Cultural Communication - Powerpoints

Issues in nonverbal communication

1) I can understand you facial expression - but does it mean what I think it means? 2) Why are you standing so close to me? Space and other aspects of contact 3) Does anybody really know what time is it? 4) Why are you being so quiet? Cultural understanding of silence

Theories focusing on effective outcomes

1. Cultural convergence 2. Anxiety/Uncertainty Management 3. Effective Group Decision Making

Whorf's linguistic relativity principle

Automatic, involuntary patterns of language constitute the formalized side of language, or its "grammar". These patters are not the same for all languages. The linguistic relativity principle, affirms that users of markedly different grammars are pointed by their grammars toward different types of observations and different evaluations of externally similar acts of observation, and hence are not equivalent as observes and must arrive at somewhat different views of the world. The forms of a person's thoughts are controlled by inexorable laws of pattern of which he/she is unconscious.

Professor Geert Hofstede

Cconducted one of the most comprehensive studies of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture. He defines culture as "the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from others" The model of national culture consists of six dimensions. The cultural dimensions represent independent preferences for one state of affairs over another that distinguish countries (rather than individuals) from each other. The country scores on the dimensions are relative, as we are all human and simultaneously we are all unique. In other words, culture can be only used meaningfully by comparison.

Cultural norms

Collective expectations of what constitutes proper or improper behavior in a given interaction scene

Theories focusing on acculturation and adjustment

Communication Acculturation Theory Assimilation, Deviance and Alienation States

Relationship between communication and culture

Communication is transactional: - communication involves give and take between 2 people - communicators affects each others

monolithic

Constituting or acting as a single, often rigid, uniform whole

Convergence

Convergence is a strategy of adapting your communication behavior in such a way as to become more similar to another person. People may adapt to speech rate, pause, smiling, eye gaze, and other verbal and nonverbal behaviors. This is a process we don't always choose to utilize. When we do choose to converge, perceptions of the other person's speech or behaviors are relied on.

Dimensions of difference

DIrect - People in some cultures can be very direct, or indirect in their way of communicate verbally. Formal vs informal: In some cultures there are more occasion of formality than in other cultures. Differentiated and undifferentiated It refers to the fact that a language can have different registers, or levels of formality. Romance languages are more differentiated than English. Instrumental and affective styles Depending on their culture, people can be more goal oriented or be more rhetoric, emotional and expressive Exaggerated style = use language to embellish upon reality Exacting styles = used to emphasize what one means Succinct style = used to reflect a personal or cultural preference for fewer words

communication accommodation theory

Developed by Howard Giles. It argues that "when people interact they adjust their speech, their vocal patterns and their gestures, to accommodate to others".

Effective Group Decision-Making Theory

Developed in the 1990s by John G. Oetzel • It takes the influence of culture on group processes as a basis and it depends on social interactions among group members. • The purpose of the original study conducted by Oetzel was to determine whether the relationship between group interaction quality and group decision performance can be generalized to established organizational groups • This theory contains 14 propositions • The initial set of propositions focuses on homogeneous and heterogeneous groups

dialectics

Discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to establish the truth through reasoned arguments.

Culture is transmitted

ENCULTURATION = process of learning one's own culture ACCULTURATION = process of learning another culture DECULTURATION = process of unlearning one's own culture

The internal process by which thoughts, feelings, and concepts are converted into a message by using shared verbal or nonverbal codes.

Encoding Decoding is the process of transforming information from a difficult to understand stored symbols format to one that is easier to understand -which is the reverse of encoding.

The golden pursue

Ethical Egoism/ This approach considers a weighing of the advantages and disadvantages of a decision and choosing what works best for me or my group (organization, country, etc.).

Long term/short term

Every society has to maintain some links with its own past while dealing with the challenges of the present and the future. Societies prioritize these two existential goals differently. Societies who score low on this dimension, for example, prefer to maintain time-honored traditions and norms while viewing societal change with suspicion. Those with a culture which scores high, on the other hand, take a more pragmatic approach: they encourage thrift and efforts in modern education as a way to prepare for the future. In the business context this dimension is related to as "(short term) normative versus (long term) pragmatic" (PRA).

