High

High-context Culturevs.Low-context Culture学院：金融学院班级： 13金融10班姓名：钱圆圆学号： 20132518High-context Culture vs. Low-context Culture Abstract : High context means the majority of communication is stored in the physical information or context, or internalized in individuals who rarely present in the encoded message transmitted in the clear, however, low context opposite. There are remarkable differences between high-context and low context communication.Key word: culture difference; high-context ; low-context; culture shock; intercultural communicationContext is the environment of language use. The American anthropologist Edward Hall has classified context into high context and low context, and analyzed cultural diversity from the differences of high context and low context and language play different roles in high context and low context. Hall based his concepts on the degree to which meaning comes from the context or from the words being exchanged .In high-context culture, much information is implied in the context. Context includes the situation or surrounding circumstances, relationship of and the communicators, their family background, title ,age, sex, education, status, and social networks. Relatively, little is provided in the verbal message itself. In low-context cultural, however, the majority of information is contained in the verbal codes, and message is stated clearly and explicitly without depending on the context of communication.So, what are the causes of the differences? Based on a brief survey on high-context culture and low-context culture-the two comparatively-new concepts intercultural communication, people explores their cultural origins. It is pointed out that the origin of the high-context culture is the Confucius culture, the Taoist culture as well as the Buddhist culture, and that the origin of the low-context culture is the Logosconcept in ancient Greece, the reasoning, logical thinking as well as the persuasion of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. It is also predicted that these two cultures are moving towards each other and merge with each other beyond their willingness. That means Eastern societies many of which are "high context" society. There are of great different between the high and low context is whether the majority of information is already reflected. Most high-context information have been manifested, only a few details need to clearly communicate in coded manner; most low-context information is communicated by way of explicit language, almost no insincere situation exists. For example, a German, an American, a Japanese to the same restaurant, have ordered a burger. However, the negligence of the cook three made the hamburger meat burned. What happened then? German directly criticize the meat paste, criticized chef; the American would say, although the meat tastes very good, but bread, salad, onion taste good; The Japanese would say, bread, salad, onion taste good. Yes ah, as for meat, go your own speculations. This is thehigh-context!Furthermore，High context is to follow the laws of sense we usually say, habits of people in high-context conversation unconsciously, that the conversation of their own true thoughts have reservations, ambiguous, and therefore listen to talk people have to listen to the speaker's words, but also with the use of part of the individual imagination to guess the solution "between the lines" to provide information through gestures or even silence. Our parents taught us that silence is golden, especially，in front of strangers, not only China, Indonesia also has such a proverb called "empty jar loudest," There is no doubt that an enormous cultural crash would happened when people from different cultural communication ,I think, which can explain why the Chinese women and foreigners combine marriage divorce rate reached 90%, which is a terrible figure, in a way that is caused by the high and low context, Chinese people pay attention to subtle. They will not say "I love you" directly. What we must know is that none of us are wrong, what we should know is to learn how to understand each other and respect each other better, which will make intercultural communication smoothly In a word, high-context culture and low context cultures trend to come closely to each other if we know where the problem lie and respect the difference!。