Transcript Culture, Communication and Language

Week 5
Appetiser
 Which of these is correct?
 a) a billion is a million million or b) a billion is a
thousand million?
 Is 12/11/2013 a) 12th November 2013 or b) 11th of
December 2013?
 Is 4,000 a) four thousand or b) four?
Questions that we’ll answer today
 What is the difference between intercultural and cross
cultural communication?
 What are the interpretative and positivist approaches to
studying culture?
 How widely is English spoken and is all English the same?
 What might I need to do when communicating with people
from different cultures in the spoken and written word?
 What implications does this have for the assignment?
Recap
Hofstede’s Dimensions Review
 Student activity: in pairs take one of Hofstede’s
dimensions (different to the others). Re read it and
really try to understand it. Be prepared to explain your
dimension with examples of both ends of its spectrum
to the rest of the group.
 Also suggest/research some criticisms of Hofstede’s
theory.
Some key definitions
 According to Gudykunst in (V&B 2011 p28) cross cultural
communication involves a comparison – communication in one culture is
looked at first, then within a second so that the two can be compared eg
planning a marketing campaign that will appeal to customers in other
countries
 Intercultural communication occurs when people from two or more
cultures interact (V&B 2011 p28). Involves analysis of what is happening at
the point when communication takes place eg negotiating with people
from different cultures
 ‘Culture and communication are closely connected. Culture is learned and
shared through communication, and communication is based in cultural
norms...learning another language alone cannot help us understand
another culture’(Varner and Beamer 2011 p26)
More key definitions
 There are 2 main approaches to communications
research they are:
 A positivist approach – seen as a scientific approach.
Usually collect quantitative data (numerical)
 An Interpretivist approach – more subjective takes into
account the human element in social research. Usually
collects qualitative data (words)
Positivist v Interpretivist
approaches compared
Positivist approach
Interpretivist approach
View of reality
Objective and can be observed by
any researcher
Subjective, is a construct of each
individual researcher
View of research
Impartial, observation does not
affect what is being studied
The social scientific researcher
will always have some impact on
those being studied
Objective of research
Describe and predicts
communication behaviour
Describes communication
behaviour and reasons reported
by subjects under study
Methods of study
Observation and or
surveys/questionnaires
Field research eg interviews,
ethnographic research
What study produces
Identification of cultural
variables in behaviour;
conclusions that may be
generalisable to other cultures
Explanations of culture and
communication in a social
context. Not generalisable
Summary
 Finish these sentences in your own words:
 Cross cultural communication is...........................
 Intercultural communication is.............................
 The positivist approach to research is...................
 The interpretative approach to research is............
Bridge
 We have been looking a specific language and its
meaning for the study of culture now lets look at the
language we communicate in and what we might need
to do with it in order to be better understood
Starter
Fill in the language of first
language speakers:
1,197 million
.............
414 million
.............
335 million
.............
260 million
.............
237 million
.............
*Source: http://www.ethnologue.com/ethno_docs/distribution.asp?by=size
Communicating in a global
business environment
Importance of language
“national character [will] always have some perceptible
influence on the turn of language”
Hugh Blair, C18 writer and thinker
Language as a window into culture
 Dutch
 uitwaaien – to walk in windy weather for fun
 plimpplampplettere – skimming stones on a pond




Albanian
Vetullkalem - pencil-thin eyebrows
vetullperpjekur - joined together eyebrows
vetullhen – arched like the crescent moon
 Hawaiians have 65 words for fishing nets
 Source: Tingo, Adam Jacot de Boinod (2005)
Everyone speaks English
nowadays, right?
So Why is English the language of
business (lingua franca)?
 Political dominance (British Empire)
 Industrial revolution / science / inventions
 Commerce / economy
 Cultural power
But
Globally - now more second language speakers of English
than first language speakers
 62% of UK residents cannot speak any foreign languages
(EU study, 2005)
 69% of EU citizens can speak English well/very well
Source:
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_24
3_en.pdf

Where is English spoken?
 All these countries have over a million English
speakers
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwQNFaID1Iw
This English
Which English
George Puttenham (The Art of English Poesie,1589):
King’s court – approved
ports & in universities ‘peevish affectation’
Good English = as spoken within 60 mile radius of London
Venues for Rugby World Cup 2015
An international business skill
Native English speakers can be difficult to understand
and may not be effective communicators
You may not be able to do business in a foreign language
BUT ...
You can learn to use a modified form of English that can be
easily understood by second language speakers
You can learn what kinds of words / communications might
create a communication barrier and why
So if you want to be understood
what can you do?
 In groups consider what you could do when:
 speaking to people who are second language English
speakers
 What would you do if you don’t have a common
language? And what some of the drawbacks of those
techniques are
Examples of written
communication
 In groups look at the letters you have been given:
 Are they examples of high or low context communication?
 What does the author want?
 When do they make clear what they want?
 How would someone from a low/high context feel when
receiving this letter?
 How might someone from a low/high context culture have
written the letter?
Organising written communication
to other cultures
 According to Varner and Beamer (2011) there are 2 main
approaches to organising messages:
 1) Direct plan:
 typically western, low context (Hall).
 Tend to get the message across clearly and concisely,
choosing words for exact meaning and eliminating
unnecessary words
 Sentences are short, they often use active verbs signifying
doing
 Get to the main point first then may explore background
later
Organising written communication
to other cultures cont
 Indirect plan:
 Tends to be Eastern, high context cultures (Hall)
 Does not start with the main message
 Spends time nourishing the relationship or developing
the context first
 This indirectness achieves 5 results for the writer – i)
diffusing responsibility, ii) revealing the subtlety of the
writer, iii) digressing to embellish the message iv)
elaborating to show courtesy v) developing a
communication context
Formal and Informal Styles
 Degree of formality is related to:
 Power distance (Hofstede) – high power distance = more
formality eg. Dr, Professor, Mrs
 Power difference – may address staff differently to
managers depending on the organisation (or culture)
 Situational context – depending on the purpose of writing
eg business or personal enquiry
 Tone – even in writing but only have the words not pitch
 Getting the style right for a given situation demonstrated
good cultural intelligence
Assignment Work
 Start thinking about your specific countries for the
assignment
 Are they likely to use direct or indirect written
communication? Formal or informal?
 How might you have to change/adapt your own cultures
communication prefer?
 When might you communicate in writing and what
changes will you make?
Summary of section
 English is spoken widely but its not always the same
English (even within native English speaking countries)
 Written communication is influenced by culture and varies
according to context (Hall)
 All users of English need to think about and adapt their
language when using it in business when working with
people from other cultures
 Failure to be aware of this and make appropriate changes
make intercultural business communication even harder
and may lead to loss of business
Out of Class Learning
 Core text Chapter 5: Organising Messages to Other
Cultures
Next Time
 Non verbal communication
 Listening skills
 Assertiveness
 Any questions?