跨文化视听说Section B

Chapter I Culture

Section B Reading

Defining Culture

When you think of the word "culture", what enters your mind? Perhaps music, architecture, the arts. Many people associate these areas with culture. Others may think of philosophy, history, and literature. Still others may think of beliefs, customs, values, and worldview.

Perhaps the earliest formal definition of culture, put forward by E.B. Tylor in1871, is also one of the best known. He conceived of culture as "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society." (Tylor, 1871) Since Tylor's definition, more than 500 different versions have emerged, but still no consensus has been reached up to the present. Defining culture is difficult mainly because scholars have different understandings of it. One definition, for example, treats culture as everything that is human-made. Another scholar, however, has proposed that "culture is communication and communication is culture." (Hall, 1976)The authors of this book agree with most anthropologists' view that culture refers to the total way of living of particular groups of people. It includes everything that a group of people think, say, do, and make. Traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese Gongfu, Peking Opera and Chinese Cuisines are among the most frequently mentioned symbols of Chinese culture. Besides, Examples of culture can also be found in every aspect of our life. These include the customs we observe for naming our children, the way we address our family members, our mode of entertaining our guests, the way we spend our money, how we take our vacation, the way we raise our children, as well as the table manners we expect the clothes we wear, the vehicles we drive, the utensils we use for meals, and so on. In a word, culture is a whole collection of our living patterns and behaviors.

Metaphors of Culture

As a large and pervasive concept, culture is often compared to an iceberg, suggesting that only a small part of it is visible while most of it lies concealed. Our customs, habits and the artifacts made and used by humans lie atop the iceberg, easy to discover. The hidden dimension, however, is mainly composed of the underlying worldview, value systems, ways of thinking, national character and any other deep concepts of our mind that serve as the foundation of the visible part and that account for our customs, habits and artifacts. In China, for instance, we often greet each other by asking "Where are you going?" and give a general answer to it when greeted. The strong emphasis on social relationships and the heavy interdependence between Chinese people are some underlying reasons that account for this habit. To an American, this same sentence may be interpreted as an intrusion into one's privacy. The underlying individual-oriented relationship is the invisible part of the iceberg.

Culture is also compared to the "software of our mind" (Hofstede, 1991) and the

grammar of our behavior. Levi Strauss once said, "All societies construct their own realities in accordance with mental or psychological principles … We thus invent the world we inhabit." (Hawkes, 2003) The society around us is not an entirely objective reality, for every one of us helps to construct our world. Culture is this shared set of mental and psychological principles that exist in people's minds. This collective agreement then governs people's behavior and gives people guidelines about what things mean, what is important, and what should or should not be done. Chinese people are well known for their modesty. Confucian teachings, which originated in the group-oriented cultures, are the guidelines that help shape their behavior.

Another popular metaphor for culture is to compare it to the rules of the game everybody is playing in any particular society although we generally are not highly aware of the rules at any given moment. These shared rules of the game tell us how to communicate with others and how to interpret the behavior of those around us. Egyptians, for instance, tend to use more similes and metaphors in their compliments than Americans. "He is like a brother to me" is often heard in their conversation. Besides, "May God protect him" is often addressed to a pregnant woman or a child to protect the individual from bad luck. Americans, on the other hand, seem to compliment more frequently than Egyptians though their compliments are often shorter and include fewer metaphors and similes. Thus, culture is everything an individual needs to acquire in order to be well accepted into a society. Characteristics of Culture

However, one does not become a member of a culture by birth. Culture is learned. We learn our culture from those people with whom we interact in our process of socialization: our parents, teachers, friends, and even strangers. A human infant will learn wolf culture if he lives with wolves since his birth. We also learn the expectations others may have for our behavior through our religious institutions and the mass media. Television, for example, not only provides us with views of reality but also teaches us many of the day-to-day norms of our culture.

