Language and Culture in Communication

Unit OneUnit One

Objectives Language and Culture Communication Models of Communicatio

n Meanings in Communicati

on Communication in Social

Situations Language Appropriateness Group Tasks

Language and Culture in Communication

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Your Objectives

By the end of this unit you will be able to

understand the relationship between language, culture and communication;

distinguish some general concepts, models and types of communication;

recognize the meanings in communication, the definitions of a social situation and the goals in a social situation;

be aware of situational schema and different values and non-verbal signals in communication.

Language and Culture

Questions for Group Discussion

What is Culture? What is Language? Can we learn a language without learning its

culture? Does culture apply to all members of one culture? Are cultural generalizations the same as stereotypes? Are there any rights or wrongs in the cross-cultural

communication? Does culture explain all behavior?

Culture

Culture: a shared background(e.g. National, ethnic, religious) resulting from a common language and communication style, customs, beliefs ,attitudes, and values. It refers to the informal and often hidden patterns of human interactions, expressions, and viewpoints that people in one culture share.

Culture

LanguageFoodAppearance

Communication style

Beliefs

Attitudes

Values

Perception

Culture is like an ice-berg.

Language

    Language is a part of culture and plays a very important role in it. It is considered as the keystone of culture, for without language, culture would not be possible. In the broadest sense, language is the symbolic representation of a people, and it comprises their historical and cultural backgrounds as well as their approach to life and their ways of living and thinking.

Language

     Learning a foreign language also means learning to see the world as native speakers of that language see it, learning the ways in which their language reflects the ideas, customs, and behavior of that society, learning to understand their “ language of the mind”.

Learning a language, in fact, is inseparable from learning its culture.

Principles Culture, unlike language, is not comprised of fixed

rules that apply to all members of one culture. Cultural generalizations are different from stereoty

pes. generalization: a general statement 概说，普遍化 st

ereotype: a conventional, formulaic, oversimplified conception, opinion, or image 陈见

There are no absolute ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ implied in this course, only cultural differences.

Principles Two levels of observation: a. All cultures have values and ideals that their

members say are true; b. People’s behavior may not always reflect those

values. Culture does not explain all behavior. It is best not to overemphasize either cultural

differences or cultural similarities. Finally, learning about culture is enriching.

Communication

Communication commonis

Communication is the the process of sharing meaning through verbal and nonverbal language, or rather the exchange of thoughts, messages, information, as by speech, signals, writing or behavior.

What is Communication?

A kind of communication (verbal and nonverbal) between people from different cultures

What is Cross-cultural Communication?

Communication Criteria

A Bcontact

language

information

Communication Types

A Bcontact

language

information

human

animal

machinehuman

machine

animal

Communication Types

A Bcontact

information

human

animal

machinehuman

machine

animal

language

In/direct ways

Communication Language

languagehuman

artificial

verbal nonverbal

body non-word sounds

machinespecial purpose/ Braille

symbolic / logic

object

Life and Communication

Life is communication and communication is life.

Successful /unsuccessful communication in life

Communication means not only life but also development.

Information is communicated and information means power and money.

Models of Communication

Models of Communication

Source of information

encoder

code

channel

decoderRetrieval of information

mediumnoise

message

One typical model of communication

Models of Communication Mono-cultural language communication:

communication between people speaking the same language.

Unilateral cross-cultural language communication: cross-cultural communication together with a bilingual speaker.

Bilateral cross-cultural language communication:

communication between people/interlocutors who have mastered both languages, they can switch freely to either of the two languages.

linguisticcompetence

communicativeskills

linguisticcompetence

communicativeskills

shared knowledge

Language and culture

Models of Communication

activate

exercise

activate

exercise

generateinterpret

message

Case Study When having a dinner with Adam, a Canadian touri

st who does not know Chinese at all, Xiao Wang is talking to him in simple English: “This is Sweet and Sour West Lake Fish. Please try try.”

Please use bilateral cross-cultural communication model to analyze this communication.

Xiao Wang has learned Adam’s _______ and_______.

--This shared __________ makes their communication possible.

--Xiao Wang activates his English ___________ and exercises his English____________________ t

o ________ a message: “This is Sweet and Sour West Lake Fish. Try try”

--Adam _______ his English competence and ________ his English communicative skills to _________ Xiao Wang’s speech.

languageculture

knowledge

competence

communicative skillsgenerate

activatesexercisesinterpret

Language Interference

Improper English:

Have a try. Help yourself. Try it please.

Proper English:

Try try.

Language interference takes places when one speaks________________, one’s ____________affects the way he or she ______it.a foreign language mother tongue

uses

How to treat the guest when having a dinner?