Nonverbal expectancy violations

Expectancies = expectations for communication behavior based on our culture, our personal preferences and our knowledge of the other communicator Behavior valence = the degree of negativity or positivity in expected information

The golden mean

Extremes should be avoided, because the best choices lie between extremes in any situation. The "golden mean" refers to the "average" or "mean" between extreme behaviors.

Cultural scripts

Different speech communities have different "ways of speaking", not just in the narrowly linguistic sense but also in the norms or conventions of linguistic interaction. These conventions are defined as cultural scripts. They are cultural rules regarding expected behavior that include expectations of who does what, and any expected sequence of actions in a communication routines. Cultural scripts are intended as descriptions of commonly held assumptions about how "people think" about social interaction. Because people bring these assumptions with them into everyday interactions, cultural scripts influence the form taken by particular verbal encounters but they do not in any sense determine individual interactions. No-one yet knows how many scripts would be needed for a relatively comprehensive description of the "verbal culture" of any society (just as no-one has yet produced a complete ethnography of communication in conventional terms, or, for that matter, a complete grammar). It is clear, however, that the number would be large. Furthermore, various forms of "intertextuality" operate between and among cultural scripts (for example, some being more general than others, some taking priority over others, some competing with others). It is also important to note that many scripts must be tailored to particular types of interlocutors, settings, and discourse genres.

Monochronic cultures vs Polychronic cultures

Formal time vs informal time

Identity Management Theory

Individuals perceive their identities differently at different given points across time and space. It seeks to understand and explain communication competence in intercultural relations. With identity management we mean the communication strategies people use to influence how others view them Perceived self (private self) (1) The person you believe yourself to be in moments of honest reflection (2) Accurate or not, we believe it reflects who we are (self-concept) (3) Unlikely to reveal all of it to another person, too personal to disclose Presenting self (public self) (1) The way we want to appear to others (2) Usually a socially approved image - Face: the socially approved image we create - Facework: verbal & nonverbal ways in which we act to maintain our own presenting image and others' face - Front: roles that we want to believe and we want others to believe - Back: behavior we would never publicly exhibit

Indulgence/restraint

Indulgence stands for a society that allows relatively free gratification of basic and natural human drives related to enjoying life and having fun. Restraint stands for a society that suppresses gratification of needs and regulates it by means of strict social norms.

Anxiety/Uncertainty Management Theory

Introduced by William Gudykunst • based on Charles Berger's Uncertainty Reduction Theory • assumes that individuals attempt to reduce uncertainty in initial interactions with strangers • two aspects of "uncertainty" • the ability to accurately predict how others will behave • the ability to explain their behavior A decrease in the anxiety strangers experience when interacting with members of other groups will produce an increase in their intergroup adaptation and effectiveness

Hegemony

Is a form or level of control over another group in terms of politica, cultural or economic power

public sphere

Is constituted by amorphous communities where discourse is exchanged, to advance democratic, public participation in the contribution and circulations of ideas. Media help creating the public sphere, in particular when giving people a way to air their voice. Free expression in one part of the world can now be received in other parts of the word; the consequence is that what on public figure says can cause crisis in international relations, or street protests

Face Negotiation Theory

It address how issues of face are negotiated in cross-cultural conflicts. Conflict is an identity bound concept in which the faces or situated identities of the interactants are called into question, particularly with persons from individualistic and collectivistic cultures having different situated identities. An effective identity negotiation refers to the smooth coordination between interactants concerning salient identity issues, and the process of engaging in responsive identity confirmation and positive identity enhancement Assumptions 1) Communication in all cultures is based on maintaining and negotiating face. 2) Face is problematic when identities are questioned. 3) Differences in individualistic vs. collectivistic and small vs. large power distance cultures profoundly shape face management. 4) Individualistic cultures prefer self oriented facework, and collectivistic cultures prefer other oriented facework. 5) Small power distance cultures prefer an "individuals are equal" framework, whereas large power distance cultures prefer a hierarchical framework. 6) Behavior is also influenced by cultural variances, individual, relational, and situational factors. 7) Competence in intercultural communication is a culmination of knowledge and mindfulness

Communication accommodation theory

It has been developed by Howard Giles. It argues that "when people interact they adjust their speech, their vocal patterns and their gestures, to accommodate to others". It explores the various reasons why individuals emphasize or minimize the social differences between themselves and their interlocutors through verbal and nonverbal communication. The main strategies communicators use based on these motivations are convergence and divergence

Organizational communication

It is a discipline within communication studies that focuses specifically on organizing behaviors across contexts. This disciplines explores the nuances of communication in organizations.

