A low-context culture relies heavily on subtle, often nonverbal cues to maintain social harmony.

A culture that uses language primarily to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas as directly as possible

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A culture that uses language primarily to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas as directly as possible
A culture in which members focus on the welfare of the group as a whole
A culture that relies heavily on subtle, often nonverbal cues to maintain social harmony
A culture in which members focus on their personal value and welfare
What relies heavily on subtle often nonverbal cues?
What is a low
How do high
What do low

A culture in which members focus on the welfare of the group as a whole

A culture in which members focus on their personal value and welfare

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CHAPTER 2 Culture and Communication

Interplay

The Global Village 

Marshall McLuhan: “Global village”

Culture and Intercultural Communication 

Culture, defined: 500 possibilities  Working definition: “The language, values, beliefs, traditions, and customs people share and learn.”  Bound by perception and definition. 

Fundamental Concepts 

In-groups

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Out-groups

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Social identity

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Intercultural Communication Intercultural communication, defined: “The process that occurs when two or more cultures or cocultures exchange messages in a manner that is influenced by their different cultural perceptions and symbol systems, both verbal and nonverbal (Samovar, et. al., 2007)” 

Degrees of Cultural Significance 

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Encounters fit along a spectrum of “interculturalness” Least intercultural: Cultural differences mean little Most intercultural: Differences, backgrounds, beliefs noteworthy “Salience”: The weight we attach to a particular person or phenomenon. Interplay, Eleventh Edition, Adler/Rosenfeld/Proctor Copyright © 2010 by Oxford University Press, Inc.

Interpersonal Communication and Intercultural Communication 

Research: “Forms a 2x2 matrix in which the importance of interpersonal communication forms one dimension and intercultural significance forms the second one.”

Example of 2x2 Matrix

Cultural Differences as Generalizations 

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Cultural practices aren’t totally different. Common ground Greater differences within cultures than between cultures. Generalizations don’t always apply. Interplay, Eleventh Edition, Adler/Rosenfeld/Proctor Copyright © 2010 by Oxford University Press, Inc.

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High- Versus Low-Context 

Anthropologist Edward T. Hall: 

Low-context culture  Language expresses thoughts, feelings, and ideas as directly as possible.

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High-context culture 

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Relies heavily on subtle, often nonverbal cues to maintain social harmony

How do these cultural norms impact communication? How do individuals in a lowcontext culture communicate differently from high context cultures? Interplay, Eleventh Edition, Adler/Rosenfeld/Proctor Copyright © 2010 by Oxford University Press, Inc.

Individualism Versus Collectivism 

Individualistic: 

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Primary responsibility to help oneself.

Collectivistic: 

Loyalties and obligations to the in-group, extended, family, community, or work organization.

Power Distance 

Power distance, defined: 

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Degree to which members of a society accept an unequal distribution of power.

How is power distance identified in different cultures? How does power distance impact personal relationships in low- or high-context cultures? Interplay, Eleventh Edition, Adler/Rosenfeld/Proctor Copyright © 2010 by Oxford University Press, Inc.

Uncertainty Avoidance 

Uncertainty avoidance, defined: 

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The degree to which member of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous situations and how much they try to avoid them.

Achievement Versus Nurturing 

Achievement culture: 

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Nurturing culture 

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Societies that place a high value on material success and focus on the task at hand “Masculine” culture Cultures that regard the support of relationships as an especially important goal. “Feminine” culture

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Verbal Codes  

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Language and identity How is language related to personal identity? What are examples of dominant and minority versions within the same language (for example the English language)?

Verbal Communication Styles 

Three important differences: 

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Directness and indirectness Elaborateness and succinctness Formality and informality

Nonverbal Codes 

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People of all cultures convey messages through facial expression and gesture. What similarities or differences in facial expression interpretations exist between cultures? Gestures? What cultures have larger “personal space” zones?

Decoding Messages 

Translation 

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Attributional Variations 

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Potential for misunderstanding is always present We form some sort of interpretation of what others’ words and actions mean. Ambiguous behavior is challenging.

Patterns of thought 

Affected by:  

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Developing Intercultural Communication Competence 

Motivation and Attitude 

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Tolerance for ambiguity 

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Living with uncertainty

Open-mindedness 

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Desire

Beware of ethnocentrism Beware of prejudice Beware of stereotyping

Knowledge and skill  

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Interplay

END OF SECTION

What relies heavily on subtle often nonverbal cues?

These are as follows: High- versus low-context—Low-context culture uses language primarily to express thoughts feelings and ideas as directly as possible, while high-context culture relies heavily on subtle, often nonverbal cues to maintain social harmony.

What is a low

Low-Context Culture - people use communication primarily to exchange facts and information; meaning is derived primarily from words.

How do high

High-context cultures are those that communicate in ways that are implicit and rely heavily on context. In contrast, low-context cultures rely on explicit verbal communication. High-context cultures are collectivist, value interpersonal relationships, and have members that form stable, close relationships.

What do low

Characteristics of Low-Context Cultures Emphasis on logic and facts. Facts are more important than intuition in the decision-making process. Words are more important than body language. Verbal messages are explicit, direct, and concise.

A low-context culture relies heavily on subtle, often nonverbal cues to maintain social harmony.

A culture that uses language primarily to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas as directly as possible

A culture in which members focus on the welfare of the group as a whole

A culture in which members focus on their personal value and welfare