Another characteristic of culture is that it is transmitted from one generation to another. Culture is passed down from parents or other adults to children, who in turn grow up and teach their own children the culture’s customs and expectations. Parents often teach us the norms and rules of our culture by modeling how to behave and correcting us when we violate them. In the US, for example, most children are asked from a very early age to make their own decisions. In many other cultures, a parent seldom or never asks a child what he or she wants to do. Instead, they simply tell the child what to do. Culture can also emerge in groups, as is the case often with younger people, who form their culture apart from parents or other adults.

Culture is also a dynamic system that is changing constantly. The only thing that remains unchanged is the fact of “change”itself. There are lots of reasons to explain the changing nature of culture: for example, economic development, shifts in political systems, and technological innovations. Consider the example of China. Tremendous changes have taken place in China since the introduction of policies of reform and economic and social opening.

Together with these changes are some traditional Chinese values. For example, the idea of saving and thrift was once considered a very important Confucian principle. Now it is a principle seldom observed among the younger generations of China, who are more concerned about enjoying life in the present.

Subculture and Coculture

It is not true to say that each country has only one culture. In the US, there is not only the so-called “White Anglo-Saxon Protestant” (WASP) culture, but also African-American culture, Arab-American culture, Asian-American culture, Hispanic-American culture, and many others, which are labeled as subcultures within the US. This term, however, has connotations that suggest subordination to the larger Euro-American culture. Thus, the term “coculture”is occasionally employed in an effort to avoid the hierarchical implication of subculture.

There are also other kinds of subcultures (cocultures). We can, for example, talk about a student subculture, a business subculture, a middle-class subculture, and a southern (or other regional) subculture. Each of these groups shares many common cultural ideas with a larger culture but observes some of its own that are unique.

For communication purpose, however, we usually focus on the dominant cultural patterns. For instance, when we say differences between Chinese and American cultures, we mean differences between the dominant Han culture and the dominant Anglo-Saxon American culture. This will probably change a lot, as minority groups together become the majority in the US. For example, much of American music, such as jazz, is influenced by African-American culture. In addition, we have to remember that individual differences always exist. Within a dominant cultural pattern there are always some people who deviate to varying degrees from the pattern.

Chapter 2 Communication

Section B Reading

Defining Communication

As social animals, humans employ communication in every aspect of daily life. It serves to facilitate human socialization, maintain social relationships, and develop personality. Although experts have not agreed upon precisely one definition, communication generally refers to the process in which participants create and share information with one another as they move toward reaching mutual understanding.

A Model of Communication

As our understanding of this subject has deepened, the models we use for communication have evolved from the linear to the circular. The following model indicates the transactional view of communication.

Figure 2.1 A Model of Communication

Elements of Communication

As is shown in the above model, there are ten major elements or aspects of

communication. The following is a conversation between two colleagues who meet in an elevator on the way to their offices. It serves as a useful example to illustrate these ten elements. Table 2.1 presents explanations, along with illustrations, for each aspect.

Male: Hi, how’ve you been?

Female: Not bad. ‘N you?

Male: Oh, can’t complain. Busy.

Female: I know. Me, too.

Male: Oh well, gotta take off. See ya.

Female: Bye. Take care.

Please note that, while the above analysis focuses only on the first two lines of the conversation, we can follow the same approach for the rest of the exchange. Since most human communication is a mutual process rather than a one-way message flow, the participants frequently exchange roles as message originators and message receivers in the ongoing process of communication.

Another thing worthy of notice is that in this conversation the communication is going on smoothly without any “noise.”There is no physical noise since there are no other people aboard the elevator and, thus, the two communicators can hear each other perfectly well. There is no mental noise either since neither of them is distracted mentally, and they both are attentive to the conversation. Neither is there any cultural noise because both speakers are from the same culture and share the same cultural background.

