Download DIFFERENCES IN COMMUNICATION “I was talking with a guy who

DIFFERENCES IN COMMUNICATION
“I was talking with a guy who is pretty Americanized.” His mother was still very
influenced by Japanese traditions. He was telling me that his mother was still influenced
by Japanese traditions. He was telling me that his mother was worried that his brother
was not going to come to the wedding of a family friend. He wasn’t even going to send a
wedding gift. This guy said, “Mom kept saying, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to gift. This
guy said, ‘Mom kept saying, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do,’ and I kept saying, ‘Well
that’s how he is. You know how he is , so don’t worry about it.’ However, she kept saying,
‘I don’t know what I’m going to do.’ Why do think my mom wouldn’t give it up?” I said,
“Well, she is very traditionally Japanese, she is telling you indirectly that she wanted you
to tell your brother that he should send a wedding gift.” This guy said, “Oh, is that what
she was saying?! Now it makes sense. No wonder why she kept repeating herself.”
Jeremy, 30 +-Year-Old Japanese Student.
There are different ways of communicating, and it seems that in some countries, overt, direct
communication is required. Issues of communication can differ across cultural groups and genders.
Conversational Rules
There are 6 maxims that guide people’s conversations. We all engage in the cooperative principle;
that is we strive to communicate with one another sincerely and effectively.
1. Quality: the maxim that suggests that we tell other the truth when we engage in a
conversation. E.g. honest opinion, not telling lies.
2. Quantity: the maxim that suggests that we contribute an appropriate amount of talk when
we engage in a conversation. E.g. domination of conversation.
3. Relevance: the maxim that suggests that our discussion is relevant to the conversation. E.g.
strive to remain “on-topic”
4. Manner: the maxim that suggests that we are clear in our language and that we pay
attention to normal standards of conversation, such as not shouting at someone who is right
in front of us. E.g. speaking in a respectful manner to someone in a position of authority.
5. Relations with conversational partner: the maxim that suggests that we use our previous
relationship with our conversational partner so that we do not have to repeat shared
experiences. E.g. inside joke with unfamiliar people.
6. Rule Violations: the maxim that suggests that we signal our conversational partners when
we are about to engage in a violation of one of the other maxims. E.g. “The Experts” say that
you should do…” and draw quotation marks in the air with their fingers when he says
“experts,” which means that you should disregard the advice that the experts are giving.
Non Verbal Aspects of Language
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One of the greatest differences among cultures is the way in which non verbal
communication is used. Nonverbal communication is usually understood as the process of
communication through sending and receiving wordless (mostly visual) messages. Messages can be
communicated through gestures and touch (Haptic communication), by body language or posture, by
facial expression and eye contact. Meaning can also be communicated through object or artifacts
(such as clothing, hairstyles or architecture). Speech contains nonverbal elements known as
paralanguage, including voice quality, rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well as prosodic
features such as rhythm, intonation and stress.
1. Proxemics: is the study of how people use and perceive the physical space around them. The
space between the sender and the receiver of a message influences the way the message is
interpreted. In addition, the perception and use of space varies significantly across cultures
and different settings within cultures. Space in nonverbal communication may be divided
into four main categories: intimate, social, personal, and public space.
2. Kinesis: is how people communicate through posture, hand gestures, stance, facial
expressions, eye contact and movement. E.g. Smiling.
3. Paralanguage: (sometimes called vocalics): is the study of nonverbal cues of the voice.
Various acoustic properties of speech such as tone, pitch and accent, collectively known as
prosody, can all give nonverbal cues. Paralanguage may change the meaning of words, for
example, from sincere to sarcastic. E.g. Silences, loudness of voice, pauses mean quite
different things in different cultures. Asian cultures view silence as a sign of respect for
elders. Russian and Spanish cultures view silence as agreement among the conversational
partners. In the U.S silences are often signals for the receiver of the message to contribute to
the conversation.
High-Versus Low Context Communication
A daughter from a higher-class family (in Malaysia) fell in love with the son of
lower-class family. The son approached his parents and told them that he wanted to
marry the girl from a higher-class family. His mother said she would approach the girl’s
family to see if it were acceptable to them. She made an appointment with the girl’s
mother and went to the home on the proper day. She was greeted by the mother and
was shown into the sitting room. Refreshments were brought in consisting g of tea and
bananas. The two mothers talked about the weather and other things, but they never
mentioned their children. After a period of time the boy’s mother thanked her hostess
politely and left. Upon returning home she told her son that he marriage was
unacceptable and, therefore, not possible.
How did the mother from the lower-class family know that the mother from the
higher-call family disapproved of the marriage?
In a high context culture, many things are left unsaid, letting the culture explain. The context
conveys much of the meaning. Words and word choice become very important in higher context
communication, since a few words can communicate a complex message very effectively to an ingroup (but less effectively outside that group), while in a lower context culture, the communicator