Cultural myth

It is a narrative popularly told to teach preferred ways of behaving. They may have origins in historic events. They are conveyed towards a variety of methods.

Models of cultural adjustment: U-Curve

It is a well-known model of cultural adjustment developed by Sverre Lysgaard. The model suggest that travelers go through stages. - Honeymoon - Crisis stage - Adjustment - Integration stage

Stereotypes

It is an oversimplified, often unvarying attribute assigned to a group, or to a person because that person is a member of a group.

Divergence

It refers to the ways in which speakers accentuate their verbal and non-verbal differences in order to distinguish themselves from others. On an interpersonal note, overdoing divergence—as well as convergence—may offend others. It is not an effort to disagree with one-another, it is more that two people have made a choice to dissociate themselves from the person and the topic. It can serve as a way to maintain a social identity and can be used deliberately to have "identity, cultural pride, and distinctiveness Assumption 1: Speech behavioral similarities and dissimilarities exist in all conversations Assumption 2: The manner in which we perceive the speech and behaviors of another will determine how we evaluate a conversation Assumption 3: Language and behaviors impart information about social status and group belonging Assumption 4: Accommodation varies in its degree of appropriateness, and norms guide the accommodation process

Social Cultural

Knowing where you belong includes: 1. gender identity 2. sexual identity 3. age identity 4. racial and ethnic identity 5. physical ability identity 6. class identities 7. national identities 8. regional identities 9. personal identities

Language

Language refers to a system of verbal, non verbal, and visual symbols that a group of pieces together to share meaning. There are often forceful politics surrounding language, because making one language "national" gives those who speak that language prestige and power over others who do not speak the language well, or even who speak it with a different dialect or pronunciation than has become dominant Speech Codes - A speech code is a system of socially constructed symbols and meanings, and rules, pertaining to communication conduct

Systems of language and culture

Language structure interaction, so that certain people has the right to do something and others to do other things. Language is not something we simply participate in as individuals - it is structured by history, social situations, social relations, and hierarchies

Low-context cultures

Low-context cultures (including North America and much of Western Europe) are logical, linear, individualistic, and action-oriented. People from low-context cultures value logic, facts, and directness. Solving a problem means lining up the facts and evaluating one after another. - Decisions are based on fact rather than intuition. Discussions end with actions. - And communicators are expected to be straightforward, concise, and efficient in telling what action is expected. - To be absolutely clear, they strive to use precise words and intend them to be taken literally. Explicit contracts conclude negotiations.

The critical paradigm

Main thing that makes this approach different is that it wants to address social inequalities, and thus it brings values into the research. It can be either more objective or more subjective in terms of ontology and epistemology. This paradigm is used to explain how groups with different ideologies about the world struggle with each other to make their views dominant.

What is nonverbal communication?

Nonverbal Communication = Communication without words Nonverbal communication is a process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages.

nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication is a process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages. - Verbal communication and nonverbal communication are interconnected and they operate together in communication. - The difference between verbal and nonverbal is that we use our voice in verbal communication and we use body signs in non-verbal communication

Objective Culture

Objective culture Artifacts that a culture produce Es: tools, clothes, roads, houses, etc

multinational

Of or involving more than two countries:

Space and other aspects of contact

Hall's notion of contact cultures. According to him, there are high contact cultures and low contact cultures. In high contact culture people tend to seek more sensory input during face-to-face interaction. People in these cultures are more likely to look at each other, touch more, stand closer, etc... * Nowadays, some scholars argue that Hall's contact research was based on personal experience rather than on a systematic research

Cultural Competence

Having an awareness of one's own cultural identity and views about difference, and the ability to learn and build on the varying cultural and community norms of students and their families; also, having the ability to understand the within-group differences that make each student unique, while celebrating the between-group variations that make our country a tapestry.