However, human communication is never as perfectly effective as this example suggests. The receiver does not always decode a message into exactly the same meaning that the source had in mind when decoding the message. Misunderstandings or even conflicts are especially likely to occur when the source and the receiver lack a common value-base, culture or perspective. According to a recent survey, for example, non-native English speakers are found to have difficulty performing the speedy greeting in which time is very limited as illustrated in the above example of the elevator talk. Some are unable to shorten their greetings sufficiently. Others may keep silent, unable to continue the conversation after answering the initiator’s greeting. Still others may only smile at the speaker, or nod the head, instead of offering a verbal response. To native speakers, these behaviors may seem either inappropriate or not quite polite.

Classifications of Communication

There are different ways of classifying communication. Depending on the message, communication may be verbal or nonverbal, for example. Depending on the degree of feedback, communication may be one-way or interactive. Depending on the channel used, communication may be direct or indirect. Depending on level and context, communication may be interpersonal, interorganizational and mass media-based. Depending on the cultural background of the sender and receiver, communication may be intracultural and intercultural. In addition, communication may be intrapersonal (communicating with oneself) and interpersonal (communicating with others), intentional and unintentional (indicating whether the source is encoding and sending the message intentionally or unintentionally), successful and unsuccessful communication, effective and ineffective communication, or appropriate and inappropriate communication. Ideally, successful communication should be both effective and appropriate.

Chapter 3 Intercultural Communication

Section B Reading

A Case of Intercultural Communication

John, an American student, has a classmate named Mohammed, who comes from Egypt. The following is a conversation between them on a day when Mohammed bought a new cassette tape.

John: Nice cassette tape.

Mohammed: This is nothing. Please take it.

John: (surprised)

What surprised John and made him lose his words? One reason is that he didn’t expect Mohammed to say “This is nothing” because his American classmates won’t belittle the object being complimented. The second is that John didn’t expect Mohammed to offer the tape to him in response to his compliment. This never occurs in American culture. Besides, if the object is “nothing”, why do you send it as a gift to your friend? In Mohammed’s culture, however, this practice is quite common.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, there are ten main elements of communication. Among the ingredients, encoding and decoding are of special significance to intercultural communication, which generally refers to the communication between culturally diverse people. Misunderstanding or breakdown of communication may occur as a result of the different cultural context in which the encoding and decoding take place. Another classic example is that the encoded message of “Have you eaten?” serves as a greeting according to Chinese cultural norms, but is decoded as an invitation to a meal in Western culture.

A Practical Discipline

As a human activity, intercultural communication is not a new concept and has existed in human history for thousands of years. However, it was not until the end of World War II that government officials and scholars became seriously interested in the understanding of intercultural interactions.

One of the major reasons for this shift was the ineffectiveness of many international development projects, and the failure to conduct the American government programs designed to offer economic and scientific expertise to aid developing countries in the 1950s. Much misunderstanding occurred as a result of ignorance about the vital role culture plays in the process of communication.

During the 1960s, anthropologists’insights into intercultural communication were applied not only to the training that diplomats were required to undergo, but also to training programs offered to business people, immigrants, missionaries, international students and Peace Corps volunteers. These programs helped to develop multicultural understandings for dealing with the frictions common in intercultural encounters, to smooth the adjustment to new cultural environments, and to inspire in participants a greater global awareness. Cultural

illiteracy came to be viewed as an important problem to address.

Ever since then, rapid development has taken place in the understanding of culture and communication from a variety of perspectives, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, communication, and linguistics. As a result, skill in intercultural communication has acquired significant and practical value for the growing numbers of people who choose to work, study, travel, or live abroad.

Increasing Waves of Intercultural Contact in China

As we all know, “global village” is a term used to describe the shrinking world brought about by the rapid development of telecommunication technology and transportation networks. With China’s great leaps in economic development and globalization, especially China’s entry into the World Trade Organization, increasing waves of intercultural contact that occurred between Chinese people and the world at large, in business, education, the arts and in personal lives.

Since 1978, the total number of Chinese people who have gone overseas to further their education has reached one million. In 2005 alone, approximately 118,000 Chinese people traveled overseas. This number is expected to grow about 30% in 2008. Meanwhile, more than 22 million foreigners visited China in 2006 for business and pleasure. In addition, the number of foreign students who come to Chinese universities to study has been increasing by an average of 15.3% annually.