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needs to be much more explicit and the value of a single word is less important. E.g. African, Arab,
Brazilian, Chinese, Filipinos, Greek, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin Americans &Thai.
Low-context communication is language dependent communication, in which the words carry most
of the meaning and context plays a lesser role. E.g. American, Australian, Canadian, English, German,
Irish, New Zealand, Scandinavia.
I went to Australian when I was 15 years old. It was my first time leaving my own place
(Hong Kong), and I had no experience of talking with people from different cultures. In
Australia, people talk to each other in a very direct way just like Australians do. I did not
feel comfortable when they talked that way. For example, I lived with a host family when
I first arrived in Australia. My host family usually went to bed very early. One day, I took a
shower around ten, and I did not know it was noisy when I took the shower. The next day
my host family told me not to take showers so late. They could not fall asleep because of
the noise the shower made. I felt they talked to me in a very direct way, and they made
me feel embarrassed. I also felt they were rude because I thought they could tell me this
in a more gentle, unobvious, and subtle way. However, I still kept saying sorry to them.
Moreover, I thought they were angry with me. I finally realized it was not true after years
of contact with people from low-context societies. It is their culture that leads them to
communicate in a very direct way. I felt uncomfortable because I was raised in a
collective culture, and we never communicate in such direct way. People who
communicate directly in my culture would be labelled as impolite and not well raised. I
think the major reason is they do not save others’ faces. Therefore, people in my culture
do not like such direct people. I finally understand there are two types of communication,
and this concept will help me in my real life when I communicate with others.
Li-Chiang, 20+-Year-Old Honk Kong Student
Direct versus Indirect Communication
Related to high-versus low –context communication is direct versus indirect communication.
Direct communication is blunt communication that is literal and to the point. E.g. “close the window.”
Indirect communication is that which relies upon context and the receiver’s ability to draw
inferences. E.g. “Are you cold?” Qualifiers like "maybe" or "perhaps" are employed to avoid hurting
the feelings of other in-group members. Also a direct "no" is mostly circumscribed.
Comparisons between the North American and East Asian Orientation to Communication patterns
East –Asian Orientations
Process orientation
Communication is perceived as a process of
infinite interpretation
Differentiated linguistic codes
Different linguistic codes are used depending
upon person involved and situations
Indirect communication emphasis
The use of indirect communication is prevalent
and accepted as normative
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North American Orientations
Outcome orientation
Communication is perceived as the transference
of messages
Less differentiated linguistic codes
Linguistic codes are not was extensively
differentiated as in East Asia.
Direct communication emphasis
Direct communication is a norm despite the
extensive use of indirect communication
Receiver centred
Meaning is in the interpretation
Sender centred
Meaning is in the messages created by the
sender
Emphasis is on listening, sensitivity, and removal Emphasis in on how to formulate the best
of preconception
message how to improve source credibility, and
how to improve delivery skills
Bilingual Communication
Most people in the world are bilingual or multilingual. There are various ways in which
people can become bilingual.
“It’s the language. People at work place speak ‘Tagalog’ and English is only a
foreign language. In school when interviewing people for assignments with a Filipino
partner the interviewee talks only to the Filipino though he/she can speak fluent English.
At school, teachers respond to students who talk in Tagalog though the instructional
language ought to be English. I got used to it and understand that the local language is
truly ‘Tagalog’ not English.”
Bella Li, 20 +-Year-Old Chinese Student
Addictive bilingualism: the acquisition of a second language that does not replace the native
language.
Subtractive bilingualism: the acquisition of a second language that replaces the native language.
Native bilingualism: the ability to speak two languages from birth, acquired because both languages
are spoken in the household.
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Studies indicate that bilingual children actually performed better on various measures of
intelligence.
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Older learners may be more fossilized in their native languages, so accents from their first
will persist in their second languages.

Speaking multiple languages has an effect upon one’s identity. It helps to feel an instant
connection with someone else who speaks that language.

Those who were proficient in English language had higher self-esteem than those who did
not have such knowledge and abilities.
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Do you consider yourself a high-context or a low-context communicator? How have your
conversation gone with those who tend to be the opposite of you in using context?
2. Do you tend to have a direct or an indirect communication style? How does it feel when you
are in conversation with someone who uses the opposite style of communication?
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3. When you are in a conversation with someone from a different racial or ethnic group, are
you aware of different styles of communication?
4. Seek out people who have learnt English as a second language. To what extent did they feel
that English replaced their native language or to what extent did they feel that they were
able to retain their native language?
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