Edward Hall

He is the most famous scholar of intercultural communication. He is considered the father of this field. He is the first who studied specific cultural dimensions: space (proxemics), tim (chronemics), and other areas of nonverbal and intercultural communication. Viewed culture as a system of patterns - aka analyzable. This system of patterns must be learned in order to conduct an effective communication with people from different cultures. Said that a culture can be broken down into small components - suggested an "analytical" view instead on an "holistic" one for both teaching intercultural communication as well as doing research in the field. This "microcultural" analysis led the possibility to both researchers and trainers at the FSI to better focus on practical, specific set of skills more than on a detailed education about the religion, social systems, and other macroelements of a culture. Culture is patterned and predictable

Postcolonialism

1. Diaspora - group of people who live outside the area in which they had lived for a long time or in which their ancestors lived 2. Hybridity - Hybridity is a cross between two separate races or cultures. A hybrid is something that is mixed, and hybridity is simply mixture. 3. Agency

Ray L. Birdwhistell

He is the scholar who introduced the field of nonverbal communication known as kinemes— he focused his studies on the meaning of the small nonverbal movements.

Approaches to ethics in IC

1. Meta-ethic - Humanistic principle, peace principle. There is an overarching guideline of behavior toward other people that either can or should be applied to people in all cultures. Problem: determining what ethic should be is difficult 2. Cultural relativism - Definition: the idea that people in each culture create their own accepted norms about what is right or wrong, with each ethical system being equally as acceptable as any other system. Problem: all members from one culture may accept a practice which is harmful for the members of another culture

High-context

High-context cultures (including much of the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America) are relational, collectivist, intuitive, and contemplative. This means that people in these cultures emphasize interpersonal relationships. Developing trust is an important first step to any business transaction. People in these cultures are less governed by reason than by intuition or feelings. Words are not so important as context, which might include the speaker's tone of voice, facial expression, gestures, posture—and even the person's family history and status. High-context communication tends to be more indirect and more formal. Flowery language, humility, and elaborate apologies are typical.

Culture

Historically created systems of explicit and implicit designs for living, which tends to be shared by all or specifically designated members of a group at a specific point in time

Apologies

How are you gonna feel? - ashamed - guilt - responsible How are you going to behave in front of an embarrassing situation? - use of humor - use of remediation The confusion over the meaning of and occasion for "I'm sorry" extends beyond those countries; indeed, it seems that virtually every culture has its own rules. In India, apologies are far less common than in Japan. In Hong Kong, they are so prevalent and ritualized that many people are inured to them. Americans see an apology as an admission of wrongdoing, whereas Japanese see it as an expression of eagerness to repair a damaged relationship, with no culpability necessarily implied

Identity

Identity is both subjective and processual; it can be seen as a dialectical interplay between objectivity and subjectivity. Discussion on identity situate a person within the individual's social-psychological world. Individuals categorize the social world according to groups and from them they derive part o their identity and self-esteem. Individuals will assert their identity through their communication patterns.

The iceberg mode of culture

If the culture of a society was the iceberg, Hall reasoned, than there are some aspects visible, above the water, but there is a larger portion hidden beneath the surface. Values/thoughts/patterns are under the surface, while behavior is on top.

Cross-Cultural Communication

Implies a comparison and contrast between particular aspects of communication between people from different cultures

Triangle of Meaning

"People from different cultures - or even the same family - will have differences in meaning of a word, due to different experiences with the world." (Ogden & Richard's Triangle of Meaning)

Possible causes of intolerance

- Biological and instinctual influences - Individual-level influences - Group-level influences - Legal-policy influences -Rhetorical and media influences

Theories focusing on accommodation or adaptation

- Communication Accommodation Theory - Intercultural Adaptation Theory - Co-cultural Theory

Possible solutions to intolerance

- Individual-focused initiatives - Contact theory - Communicative solutions - Structural and policy solutions

Criticism

1.the act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything. 2.the act of passing severe judgment; censure; faultfinding. 3.the act or art of analyzing and evaluating or judging the quality of a literary or artistic work, musical performance, art exhibit, dramatic production, etc. Strongly depends on the perceived openness of emotions Ex: Are you aware...? Vs You are wrong! Vs silence

Intercultural Communication Theories

5 categories of theories: - focusing on effective outcomes - focusing on accommodation or adaptation - focusing on identity management or negotiation - Theories focusing on communication networks - Theories focusing on acculturation or adjustment

Display rule

= people may show emotions the same way, but there are cultural expectations about when, how much, and with whom to show emotions

Theories

A coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction fora class of phenomena