The 29th Olympic Games were held in Beijing in August 2008. This was the first time that China, a country with 5000 years of civilization, hosted such a large international event. To attend, millions of people visited this ancient country, providing an invaluable opportunity for China to show itself to the world and for the world to get to know the real China. The Olympics afforded every citizen of China the privileged opportunity to introduce China to the world.

Elements of Intercultural Communication

One major goal of intercultural communication study is to discover the specific variables affecting the quality of intercultural communication. Although it is impossible to list all these variables, the major cultural elements fall into four general groups: perception, verbal processes, nonverbal processes and contextual elements (samovar, Porter & Stefani, 2000).

The perception variables that influence intercultural communication include beliefs, attitudes, values, and worldviews. These cultural value systems serve as message filters that determine, to a certain extent, the meaning each person assigns to messages he encounters and thus, how to perceive the events these messages describe. In group-oriented cultures, for example, people’s styles of communication tend to be indirect and tentative with a heavy emphasis on the context of communication, since maintaining harmony within the group is accorded priority. In individual-oriented cultures, however, people are more direct and less dependent on the context surrounding their conversation because their worldview tends to radiate outward from themselves. Thus, understanding different cultural ways of thinking allows us to perceive and predict the ways in which individuals from a given culture will

respond to specific intercultural interactions.

Language is a major means of communication, heavily influenced by the culture in which it is developed. In other words, an individual’s culture shapes the meaning of a verbal message. In American English, to be “embarrassed”is to feel mildly uncomfortable, but to Spanish-speakers, to be “embarassada”connotes “to be pregnant”. That’s why the Spanish translation of the English advertisement of the bottled ink produced by Parker Pen Company “to avoid embarrassment, use Parker SuperQuink” was decoded into “to avoid pregnancy, use Parker SuperQuink.”

Communication also involves signs and symbols. The meaning of these nonverbal codes such as body language, time, and space etc., are also culturally determined. In most cultures, nodding the head means “yes” and shaking the head means “no.” In Bulgaria, Iran and some places of Greece, however, they mean the opposite. In some cultures, people often schedule their activities and take time commitments seriously. In other cultures, however, schedules are very flexible and plans often change. Personal space also varies from culture to culture. In high contact cultures, people feel comfortable standing close to each other and making physical contact. In low-contact cultures, the comfortable distance between people is larger and tolerance for touching much lower.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, communication takes place in a certain context. The contexts where intercultural encounters most likely occur are business, education and health care. In business, not only does a company’s advertising content vary, but also the style of negotiation and the method of decision making differ according to the culture that most influences the company. A conventional function of the education system is to teach people the norms and the desired behavior of the local culture. In recent years, the classroom has become increasingly multicultural, with teachers and student coming from diverse cultural backgrounds. Cultural influences are also found in health care settings in which doctors and patients from different cultures have different explanations of illness and prefer different practices to treat illness as well as different ways of defining the patient-doctor relationship.

It is very important to keep in mind that the categories of variables described here are not separate elements independent of each other. Rather, they are interactive and work together to influence the process of intercultural communication. These elements will be explored in greater detail in the next chapters of this textbook.

Chapter 4 Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck’s Model

Section B Reading

What is value?

We have already discussed various ways of defining culture. However, visible objects and customs, such as paintings, clothing and food are only the tip of the cultural iceberg. In order to get under the water line for a larger view of the “iceberg”, we need to examine its core –value.

Consider the definition of “value” offered by the American Heritage Dictionary:

Value: “A principle, standard, or quality considered worthwhile or desirable.”

