a cultural pattern . The dialectic highlights the connection between our personal patterns of and preferences for communicating and how various the personal . In some cases , our communication patterns and preferences will stay the same across many . In other cases , a context shift may lead us to alter our communication and adapt . For example , an American businesswoman may prefer to communicate with her employees in an informal and manner . When she is promoted to manage a department in her company office in Malaysia , she may again prefer to communicate with her new Malaysian employees the same way she did with those in the United States . In the United States , we know that there are some accepted norms that communication in work is more formal than in personal . However , we also know that individual managers often adapt these expectations to suit their own personal tastes . This type of managerial discretion would likely not go over as well in Malaysia where there is a greater emphasis put on power distance ( 26 ) So while the American manager may not know to adapt to the new context unless she has a high degree of intercultural communication competence , Malaysian managers would realize that this is an instance where the context likely communication more than personal preferences . The dialectic allows us to examine how we are simultaneously similar to and different from others . As was noted earlier , it easy to fall into a view of intercultural communication as other oriented and set up between us and When we on differences , we can end up polarizing groups that actually have things in common . When we on similarities , we essentialize , or important variations within a group . This tendency is evident in most of the popular , and some of the academic , conversations regarding gender The book Men Mars , Women Venus makes it seem like men and women aren even species that hail from the same planet . The media is quick to include a blurb from a research study indicating again how men and women are wired to communicate differently . However , the overwhelming majority of current research on gender and communication that while there are differences between how men and women communicate , there are far more similarities ( Allen 55 ) Even the language we use to describe the genders sets up . That why I suggest that my students use the term other gender instead of the commonly used opposite sex . I have a mom , a sister , and plenty of female friends , and I don feel like any of them are the opposite of me . Perhaps a better title for a book would be Women and Men Are Earth .

60 The dialectic suggests that culture and communication change over time yet often appear to be and are experienced as stable . Although it is true that our cultural beliefs and practices are rooted in the past , we have already discussed how cultural categories that most of us assume to be stable , like race and gender , have changed dramatically in just the past years . Some cultural values remain relatively consistent over time , which allows us to make some generalizations about a culture . For example , cultures have different to time . The Chinese have a orientation to time than do Europeans ( and ) This is evidenced in something that dates back as far as astrology . The Chinese zodiac is done annually ( The Year of the Monkey , etc . while European astrology was organized by month Taurus , While this cultural orientation to time has been around for generations , as China more Westernized in terms of technology , business , and commerce , it could also adopt some views on time that are more short term . Adapted from Intercultural Communication ( A Primer on Communication Studies , 2012 ) Important Concepts for Understanding Intercultural Communication If you decide to take a class on intercultural communication you will learn a great deal about the similarities and differences across cultural groups . Since this chapter is meant to give you an overview or taste of this exciting of study , we will discuss four important concepts for understanding communication practices among cultures . High and Low Context Think about someone you are very close best friend , romantic partner , or sibling . Have there been times when you began a sentence and the other person knew exactly what you were going to say before you said it ?

For example , in a situation between two sisters , one sister might exclaim , Get off ! which is short for get off my wavelength ) This phenomenon of being on someone wavelength is similar to what Hall describes as high context . In communication , the meaning is in the people , or more , the relationship between the people as opposed to just the words . communication occurs when we have to rely on the translation of the words to decipher a persons meaning . The American legal system , for example , relies on communication . While some cultures are low or high context , in general terms , there can also be individual or contextual differences within cultures . In the example above between the two sisters , they are using communication however , America is considered a culture .

LANGUAGE , AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION 61 Countries such as Germany and Sweden are also low context while and China are high context . and Adapted from Understanding Intercultural Communication ( Department of Communication , Indiana State University , 2016 ) Speech Styles Other variations in communication can be described using and four communication styles . Thinking about these as a continuum rather than polar opposites is helpful because it allows us to imagine more communicative options for speakers . They are not into one style or another but instead , people can make choices about where to be on the continuum according to the context in which they themselves . This continuum has to do with the explicitness of ones talk , or how much of ones thoughts are communicated directly through words and how much is indirect . Direct speech is very explicit while indirect speech is more obscure . IfI say , Close the window , my meaning is quite clear . However , if I were to ask , Is anyone else cold in here ?

or , Geez , this room is cold , I might be signaling indirectly that I want someone to close the window . As the United States is typically a direct culture , these latter statements might generate comments like , Why didn you just ask someone to shut the window ?

or Shut it Why might someone make a choice to use a direct or indirect form of communication ?