Subjective culture

A cultural group's characteristic way of perceiving its social environment. It can be decomposed into key elements, such as categories, associations, attitudes, beliefs , goals, attributions, expectations, norms , roles, rules, self definitions, stereotypes , ideals, values ; aesthetic, economic, social, political, scientific, religious standards; theories, myths, ideologies, religion, and approved behavior patterns.

corporate social responsibility

A form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. It refers to the obligatory services and practices organizations should provide to their global communities as a gesture of symbolic gratitude

Cultural metaphors and metaphorical archetypes

A metaphor is an association of two items, one more familiar and one less familiar. A metaphorical archetype is a comparison of items that have many expressions (ie. Journey) A metaphor isn't saying "it is like", but "it is". It helps you understand a concept you don't know by expressing it in the form of a concept you do know, not just saying it's like the other one. Life is a journey, it's not that life is like a journey.

Symbol

A symbol means something different to each person, as no two people have the same experience with an object or with the symbol

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

A theory developed by Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf that states that the structure of a language determines or greatly influences the modes of thought and behavior characteristic of the culture in which it is spoken. Also called Whorfian hypothesis. Different languages classify the world in different ways, or focus on different aspects of reality

Social Identity Theory

Adopt a social psychological perspective. An individual self concept is composed on both social and personal identities. Identity is created in part by the self and in part by the group membership. (Personal, cultural, social) It predicts intergroup behaviors on the basis of perceived group status differences, the perceived legitimacy and stability of those status differences, and the perceived ability to move from one group to another. It is tested in a wide range of fields and settings and includes prejudice, stereotyping, negotiation and language use. The theory has also implications on the way people deal with social and organizational change.

Conversational episode

Also called communication ritual. It is a routine portion of conversation that has an expected beginning and end. Exchanged are brief but important, because guided by traditions.

Theories focusing on communication networks

- Networks and outgroup communication competence - Intercultural versus Intercultural Networks - Network and Acculturation

Characteristics of culture

1) Culture is closely related to symbolic communication (communication) 2) Culture is learned and transmitted 3) Culture is dynamic 4) Culture exists at different, interlocking levels Macroregional, regional/national, co-cultural, organizational, family 5) Culture is mostly invisible to its members 6) Culture changes and is changed by its environment 7) Birth and demographics are not culture 8) The aspects of culture are interrelated 9) People may act differently from culture, but that does not mean that culture is not there 10) People in all cultures are ethnocentric

The humanistic paradigm

People are less predictable because they make choices. Researchers should provide an interpretation of groups' reality or of an isolated content. Research should consider behavior or texts holistically and within larger social contexts. Research should provide an explnation of a specific phenomenon in a culture from that culture's perspective, or an analysis of a speech or media text through an application of a set of terms.

Personal space

Personal space is your "bubble" - the space you place between yourself and others. This invisible boundary becomes apparent only when someone bumps or tries to enter your bubble.

Epistimology

Pertains to assumptions about the nature of knowledge. It relates to how we see the world. How do we really "know" what we know? Does knowledge accumulate bit by bit? Can we "know" anything with certainty, and what counts as evidence? Important implications for the methods researchers will use to collect information.

Ontology

Pertains to assumptions about the nature of reality, the world, human nature. What is real—is reality circular or linear, knowable or unknowable? What is human nature like? In social science, scholars mean not "what is real" but the assumptions researchers hold about reality

Axiology

Pertains to assumptions about the role of our values as we do research on culture and communication. Should we include our values when conducting research? Or should we be completely value-free? Is it really possible to conduct value-free research? Is it more or less ethic?

Relational Orientations

Power = the level of control over another's thoughts, feelings, or behavior. We communicate differently with our friends than with our employers Solidarity (relational distance) = the degree of familiarity and/or intimacy we have with another person. We tend to react differently to someone who is a stranger than to an acquaintance, a friend or a close friend.

Speech acts and cultural communication

Pragmatic aspect of a language = what we do with the words

In which phase of an international negotiation parties communicate back and forth within their intercultural context and shape the reality of the ongoing negotiation?

Process phase

What are the possible explanations, or hypothesis, for the development of a relationship?