Thus, value represents a kind of principle or standard. That means it can serve as a kind of guide. It is applied in every aspect of our life, not just limited to a specific field or to a certain category of things. Value is normative: it sets norm. (Dou, 2007) In other words, values deal with what is required or forbidden, what is considered by the majority in society to be good or bad. Values lie at the core of every culture. The chief goal of culture is concerned with what ought to be, not what is. (Martin & Nakayama, 2007) For example, we all share the ancient belief that all men are created equal, but still we are quite clear that differences of gender, class and ethnicity do exist.

Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck’s Model

Intercultural communication studies take different approaches. Among the most influential and pioneering research has been the work carried out by Harvard professors Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck during the mid-twentieth century. They selected 5 communities in the Southwest and conducted a study of their differing values. The results of the study appeared in their book Variations in Value Orientations (1961). They suggested that members of all cultural groups must answer, consciously or unconsciously, the following important questions:

1. What is human nature?

2. What is the relationship between humans and nature?

3. What is the relationship between humans?

4. What is the preferred personality?

5. What is the orientation toward time?

According to Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck, there are three possible responses to each question as they relate to shared values. (See Table 4.1)

The Nature of Human Beings

As the above table shows, there are three possible responses to this question. In European countries and the US, where many people are Christians, especially before the mid-nineteenth century, the dominant view toward human nature was that man is born with original sin. As a result of the biblical Adam’s fall, men have to labor to get food, and women have to endure pain to bear children. They thought that man had to receive constant instruction and exhortation to ensure him to fight against his evil nature and to receive God’s favor. Many held that all men were sinners before God. That partly explains why during the eighteenth century there appeared so many conduct books in Europe. Many writers, when satirizing man’s folly and corruption, trace the associate evil with man’s fall. This is a deep-rooted view. It was particularly the case with Calvinists, who held a much more pessimistic view for man’s depravity. Later, with the rise of humanism, people began to adopt a more optimistic worldview. The Age of Enlightenment, with its important notions about reason and science, convinced people of a bright future and thus changed their fundamental view of human nature. The most significant shift happened in the twentieth century. Many people no longer regarded man as basically evil. They began to adopt a mixed attitude.

Social views of human nature have a deep impact on people’s lives in many respects. We can often see their manifestations in legal systems. The wide adoption of the principle of “presumption of innocence,” (in which the accused is presumed to be innocent until declared guilty by a jury or court) is a notable example. The burden of proof is thus on the prosecution (representing the State), which must convince the court of the accused’s guilt. Moreover, a society’s view of human nature affects not only the judicial process, but also applied to convicts. As Martin and Nakayama (2007) have pointed out “Societies that hold this belief [men are basically evil] would be less interested in rehabilitation of criminals than in punishment.”Thus it becomes more understandable that in some countries even a minor offense may result in the cutting of one’s hand. The same thing happened in Britain during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Aristocrats regarded the poor to be potential vagabonds or mob, and punished them cruelly for the tiniest offense.

In China and in some other Asian countries, people traditionally held that men are born innocent, but corruptible. For thousands of years, Chinese people have been disciplined more by moral than legal standards, one of the most important reasons explaining the comprehensive development of the moral-based system in Chinese society. But we should keep it in mind that when we discuss value systems, we refer to the dominant standards or principles in a society, where many different or even contradictory opinions may be held

simultaneously.

The Relationship Between Man and Nature

As noted earlier, in addition to the question of human nature, man’s relation with Nature is also a significant cultural drive. A society’s approach to this issue will guide its conduct and attitude when dealing with nature, a fact that has far-reaching impact on its culture. The traditional Western view of this relation also stems from the bible, a reflection of Judeo-Christian beliefs. According to biblical tradition, God created the earth and all the living things in it for man. He gives Adam the right to name every living thing and to have dominion over the earth. This view has long influenced the West’s use and conquest of Nature. In the Industrial Age, due to break-through technological innovations, man’s productivity increased drastically. At the same time man’s unrestrained exploitation of natural resources also surged. As a result, environmental degradation occurred and Nature, as Engels pointed out, was seen to take her revenge. With the rise of ecology as a branch of study and a growing interest in environmental protection, people began to embrace a harmonious relationship with nature. In many countries, there has been a call for sustainable development.

