跨文化交际问题作业

Get prepared for intercultural communication?

Communication——your ability to share your beliefs, values, ideas, and feelings ——is the basis of all human contact. Whether you live in a city in Canada, a village in India, a commune in Israel, you cannot avoid communication with each other. But how about communication between different cultures? Are you well prepared for that? Before you do that, there are a few points you’d better keep in mind as stated below.

What is intercultural communication

Intercultural communication in its most basic form refers to an academic field of study and research. Its seeks to understand how people from different countries and cultures behave, communicate and perceive the world around them. The findings of such academic research are then applied to 'real life' situations such as how to create cultural synergy between people from different cultures within a business or how psychologists understand their patients. The definition of intercultural communication must also include strands of the field that contribute to it such as anthropology, cultural studies, psychology and communication.

Intercultural communication is not new. As long as people from different cultures have been encountering one another there has been intercultural communication. What is new, however, is the systematic study of exactly what happens when cross-culture contacts and interaction take place—when message producer and message receiver are from different cultures. Increased contact among cultures makes it imperative for people to make a concerted effort to get along with and understand those whose believes and backgrounds may be vastly different from their own. Successful intercultural communication is a matter of highest importance if humankind and society are to survive. Thus, theoretical and practical knowledge about intercultural communication process and ability, through increased awareness and understanding, to coexist peacefully with people who do not necessarily share our own life styles or values, is essential to guarantee successful communication.

Language is a way of marking cultural identity. Language differs, on the other hand, from other phenomena in that it is used to refer to other phenomena and has

usually to be used to refer beyond itself. Language in use by particular speakers is constantly referring beyond itself irrespective at the intentions of the speaker: language cannot be used without carrying meaning and referring beyond itself, even in the most sterile environment of the foreign language class. The meanings of a particular language point to the culture of a particular social group, and the analysis of those meanings—their comprehension by learners and other speakers—involves the analysis and comprehension of that culture. It disregards the nature of language to treat language independently of the culture which it constantly refers to. No doubt all language teaching contains some explicit reference to the culture; the whole from which the particular language is taken. The interdependence of language learning and culture learning is so evident that we can draw the conclusion that language learning is culture learning and consequently that language teaching is culture teaching.

What are elements of human communication

Elements of human communication are the context of the communication, the participants, the messages being communicated, the channels through which the communication occurs, the presence or absence of “noise”, and the verbal and nonverbal responses known as feedback.

As receivers attempt to decode the meaning of messages, they are likely to give some kind of verbal or nonverbal response. Paying attention to both verbal and nonverbal feedback allows us to behave in ways that increase understanding of our messages. Feedback serves useful functions for both senders and receivers: in provides senders with the opportunity to measure how they are coming across, and it provides receivers with the opportunity to exert some influence over the communication process. Verbal communication is, "the ways in which you use the words in a language to generate meaning." It is essentially any communication that uses language, whether it is oral or written. Symbols are used throughout verbal communication as sounds combined to make words-they symbolize ideas, thoughts, etc. Without symbols, communication would be meaningless.

How High-context and Low- context cultures influence intercultural communication

According to Hall, cultures differ on a continuum that ranges from high to low context. High-context cultures prefer to use high- context messages which are implicit, indirect, conveyed primarily through the context or the social situation. Low-context cultures prefer to use low-context messages, in which the majority of the information is vested in the explicit code. There are manifestations of high-context and low-context cultures that influence intercultural communication. for example, members of low-context cultures expect messages to be detailed, clear-cut, and definite. If there are not enough data, or if the point being made is not apparent, members of these cultures will ask very blunt, even curt, questions. They feel uncomfortable with the vagueness and ambiguity often associated with limited data. On the other hand, high-context people are not apt to become impatient and irritated when low- context people insist on giving them information they don’t need. The communication differences between high-context and low-context cultures are also apparent in the manner in which each approach conflict. For example, because high-context cultures tend to be less open, they hold that conflict is damaging to most communication encounters. For them, conflict should be dealt with discreetly and subtly.

What is the relationship between language and culture

According to Sapir (1921), “language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desire by means of voluntarily produced symbols.” Language is a part of culture and a part of human behavior. It is obvious that language plays a paramount role in developing, elaborating and transmitting culture and language, enabling us to store meanings and experience to facilitate communication. The function of language is so important in communication that it is even exaggerated by some scholars. The most famous one is the hypothesis of linguistic determinism concerning the relationship between language and culture, which Nida regards as misconceptions constituting serious difficulties for

cross-cultural understanding.

Each culture has its own peculiarities and throws special influence on the language system. For example, referring to the same common domestic animal, English chooses the word “dog”, while Chinese has its own character“狗”; Chinese has the phrase“走狗”while English has the e xpression “running dog”, but the meanings attributed to the two expressions are completely different according to Chinese culture and Western culture respectively. To Westerners, “running dog” has a positive meaning since the word “dog”, in most cases, is associated with an image of an animal pet－the favorite friend, thus they have the phrases “lucky dog”（幸运儿）, “top dog”（胜利者）, “old dog”（老手）, “gay dog”（快乐的人）, and it is usually used to describe everyday life and behavior, as in “Love me, love my dog”（爱屋及乌），“Every dog has its day”（凡人皆有得意日）. But in Chinese“走狗”refers to a lackey, an obsequious person. Since Chinese associates derogatory meaning to the character“狗”depending on the cultural difference, Chinese has such expressions as “狗东西”，“狗腿子”，“狗仗人势”，“狗胆包天”，“狗嘴里吐不出象牙”，“狼心狗肺”，“痛打落水狗”，“狗急跳墙”.