Propinquity, Similarity-attraction hypothesis (The more similar we are to people, the more we will grow to like them), Self-disclosure (social penetration theory, Revealing things about oneself to someone else, specifically things that other would not normally be known by the either, and about which there is at least some risk of sharing), Ability to predict (uncertainty reduction theory)

Proxemics

Proxemics is a category of nonverbal communication. This deals with the topic of space, such as intimate space, personal space, social space, and public space.

Birth and demographics are not culture

RACE = supposed biological differences among groups. It is an arbitrary classification of modern humans, based on a combination of various physical characteristics, as skin color, facial form, or eye shape, etc. RACE: self-identification by people according to the race or races with which they most closely identify. These categories are sociopolitical constructs and should not be interpreted as being scientific or anthropological in nature. They change from one census to another, and the racial categories include both racial and national-origin groups ETHNICITY = it is not race, not culture. It refers to a sense of shared history and geographical ancestry, usually along with other markers, such as culture, language or religion

Forms of Identitites

RACIAL IDENTITY "Based on physical characteristics" CULTURAL IDENTITY "Extent to which individuals hold their larger culture to be important" ETHNIC IDENTITY "A set of ideas about one's own ethnic group membership, including self-identification and knowledge about ethnic culture, and feelings about belonging to a particular ethnic group" SOCIAL IDENTITY "the portion of an individual's selfconcept derived from perceived membership in a relevant social group"

Systems of meaning

Semantics = the branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning Denotation = the relatively objective dictionary type of definition of a word Connotation = the feelings (personal and social) that individuals associate with a word Discourse = it refers to the set of ideas surrounding a concept

Semiotics

Signified = the object or idea a sign represents Signifier = the sound or image that represent Sign = it is the combination of the signified and the signifier, and the relationships between them

Models of cultural adjustment: W-curve

Similar to the U curve, except it considers the culture shock and period of adjusting once you go back to your original country. - Honeymoon - Crisis stage - Adjustment - Integration stage - Travel back home -Honeymoon again - Crisis stage again - Adjustment again - Integration stage again

Theories focusing on identity negotiation or management

Social Identity Theory Face Negotiation Theory Identity Management Theory

The scientific paradigm

Social behavior can be predictable, because people act based on internal and external causes. Researchers should be systematical and remove personal biases, in order to understand the universal laws that govern communcation behavior. Research is often done to test the relationship between variables in a theory, with the goal to provide better predictions of communication outcomes

Lasswell's model of communication

Sorting out communication patterns requires an understanding that they occur on multiple, often circuitous levels, rather than a single linear one. Some others added an element, the context. This is especially relevant for the study of Intercultural Communication.

Communication process

Source/sender - encoding - channel/message - decoding - receiver/audience Noise can interrupt the communication process

Intercultural Communication

Study of communication between individuals from different cultures. It occurs when culture impacts the communication between the two people enough to make a difference

Masculinity/feminitity

The Masculinity side of this dimension represents a preference in society for achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material rewards for success. Society at large is more competitive. Its opposite, femininity, stands for a preference for cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life. Society at large is more consensus-oriented. In the business context Masculinity versus Femininity is sometimes also related to as "tough versus tender" cultures.

Uncertainty Avoidance

The Uncertainty Avoidance dimension expresses the degree to which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity. The fundamental issue here is how a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen? Countries exhibiting strong UAI maintain rigid codes of belief and behaviour and are intolerant of unorthodox behaviour and ideas. Weak UAI societies maintain a more relaxed attitude in which practice counts more than principles.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

The assumptions that language shapes our ides and guides our view of social reality. This hypothesis was proposed by Edward Sapir, a linguist, and his student Benjamin Whorf, and represents relativist view of language and perception. Language is a guide to social reality, by powerfully conditioning all our thinking about social problems and processes. Different languages classify the world in different ways, or focus on different aspects of reality

Discursive elements of a culture

The broader patterns of communication. The anthem along with other verbal and nonverbal symbols. There are 4 examples of discursive elements of a culture that we need to remember: - cultural myths - conversational episodes - social dramas - metaphors

contact hypothesis

The contact hypothesis has been described as one of the best ways to improve relations among groups that are experiencing conflict. If one has the opportunity to communicate with others, they are able to understand and appreciate different points of views involving their way of life.