In China, the notion of the unity of man and Nature is nearly as ancient as our civilization. The Taoists especially advocate a harmonious relationship with Nature, enabling man to reach a higher state. The theories underlying traditional Chinese medicine are the best-known manifestation of the Chinese people’s harmonious view of human society and Nature. The 24 solar terms, for example, which serve as a practical guide for framework, also reflect this view. Elsewhere, geomancy or the practice of fengshui, builds on this view for its theoretical basis, as well, although the scientific nature of geomancy is still under heated discussion. It is ironic that, with the development of China’s economy, some Chinese people are blinded by short-term profit and exploit nature excessively, causing great damage to the environment. Fortunately, the importance of environmental protection has been realized by the central government, which propagates awareness of this through the slogan of “building a harmonious society”.

A very different attitude, man’s subjugation to nature, usually exists in primitive societies and cultures, where man’s power with respect to Nature is viewed as comparatively weak. In these societies, people are quite fatalistic and tend to believe that everything in their lives is predestined, and human beings have no choice at all.

The Relationship Between Humans

Man, according to Socrates, is a social animal. The fundamental relationship within a society is that between individuals, or groups of individuals. This relationship regulates our behavior toward others in every aspect. According to different approaches to this question we can roughly distinguish two types of society. Individualism, often regarded as the fundamental value held by Westerners, places more importance on personal competence and responsibility. People in Western societies tend to take actions on their own and shoulder the responsibility for themselves. They are more assertive, tend to make decision for themselves instead of consulting their colleagues or others around them. Asking for advice and help from their

supervisors is usually regarded as evidence of lack of competence. Thus, their working environment is usually more competitive. Employers are more attentive to employees’personal performance and usually trace their achievement in order to decide whom to reward or promote. In contrast, those from more collectivistic societies, such as Asia, and many Arab societies where tribal or clan considerations may predominate, place more emphasis on cooperation, teamwork, group loyalty, and collective decision. They usually seek suggestions from their friends, family members or supervisors and colleagues. In case of difficult situations in business, some will often ask their supervisors to decide for them. That is strongly avoided in a society where individualism is valued. But for those living in group-based societies, they tend to regard such tasks as pertaining to the whole group instead of to themselves alone. Thus, their view is that they are doing, not to shift responsibility, but for the benefit of the whole group.

Nowadays, with the rise of globalization, these two values begin to merge. The emphasis on cooperation and teamwork in many US-based companies is already commonplace, while many Chinese companies begin to focus more on individual competence and achievements. The synergistic power of these two values is becoming clear.

Activity Orientation

With the quickening pace of modern life, people now are more and more adopting a “doing” orientation. Those who are quick to catch opportunities and take action are favored. People pay more attention to personal achievements. International companies are especially famous for their preference for quick and incisive action.

“Being” orientation has a longer history. In the days of feudal society, social status and position counted more than personal merit. The landed aristocracy thus became averse to productive behavior. After many generations, they could no longer be compared to their glorious ancestors. After all, they didn’t have to do anything to hold their social positions. Their ancestry guaranteed that they would be respected and allowed them to live on inherited wealth, without endeavoring to do anything productive, quite contrary to the lives their landed tenants generally led. “Being” societies are usually more static.

“Growing” orientation is somewhere in between being and doing.

Sense of Time

Some countries enjoy a long history. People in these countries tend to pay heavy attention to tradition. History can always serve as guide. In times of crisis, history can often offer precedents in which the wisdom of the ancestors is worth following. Apart from this, in such a country, the force of tradition and customs is usually strong, and sometimes it becomes rather an obstacle to fundamental changes or reforms.

Some cultures are more present-oriented. They put more emphasis on the present. They work, they earn, in order to enjoy the present life. Mexicans are famous for their energy and enjoyment in their daily life. The following report is good evidence.

