intercultural communication

intercultural communication

1. WHAT IS CULTURE?

   • Culture has been defined in many ways—from a pattern of perceptions that influence communication to a site of contestation and conflict
     • but
       • ulture is more than merely one aspect of the practice of intercultural communication.
         • We believe that the best approach to understanding the complexities of intercultural communication is to view the concept of culture from different perspectives
           • social science researchers focus not on culture per se but on the influence of culture on communication. In other words, such researchers concern themselves with communication differences that result from culture
             • Every person carries within him or herself patterns of thinking, feeling, and potential acting which were learned throughout [his or her] lifetime. Much of [these patterns are] acquired in early childhood, because at that time a person is most susceptible to learning and assimilating. hese patterns are developed through interactions in the social environment and with various groups of individuals
               • 1
                 • family and neighborhood
               • 2
                 • school and in youth groups
               • 3
                 • college
           • interpretive researchers focus more on how cultural contexts influence communication.
             • culture denotes an historically transmitted pattern of meaning embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men (sic) communicate, perpetuate and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life.
               • A cultural code of speaking, then, consists of a socially constructed and historically transmitted system of symbols and meanings pertaining to communication—for instance, symbols “Lithuanian” or “communication” and their attendant definitions; beliefs about spoken actions (that a man who uses speech to discipline boys is not a real man); and rules for using speech (that a father should not interrupt his daughter at the dinner table)
                 • the terms form the acronym SPEAKING
                   • scene
                     • the setting of the communication event
                   • participant
                     • people who perform or enact the event.
                   • end
                     • is the goal of the participants in conversation
                   • act sequence
                     • is the order of phrases during the enactment
                   • key
                     • tone of the conversation
                   • instrumentality
                     • The channel of communication
                   • norm
                     • is the type or category of talk
                   • genre
                     • are the rules that people follow
           • Critical researchers, often view communication— and the power to communicate—as instrumental in reshaping culture, They see culture as the way that people participate in or resist society’s structure.
             • anthropological research sees cultural processes as dynamic and fluid “organizations of diversity” that extend across national and regional borders within contexts of history and power
               • Viewing culture as a contested site or zone helps us understand the struggles of various groups—Native Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, African Americans, Latinos/as, women, gays and lesbians, working-class people, and so on—as they attempt to negotiate their relationships and promote their wellbeing within U.S. society. By studying the communication that springs from these ongoing struggles, we can better understand several intercultural concerns.

2. WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?

   • hat communication occurs whenever someone attributes meaning to another person’s words or actions. Communication may be understood as a “symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired and transformed
     • The three perspectives
       • the social science perspective
         • emphasizes the various components of communication: There is a sender/receiver, message, channel, and context. This perspective also emphasizes that communication tends to be patterned and therefore can be predicted. This tradition also focuses on the variables, or infl uences on the communication, like gender, or the nature of a relationship.
       • The interpretive perspective
         • emphasizes the symbolic, processual nature of communication; the symbolic nature of communication means that the words we speak or the gestures we make have no inherent meaning. Rather, they gain their significance from an agreed-upon meaning. When we use symbols to communicate, we assume that the other person shares our symbol system. Also, these symbolic meanings are conveyed both verbally and nonverbally. Thousands of nonverbal behaviors (gestures, postures, eye contact, facial expressions, and so on) involve shared meaning
       • The critical perspective
         • emphasizes the importance of societal forces in the communication process. That is, that all voices and symbols are not equal, but are arranged in a social hierarchy in which some individual characteristics are more highly valued than others
   • communication helps create the cultural reality of a community.
     • Values are the most deeply felt beliefs shared by a cultural group; they reflect a shared perception of what ought to be, and not what is.
       • there are three possible responses to each question as they relate to shared values.although all responses are possible in all societies, each society has one, or possibly two, preferred responses to each question that reflect the predominant values of that society.