Common ethical approaches

The golden consequence The golden pursue The golden law The golden rule The golden mean

Individualism/Collectivism

The high side of this dimension, called individualism, can be defined as a preference for a loosely-knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of only themselves and their immediate families. Its opposite, collectivism, represents a preference for a tightly-knit framework in society in which individuals can expect their relatives or members of a particular in-group to look after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. A society's position on this dimension is reflected in whether people's self-image is defined in terms of "I" or "we."

media dependency theory

The media are extensions of our senses; as they change, they transform our environment & affect everything we do -- they "massage" or reshape us

Speech acts and cultural communication

Theory: It outlines the types of actions people perform with utterances. People follow basic rules when they communicate, as long as they are trying to cooperate with the other people involved in the conversation. There are different types of actions people can do with words. -Make statements -Express feelings and opinions -Try to influence others -Commit to a future act (promise) -Change the state of things

The three approaches to study culture and communication

There are three main perspectives researchers and scholars use to look at culture and intercultural communication. 1. The scientific paradigm 2.humanistic paradigm 3.critical paradigm

Types of Nonverbal Communication

There are two types of nonverbal communication: •Intentional nonverbal communication Example: Pointing out the finger, giving smile and clapping. •Unintentional nonverbal communication. Like putting hand out to say "stop", in other cultures it could be offensive/curse word.

The golden law

There is a single right or wrong that does not differ by context or situation. The name of this approach comes from the philosophy of Emmanuel Kant, who believed that something was either right or wrong (one of two categories), and that we must do what we know to be right (imperative). We determine what is right through the use of logic

SUBJECTIVISTS (Intercultural Communication Theories)

There is no real world external to individuals. Scholars try to understand individual communicators' perspectives, and view communication as a "free will" Extreme objectivist and subjectivist perspectives are not defensible. Both approaches are necessary to understand intercultural communication. The deal is to integrate the two perspectives.

Compliments

They are an expression of praise, commendation, or admiration. They are used as a formal act or expression of civility, respect, or regard. Compliments serve to build solidarity between speakers, as long as they are perceived as genuine How many different compliments do we know? Direct appraisal Interrogative appraisal

Social Dramas

They are conflicts that arise in a community after a social norm is violated. IMPORTANT: the violation become a social drama when discussion about such violations call into question the social norm itself. They can occur on different scales: international, national, local.

Directiveness

They are defined as any attempts to influence the behavior of or persuade another. They can range from subtle hints to overt commands. They differ depending on the culture of the person who is giving the direction. Ex: in Colombia, two dimensions: hierarchy and confianza. People here may ask the support of intermediaries Ex: in Colorado (USA) politeness as a strategy to persuade

OBJECTIVISTS (Intercultural Communication Theories)

They see the real world as external to individuals, look for regularities in behavior, and see communication as determined by situations and environments. Extreme objectivist and subjectivist perspectives are not defensible. Both approaches are necessary to understand intercultural communication. The deal is to integrate the two perspectives.

Power distance

This dimension expresses the degree to which the less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. The fundamental issue here is how a society handles inequalities among people. People in societies exhibiting a large degree of Power Distance accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification. In societies with low Power Distance, people strive to equalise the distribution of power and demand justification for inequalities of power.

Chronemics

This is nonverbal and deals with the role of time in communication. 1. Monochronic - one thing at a time, rigid agenda, focus on task, completion of most important job first, emphasis on promptness 2. Polychronic - multiple activities at once, flexible, no strict agenda, relationships more important than job, promptness based on relationships (punctuality vs nonpunctual)

Models of cultural adjustment: Kim's theory of cross cultural adjustment

This theory builds upon our understanding of adjustment. Her contribution is that she sees adaptation as deeply related to communication. In fact, beside the structural aspects of the environment, the pressure that people feel to conform to the host culture can only be conveyed through communication. According to Kim, the ongoing communication with one's own group and media can from one's own culture can also make adjustment easier, as long as that communication helps the traveler to build a bridge into the new culture. Unlike the U-curve model, Kim sees adaptation as an ongoing process in which travelers continue to face new challenges. Each of these challenges allow the individual to grow. For this reason, Kim define this process as stress adaptation-growth-dynamic. Adjustment is cyclical, with increased adaptation over time.

Assumptions that guide cultural research

Three main assumptions, based on three questions: • What is real? • What counts as knowledge? • What should be the role of researcher's values in conducting research? 1. Ontology 2. Axiology 3. Epistimology

The golden consequence

Utilitarianism determining the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people. If something has "utility" that means it is "useful" or "pragmatic.