I had a wonderful experience in Mexico. I like the energy –there was ALWAYS so

much going on in the streets, and in the zocalo, all hours of the day and night. And

when I returned to the US, the streets seemed so dead –everyone individually

alone in their own little houses here. I felt suddenly so sensory-deprived!!! (Martin

& Nakayama, 2007)

Some societies are more future-oriented. The custom of mortgage is a good indicator. People consider how much they may earn in the future and decide their expenditure. With the mortgage and the credit card, it is easy and enjoyable. The famous joke about two old women, one from China, who deposits money in the bank for so many years to buy a house, the other from the US, who before her death has paid up her mortgage, is well-known. But its moral is still powerful.

Chapter 5 Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

Section B Reading

Based on his survey of over 88 000 employees of IBM, a large multinational business organization with branches in 66 countries, Dutch scientist Geert Hofstede indentified four dimensions that drive cultural differences: individualism-collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity-femininity. More recently abundant research has shown that Hofstede’s dimensional model applies not only to work-related values but also to cultural values, in general.

Individualism vs. Collectivism

Generally speaking, the values, norms and beliefs associated with Individualism emphasize that every individual is unique. Accordingly, popular comments about individuals tend to be mainly based on their personal achievements, status and other features. By contrast, societies organized along collectivist lines prefer to characterize an individual according to his family, social class, and group. Individualism indicates that a society is a loosely knit social framework while Collectivism indicates a tight social network. The following table is a comparison of the major characteristics of individualists and collectivists.

on Individualism-collectivism dimension

Table 5.2 is a display of the most individualistic cultures and the most collectivistic cultures based on the ratings of 40 countries included on Hofstede’s individualism-collectivism dimension. It is very interesting to find that most of the highly individualistic cultures happen to be native-English speaking countries. According to linguists, English is the only language that capitalizes the pronoun “I” in writing. Is it just a coincidence? Or is there some kind of relationship between the language and the culture it invented?

Power Distance

The “power distance”dimension reflects the degree to which the culture accepts the unequal distribution of power. Cultures with a high power distance index are said to accept inequality as the cultural norm. Such a culture is vertical and hierarchical. Some people hold higher status while others have lower status. Authoritarian-style communication is common. Persons in authority enjoy more privilege and most people tend to depend on them for decision-making. However, cultures with a low power distance index are more horizontal. People have formed the habit of fighting for equal treatment and questioning authority.

In Mexico, for example, employees tend to respect authority. Individuals in authority tend to maintain certain social distance from their subordinates, and show reluctance to empower employees. Conversely, in North America, where society values fair competition and independence, those in authority are expected to earn the people’s respect. Subordinates think of superiors as being the same kind of people as themselves, and vice versa. In addition, children raised in high power-distance cultures are expected to obey their parents and comply with the requests of their teachers. In low power-distance cultures, however, children are taught to challenge their parents and teachers. Asking questions is highly encouraged instead of being regarded as a threat to authority.

on “Power Distance” dimension

Table 5.3 displays the ten cultures at the two extremes of the “power distance”dimension, with the Philippines ranking at the high end and Austria at the low end. As suggested by Hofstede, population size is one of the important predictors of power distance. Generally speaking, the larger the population, the greater the power distance is likely to be. In order to cope with the increased complexities that arise from their large population, these cultures tend to adopt a political hierarchy that enables them to function effectively and efficiently. In addition, climate and distribution of wealth may also account for the different preferences of power distance.

Uncertainty Avoidance

Uncertainty avoidance indicates norms, values and beliefs related to the toleration of ambiguity. Cultures with a high uncertainty avoidance index ranking, Japan and Korea for example, seeks to establish social systems that prize rules and social expectations. Risk seems to cause them anxiety, tension and stress. Laws are of great importance to them. People in

these cultures choose to avoid conflicts and have difficulty tolerating deviant or abnormal people and views. Members of these societies tend to defer to experts and individuals in authority. Uniformity is preferred. In cultures with a low or weak uncertainty avoidance index ranking, people enjoy less stress from ambiguity. They welcome new ideas, try new things and are more tolerant of people and views considered deviant. Singapore, Denmark, USA, India, and Great Britain are good examples. Table 5.4 displays the five high-uncertainty-avoidance cultures and five low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures.