What are some of the advantages or disadvantages of each style ?

Think about the context for a moment . If you as a student were in a meeting with the President of your university and you were to tell her to Shut the window , what do you think would happen ?

Can you even imagine saying that ?

An indirect approach in this context may appear more polite , appropriate , and effective . Remember the fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears ?

As Goldilocks tasted the porridge , she exclaimed , This one is too hot , this one is too cold , but this one is just This next continuum of communication styles , elaborate , can be thought of this way as well . The elaborate style uses more words , phrases , or metaphors to express an idea than the other two styles . It may be described as descriptive , poetic , or too wordy depending on your view . Commenting on a garden , an American ( speaker may say , Wow , look at all the color variations . That An Egyptian ( Elaborate ) speaker may go into much more detail about the varieties and colors of the blossoms This garden invokes so many memories for me . The deep purple irises remind me of my maternal grandmother as those are her favorite . Those pink roses are similar to the ones I sent to my The succinct style in contrast values simplicity and silence . As many mothers usually tell their children , If

62 you can say anything nice , then don say anything at all Cultures such as Buddhism and the Amish Value this form . The exact style is the one for Goldilocks as it falls between the other two and would be , in her words , just It is not overly descriptive or too vague to be of use . Remember when we were talking about the French and Spanish languages and the fact that they have a formal and informal you depending on the relationship between the speaker and the audience ?

This example also helps explain the third communication style the personal and contextual . The contextual style is one where there are structural linguistic devices used to mark the relationship between the speaker and the listener . If this sounds a bit unfamiliar , that is because the English language has no such linguistic distinctions it is an example of the personal style that enhances the sense of While the English language does allow us to show respect for our audience such as the choice to eliminate slang or the use of titles such as Sir , Madame , President , or Professor , they do not inherently change the structure of the language . The continuum , affective , refers to who holds the responsibility for effectively conveying a message the speaker or the audience ?

The instrumental style is or orientated , meaning it is the burden of the speaker to make themselves understood . The affective style is more , thus places more responsibility on the listener . Here , the listener should pay attention to verbal , nonverbal , and relationship clues in an attempt to understand the message . Asian cultures such as China and and many Native American tribes are affective cultures . The United States is more instrumental . Think about sitting in your college classroom listening to your professor lecture . If you do not understand the material where does the responsibility reside ?

Usually it is given to the professor as in statements such as My math professor isn very well organized , or By the end of the Econ . lecture all that was on the board were lines , circles , and a bunch of numbers . I didn know what was important and what wasn These statements suggest that it is up to the professor to communicate the material to the students . As the authors were raised in the American educational system they too were used to this perspective and often look at their teaching methods when students fail to understand the material . A professor was teaching in China and when her students encountered particular with a certain concept she would often ask the students , What do you examples ?

Shall we review again ?

Are the terms confusing ?

Her students , raised in a more affective environment responded , No , its not you . It is our job as your students to try harder . We did not study enough and will read the chapter again so we will The students accepted the responsibility as listeners to work to understand the speaker . Adapted from Survey of Communication Study ( Laura Hahn Scott , 2019 )

LANGUAGE , AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION 63 Works Cited Allen , Brenda Matters Communicating Social Identity . 2011 . Cultures and Organizations of the Mind . London , 1991 . Myron , and . Intercultural Competence Interpersonal Communication across Cultures . Pearson , 2006 . Martin , Judith , and Thomas . Intercultural Communication in . Boston , 2010 . Thinking Dialectically about Culture and Communication Theory , vol . no . 1999 ,