Meanings in Communication

Meanings in Communication

Questions for group discussion:

1. What do you think of a word and its meaning?

2. Do the words mean anything by themselves?

3. How does a word come into being?

4. How many kinds of meanings do you know?

5. What do you think of the word red?

How many meanings can it have to you?

Different Meanings

meanings

speaker

hearer

utterance

What it normally means.

intention

conceptual

convention

associative

What the hearer understood.

Meanings in Communication

Diagnose the problems in the following case please:

Angela, a Canadian, married a Chinese engineer Joe Wang in the States. Later Joe’s mother came to visit them from Hangzhou, China. The next day after her arrival, Angela talked to Joe while his mother was playing with their little son Jeremy in the garden.

Angela: Joe, how long is your mum going to stay? Joe: I don’t know. I haven’t asked her. Angela: Why not ask her? Joe: How could I ask her? Angela: Why not? I just want to ask her how long she’s going t

o stay. To Angela’s great puzzlement, the next day, her mother-in-law

told them that she would leave for Hangzhou in a week. It seemed that the mother had overheard their conversation. But why?Question: What went wrong with Angela and her mother-in-law?

Utterance meaning: the meaning what the

utterance normally means.

E.g.: How long is she going to stay? Speaker’s meaning: the meaning the speaker has

intended to convey by way of utterance meaning. Angela wanted to know her mother-in-law’s plan so that she might make some good arrangements.

Reference

Hearer’s meaning: the meaning the hearer has und

erstood on the basis of the utterance meaning. According to Chinese custom, it might be impolite f

or a host to ask a guest about his or her staying plan which might imply that the guest is not welcome. Having overheard their conversation, Angela’s mother-in-law misunderstood that Angela didn’t welcome her, so she decided to leave earlier than expected.

Reference

Communication in Social Situations

Communication in Social Situations

Essential components

Social situation

participants definition of the situation and goals

setting

verbal communication

non-verbal

communication

schema

time and space

Definitions of Social Situations

Definitions of a social situation: a. community definition

official interpretation of the situation--social situation of meeting,classroom teaching, etc.

b. participants’ definition

Goals in Social Situations

What is a goal?

A goal is a purpose you want to achieve by doing something.

Goals in a social situation:

a. institutionalized goals in public places b. private goals

Situational Schema

When you join a social gathering, you must be aware of rules and procedures that govern the way things are going to proceed. There is a technical term for such rules and procedures—schema ( 程式 , 模式 , 计划 ).

Situational Schema

Question for group discussion: What was your schema of entertaining a guest

at home?

Situational Schema

  An American host’s schema of entertaining a guest at home

giving invitation prepare everything before the arrival of guests receiving guests

open the door / express welcome

take their overcoats / introduce guests

offer them drinks / make them comfortable

Situational Schema

serving food set the table / soup first / main course desert / fruit / cakes / coffee / tea post dinner activities: chat / play music / offer more drinks seeing guests off: thank them for coming / good night

Reflection

A______________ is formed when two or more people come to each other’s presence. They monitor each other’s behavior and one person’s behavior affects the other’s.

A_____________ receives two types of________. One is given by a community, and the other by the __________ People pursue different______ in a social situation.

social situation

social situation definition

participants. goals

Reflection

There are______ and__________ for social situations and goal attainment. Technically they are called________.

When we say and do things, there are various _______________attached to them. We should be always careful about them, because they may hurt our partners without our awareness.

rules procedures

schema

non-verbal signals

Language Appropriateness

Language Interference

Improper English:

Have a try. Help yourself. Try it please.

Proper English:

Try try.

Language interference takes places when one speaks________________, one’s ____________affects the way he or she ______it.a foreign language mother tongue

uses

How to treat the guest when having a dinner?

How to Open a Seminar?

--Right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this seminar. I have the great honor of presenting to you Prof. Simpson. His topic today is “…”. Professor Simpson, please.

--Well, it’s time. Every one is here? I’m pleased to introduce Mr. …

How to Organize the Lecture?

--My talk consists of four parts. Part 1 outlines the relation between language, culture and communication; Part 2 introduces to you the notion of models of communication. Part 3 focuses on meanings in communication. And the last part will be on different values in communication.

How to Highlight the Most Important Message?

The point I want to drive home is we all make generalizations. Everyone generalizes every day just to make sense of his experience. Some generalizations include positive or negative judgments.

How to Switch from One Section to Another?