Differences in this area also manifest themselves in the business context. In high-uncertainty-avoidance cultures, for example, employers tend to hire those people who are faithful and committed to them and their organizations. Those who have unusual longevity in the organization would be promoted. Since employees would think that being faithful to the organization is a kind of virtue, they try to avoid conflicts and competition. In low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures, however, employers appreciate flexibility and prize employee initiative. Such organizations tend to have fewer rules, enabling employees to enjoy more freedom.

on Uncertain Avoidance Dimension

Masculinity VS. Femininity

In all cultures, men and women adopt distinct norms of socialization and tend to play differentiated roles in society. However, different cultural expectations of male and female occur across cultures. Masculine cultures prefer rigid gender roles, and esteem achievement, success and money, as well as self-reliance. Feminine cultures tend to accept fluid gender roles, and appreciate traits such as affection, compassion, and interpersonal relationship, placing an emphasis on responsibility and nurture. In masculine cultures, men dominate in the culture and assume decision-making roles. Societies with lower masculinity scores tend to enjoy more flexible sex roles and equality between sexes. Quality of life is valued over money.

Japan, Austria, Venezuela, Italy, Switzerland, Mexico, Ireland, Germany, Great Britain, and Philippines are cultures with the highest masculinity-index scores. The countries with the highest feminine scores are Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Yugoslavia [Note: The former Yugoslavia. This is no longer a country], Finland, Chile, Portugal, Thailand. China traditionally used to be a typical masculine society. With its great social and economic transformation, its profile is changing. For example, Hong Kong ranked 17 while Taiwan ranked 27 in the survey.

Please note that many scholars today do not agree with the exact ranking of the forty

cultures placed along these four dimensions, which was set about two decades ago. However, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions are still very enlightening and illuminating.

Chapter 6 Hall’s Culture Context Model

Section B Reading

In 1976, the well-known anthropologist Edward Hall, the father of intercultural communication, originated the concepts of high-context culture and low-context culture. 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, relationships of the communications, their family background, title, age, sex, education, status, and social networks. Relatively, little is provided in the verbal message itself. In low-context cultures, however, the majority of the information is contained in the verbal code, and the message is stated clearly and explicitly without depending on the context of the communication. According to Hall, most cultures contain both high-context characteristics and low-context characteristics, but usually there is a clear tendency toward one end of the continuum or the other. (Hall, 1976)

Communication Styles

Background information

Collectivistic cultures are usually high-context cultures. In these cultures, such as Japanese, Arab, African-American, and Latino cultures, people are very homogeneous and share much background information. Therefore, it is not necessary to articulate every detail of the information explicitly. Consequently, people find it easy to understand the subtlest information provided through gestures, the use of space, and even silence. A simple example of high-context communication can be found in the interactions that take place between two people with a long-term relationship. They are often able to interpret even the slightest gesture or the briefest comment.

In the low-context cultures, such as American and British cultures, people are usually from diverse background and don not share much common information. This lack of a large pool of common experiences means that each time they interact with others everything needs to be stated directly and overtly. Therefore, conversations in a low-context culture tend to be clear, to the point and more explicit, with low dependence on the use of nonverbal codes.

Let’s take a daily example to illustrate it. When you talk about an activity, like driving and parking a car, with someone who is also very familiar with these activities, you don’t have to specify every aspect of your ideas because those you are speaking with know what you mean easily. However, when you talk to someone who knows little about the subject, you will have to explain more, add more specific details and provide more background information to help your listeners understand.

Another example is found in the well-known movie Lust, Caution. Some conversations take place among Wang Jiazhi, Mr. Yi and Mrs. Yi when they are playing Mahjong together with some friends. Although the talks are generally short and brief, a subtle facial expression,