Importance of Nonverbal Communication

Verbal & nonverbal Communication plays an important role in how people interact with one another. People are using around 35% verbal communication and 65% nonverbal communication in daily life. Nonverbal communication has also cultural meaning. Nonverbal communication is the most powerful form of communication. More than voice or even words, nonverbal communication helps to create your image in others mind and even you can express your emotions and feelings in front of others, which you are unable to express in words.

Verbal Communication & Nonverbal Communication

Verbal communication and nonverbal communication are interconnected and they operate together in communication. Verbal and non verbal are all types of communication. But the difference between them is that we use our voice in verbal communication and we use body signs in non-verbal communication.

Verbal strategies in IC

Verbal strategies in intercultural communication enhance the ability to produce or understand speech between members of different cultures. Formal strategies are devised and agreed on by a group of people and are put in writing as part of larger communication policies. Informal strategies may have the same focus as formal strategies, but they usually are not written down and are adopted more "on the fly."

refugees

a person who flees for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc.

immigrants

a person who migrates to another country, usually for permanent residence.

The golden rule

do to others as you would have them do to you. This is a base rule common in the Christians religions, and in many other religions, too.

Paradigms

fundamental models or frame of reference that we use to organize our observations and reasoning. Paradigms lie behind theories, and they may be implicit. They represent ways of thinking Paradigms are perspectives. These perspectives should not be considered as "either or" but as "tendencies." They represent ways of thinking that can be seen in the way we research, the way we talk about culture, and through the historical trends of Intercultural Communication. "A biased perception can prevent us from understanding the big picture

Frank Hopkins

he is the first director of the Foreign Service Institute, an anthropologist and a linguist

George Trager

he is the linguist who worked the most with Hall. He focused his research on the paralanguage: people's tone of voice, rate of speech, and other verbal aspects

Indirect stereotyping

imposing outdated and rigid assumptions of a cultural group upon that group.

Nonverbal Communication Around the World

in Pakistan: hugging = Expressing happiness, respect and love for others in Egypt: Speakers stand much closer than in some countries, such as America. in China: The Chinese don't like being touched by strangers. Therefore don't make any body contact. in Argentina: A handshake and nod show respect when greeting someone. in India: Greeting with 'namaste' - placing both hands together with a slight bow is a very common nonverbal communication and shows respect. in the U.S.A: Quite Informal way of nonverbal communication. A handshake, a smile, and 'hello'.

The Emic Approach

investigates how local people think. How they perceive and categorize the world, their rules for behavior, what has meaning for them, and how they imagine and explain things. Most closely related to humanistic paradigm. - Studies behavior from within system - Examines only one culture - Structure discovered by analyst - Criteria relative to internal characteristics - "Cultural" Communication

Charles Braithwaite

people in all cultures may use silence as a marker of status, either to respect someone of higher status or to disdain someone of lower status, if they are aware of status.

Basso's hypothesis

people may use silence in situation of uncertainty

The Etic Approach

shifts the focus from local observations, categories, explanations, and interpretations to those of the anthropologist. The etic approach realizes that members of a culture often are too involved in what they are doing to interpret their cultures impartially. When using the etic approach, the ethnographer emphasizes what he or she considers important. Most closely related to scientific paradigm - Studies behavior from outside of system - Examines many cultures (comparing) - Structure created by analyst - Criteria considered absolute, universal - Cross-Cultural Communication

sojourners

to stay for a time in a place; live temporarily:

Interdisciplinary Orientation - Other studies that impact intercultural communication

• Cultural anthropology • Psychology • Social Psychology • Sociology • Linguistics and semiotics • Cultural studies • Rhetoric

Form of nonverbal communication

• Oculesics: eye contact • Facial Expressions (Emotions are expressed in a universal way: however, different cultures have different context in which they can express (or not) emotions and concepts of appropriateness) • Posture • Haptics or Touch (like handshakes) • Gestures • Proxemics: personal space • Territoriality • Backchanneling: we're listening • Paralinguistics: voice patterns

Why do we study intercultural communication?

• Personal growth motive • The social responsibility motive • The economic motive • The cross-cultural travel motive • The media motive