We can obviously see that the meaning attributed to language is cultural-specific.

A great deal of cross-cultural misunderstanding occurs when the “meanings” of words in two languages are assumed to be the same, but actually reflect different cultural patterns. Some are humorous as when a Turkish visitor to the U.S. refused to eat a hot dog because it was against his beliefs to eat dog meat. Some are much more serious as when a French couple on a trip to China took their pet poodle into a restaurant and requested some dog food. The dog was cooked and returned to their table on a platter!

We can summarize the relationship between culture and language as the following: language is a key component of culture. It is the primary medium for transmitting much of culture. Without language, culture would not be possible. Children learning their native language are learning their own culture; learning a second language also involves learning a second culture to varying degrees. On the other hand, language is influenced and shaped by culture. It reflects culture. Cultural differences are the most serious areas causing misunderstanding, unpleasantness and

even conflict in cross-cultural communication.

What are cultural stereotypes and prejudices

Stereotypes consist basically in shared beliefs or thoughts about a particular human group. A stereotype is an ensemble of characteristics that sums up a human group usually in terms of behaviour, habits, etc.

The objective of stereotypes is to simplify reality: "they are like that". Bosses are tyrannical; these people are lazy, those are punctual; the people in that part of town are dangerous - one or some of them may have been, but all? Sometimes we use stereotypes about the group to which we feel we belong in order to feel stronger or superior to others. (Or, indeed, to excuse faults in ourselves - "What can I do about it? We are all like that!"). Stereotypes are usually based on some kind of contact or images that we have acquired in school, through mass media or at home, which then become generalised to take in all the people who could possibly be linked.

A prejudice is a judgement we make about another person or other people without really knowing them. Prejudices can be negative or positive in character. Prejudices are learned as part of our socialisation process and they are very difficult to modify or eradicate. Therefore it is important that we are aware that we have them.

To explain this concept more directly it could help to examine how deeply we know all of our friends. We may have different friends for different occasions, for going to the cinema, going walking, helping with homework, playing football, going to concerts. Do we know what music our football friends enjoy? Or do we just guess? Making assumptions is easy and common. If it is that simple to make assumptions about friends, think how easy it is to make false judgments about people you don't know.

How to adapt to a new culture

There are a few stages for you to experience if you want to experience a new culture. And later I’ll give some practical suggestions for you to better settle in a new culture.

Honeymoon

Visitors in the honeymoon stage view the new culture as something exciting and fresh. Differences in culture and appearance seem fascinating, while similarities stand out as common bonds. The energy associated with this stage often leads visitors to explore their surroundings and treat their new environment as a source of joy. The honeymoon can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Vacationers and similar casual visitors rarely move past this stage, since the length of their stay is limited and they focus their activities in service-oriented areas such as hotels and tourist sites.

Rejection

As the first stage fades, the visitor confronts feelings of frustration and resentment. Cultural and language differences create complications in mundane tasks. Feelings of inadequacy predominate, and the reality of the visitor's new life starts to hit home. Disappointments tend to build upon each other, while members of the surrounding culture may treat the visitor like a child or a fool. The visitor becomes extremely sensitive and may develop significant fears about the surrounding culture. Isolation

The disillusionment created by the second stage causes the visitor to retreat into a shell. He becomes extremely critical of the surrounding culture and thinks of his home culture in idealized terms. Homesickness can become pronounced and emotional anxiety increases dramatically. The visitor may experience crying jags, changes in sleep patterns and continued irritation over comparatively minor issues. The exact length of this stage varies from case to case, but often lasts from one to two months, according to Bellini.

Assimilation and Acceptance

In order to function, the visitor begins adapting to his new circumstances. Slowly, the new culture begins to make more sense. He finds fellow countrymen who have adapted to their new culture, or makes new friends in the surrounding culture who help him feel more at home. He integrates more readily into his surroundings: basic tasks become easier and the local language and customs present fewer problems than

they did before. Eventually, he's able to function in both his new and old circumstances with ease, balancing his cherished past with the promise of his future. Here are some suggestions for you:

Maximize exposure to the host culture before departure. Read about everyday life in the destination. Visit appropriate hometown ethnic restaurants and grocery stores to gain exposure to the new culture's food and develop familiarity with the flavors. In addition to gaining as much linguistic proficiency as possible, develop familiarity with popular music and entertainment in the host country. Watch films and stream radio broadcasts or music videos for exposure.

Upon arrival, develop a daily routine as quickly as possible. Establish a sleep schedule, eat healthfully and exercise at regular times. Make a point to establish familiarity by finding favorite local coffee shops and parks to avoid culture shock that can arise due to feelings of complete loss of control over life. Some choices may be limited due to language barriers or having to adjust to being the guest of a host family. But maximize available choices through reading materials and ways to spend free time.

Maintain relationships with family and friends at home through video chat, letters and email. Create a website or share photographs electronically to engage longtime friends in your experience. Building new friendships in the host culture can also be critical to happiness. Be friendly and invite schoolmates, workmates or neighbors to go walking or out for coffee.

Strive to maintain a flexible, positive attitude. Living in a foreign country is an invaluable opportunity full of excitement and challenges. Though it may seem extremely difficult, remember to be a student of the host country's way of life. Laugh at your social or linguistic mistakes. Experience new foods and traditions with an open mind. Flexibility is a critical component of successful adjustment.

When you get all theses questions settled, you will be on your smooth way to experiencing a rather new culture and being a qualified cross-cultural communicator.