So first things first. Let’s start with Part 1… Any questions so far? No? Good. Now part 2. This leads to the topic of Part 3. Let’s move on to the topic of pollution, Part 3. Finally Part 4…

Group Tasks

Group Task 1

The students are divided into groups of three. Each person draws lots to mime the non-verbal signals for the second one to guess the verbal messages, and the third person works as the reporter to comment on how well the second person has done. Then vice versa.

Non-verbal signals

Please think out the verbal messages for the non-verbal signals.

1. Sign of the cross 2. Point 3. Slight bow 4. Shrug 5. Glare 6. Head nod 7. Handshake 8. Raise right fist in the left

hand

Group Task 1

9. Shake head 10. Smile 11. Stand up 12. Frown 13. Wink 14. Silence 15. Tsk, tsk, tsk

Non-verbal signals

Reference

1. Sign of the cross 2. Point 3. Slight bow 4. Shrug 5. Glare 6. Head nod 7. Handshake 8. Raise right fist in the

left hand

PromiseOrderApologizeConcedeReprimandConsentCongratulateThank

Non-verbal signals

Reference

9. Shake head 10. Smile 11. Stand up 12. Frown 13. Wink 14. Silence 15. Tsk, tsk, tsk

Deny Approve

DismissCensurePermitCondole

Warn

Non-verbal signals

Different Values in Communication

value-sensitive areas in China

face politeness

self-denigration other-elevation

Group Task 2

Group Task 2 Please have a discussion with your group members on how much

misunderstanding might occur if with the literal English version of the following Chinese polite forms:

小弟 贱姓卑职愚见拙作内人寒舍敝校拜读

尊职高见府上令郎贵校贵姓您光临大作

small brother low-based job humble surname stupid opinion clumsy writing in-house person shabby shelter shabby school read with a prostrating posture

respectable job high opinion precious home respectable son valued school precious surname Your respectable bring light to o great work

Sue, an English teacher, had a birthday party at home last weekend. It was a good time, but she was bit upset by one of her guests, Yang, a Chinese girl who has just come to the States. The following is their initial conversation:

Sue: Oh, Yang, how nice you could come! Yang: Hi, Sue. Happy birthday! Sue: Thanks! Come on in. Can I take your coat? Yang: No, thanks. Sue: Ok, this way please. Yang: (takes off her own coat and hangs it. ) Question: Why was Sue upset?

Group Task 3 Case Study 1

Sue was upset because Yang did not let her hang her coat. Sue’s offer to hang Yang’s coat is one of her ways of showing her hospitality. On Yang’s side, she thought that Sue was her teacher and it was inappropriate to let her teacher hang her coat. So she did it by herself to show her respect for Sue. Here is an instance of one action attached with different cultural values.

Reference

Group Task 3 Case Study 2

Please analyze the following case and identify the misunderstanding.

Professor Wang had written a book on Chinese but knew a little English. Last year he got to know an American professor Johnson who was to learn Chinese culture in a seminar. One day before professor Johnson went back to America, he decided to give him his book as a gift.

Group Task 3 Case Study 2

Prof. Wang: Mr. Johnson, this is a clumsy book written by your humble servant.

Prof.Johnson: Who is my humble servant? You? No, no, no, you’re not my humble servant. You are kidding. Prof. Wang.

Prof. Wang: No, I am not kidding. It’s true. And I would like to give it to you a gift. I am sorry for this small gift.

Prof. Johnson: Oh, great. Thanks very much. I like it very much. What’s it about? Question: What are the communication problems ?

The problem is the use of clumsy book ( 拙著 ) and humble servant ( 鄙人 ). Since Professor Wang didn’t know American culture quite well, he was being polite by belittling himself in perfect Chinese way. However, this is not American politeness. In America, people would always try to be self-confident but not belittle themselves. Self-abnegation would be regarded as lacking confidence and thus would be shrugged off.

Reference

Prof. Johnson didn’t know much about Chinese politeness either. At first he was shocked by Prof. Wang’s polite expressions, then took them literally and pointed out that Prof. Wang was not his humble servant.

What’s more, Prof. Wang didn’t realize that in America the title of “Prof.” is more appreciated than “Mr.”. The meaning of “Mr.” is not the same as in Chinese “ 先生” which could be used to show high respect.

Reference

Briefly dramatize or present one similar situation of cross–cultural social gatherings that might cause misunderstandings according to different values.

Group Task 4

A Chinese student had just arrived in the States. One day, when reading in his room, he heard someone shouting outside: “Watch out!” So he went to the window and stretched out his head and tried to find out what’s going on outside. Just then, his head was right poured by the water from above…

Question: Would you please analyze the saying “watch out” with

the three meanings?

Home Work

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