Local and Global Communication in Multicultural Settings

Summary

In this third lecture, Professor Windma Carvajal explores the intricacies of local and global communication within multicultural settings. She defines culture as a system of shared values and behaviors, emphasizing the importance of cultural understanding for effective communication. The lecture delves into the challenges of cross-cultural communication, including generalizations, stereotypes, and perception biases, and discusses the six primary sources of miscommunication. It also highlights the significance of language registers and varieties in multicultural communication, illustrating the impact of context and social groups on language use.

Takeaways

• 😀 Culture is a system of thinking and acting taught and reinforced by a group, which includes values, behaviors, and communication preferences.
• 🌐 Cultural understanding is crucial as it influences personal preferences and communication styles, and helps in perceiving and relating to others effectively.
• 🤝 Embracing diversity and differences is essential for successful cross-cultural communication, which occurs between people with different cultural perspectives.
• 🏙️ Cross-cultural communication can happen within various contexts, including nationality, age groups, and different departments within the same organization.
• ❌ Generalizations can lead to stereotypes when applied rigidly to every individual within a cultural group, which oversimplifies and misrepresents individuals.
• 👁 Perception is highly personal and cultural, shaping how we view the world and others based on our experiences and cultural backgrounds.
• 🚫 Cross-cultural miscommunication can arise from several issues, including assumptions of similarities, language differences, non-verbal misinterpretations, preconceptions, stereotypes, and high anxiety.
• 📝 Register refers to the level of formality in language, which can be formal, non-formal, or somewhere in between, and is determined by the context and purpose of communication.
• 📚 Variety in language is associated with external factors like geographical area or social group, leading to distinct dialects or jargons within specific communities.
• 🔍 Language varieties can be a basis for judgment and inclusion or exclusion, highlighting the importance of understanding and respecting linguistic diversity.
• 📖 The lecture emphasizes the importance of preparing, rehearsing, and being mentally ready to engage in effective communication across different cultural settings.

Q & A

What does the term 'culture' mean according to Stringer and Cassaday's definition in 2009?

Culture is a system of thinking and acting that is taught by and reinforced by a group of people. It includes a set of values, accommodating behaviors, and communication preferences that cultural groups instill in their members.

Why is cultural understanding important in communication?

Cultural understanding is important because it influences our personal preferences and communication styles and helps us to better relate to others. It allows us to know ourselves and others, facilitating effective interaction within and across cultures.

What is cross-cultural communication and why is it significant?

Cross-cultural communication occurs between people who may have different cultural perspectives. It is significant because it enables effective interaction and understanding despite cultural differences, which is essential in our globalized world.

Can you provide an example of how cultural differences can affect cross-cultural communication?

An example is when a Filipino, with their own set of beliefs and traditions, communicates with a foreigner who has different cultural norms. This can lead to barriers and struggles in understanding each other due to the differences in values and manners.

What are the three main issues that can surround cross-cultural communication?

The three main issues are generalizations, stereotypes, and perception. These can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunications if not properly managed.

What is the difference between a generalization and a stereotype in the context of cultural communication?

A generalization is a pattern of communication used by most people in a cultural group, while a stereotype is an oversimplified characteristic applied to everyone in the group, often leading to hasty and sweeping judgments.

How does the concept of 'register' in language affect multicultural communication?

Register refers to the level of formality in language use, which is determined by the context, purpose, and setting. It affects multicultural communication by dictating the appropriate style and formality needed for effective and respectful interaction.

What are the characteristics of a formal register in language use?

A formal register is characterized by the absence of contractions and slang, the use of the third person point of view, avoidance of passive voice, slang, idioms, exaggeration, and cliches. It also involves complete sentences and a direct approach to the subject matter.

What are the six primary sources of cross-cultural communication miscommunication according to Barna (1997)?

The six primary sources are: assumption of similarities, language differences, non-verbal misinterpretation, preconceptions and stereotypes, tendency to evaluate, and high anxiety.

How can understanding 'varieties' and 'registers' improve communication in multicultural settings?

Understanding varieties and registers allows individuals to adapt their language and communication style to different cultural contexts, enhancing mutual understanding and reducing the risk of miscommunication.

Can you explain the concept of 'variety' in language and its relation to multicultural communication?

Variety refers to a specific set of linguistic items, such as sounds, words, or grammatical features, associated with external factors like geographical area or social group. Recognizing and respecting these varieties in multicultural communication helps in avoiding judgment and fostering inclusion.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Understanding Culture and Communication

The first paragraph introduces the lecture on local and global communication within multicultural settings, led by Professor Windma Carvajal. The focus is on defining culture as a system of thinking and acting, taught and reinforced by a group, which influences personal preferences and communication styles. Cultural understanding is emphasized as crucial for personal and interpersonal growth, allowing individuals to relate better to others and embrace diversity. The concept of cross-cultural communication is also introduced, highlighting the importance of recognizing and adapting to different cultural perspectives.

05:02

🔍 Exploring Cross-Cultural Communication Barriers

This paragraph delves into the complexities of cross-cultural communication, identifying age groups and nationality as factors that can lead to misunderstandings. It discusses the issues of generalizations, stereotypes, and perception, explaining how these can hinder effective communication. Generalizations are described as patterns that can lead to stereotyping when applied rigidly to individuals, while perception is shaped by personal and cultural experiences. The paragraph also references Barna's 1997 research on six primary sources of cross-cultural miscommunication, including assumptions of similarities and language differences.

10:04

📚 The Importance of Register in Communication

The third paragraph emphasizes the role of register in language, distinguishing between formal and non-formal registers and their appropriate contexts. Formal register is characterized by its use in official documents and communication, where contractions and slang are avoided in favor of a more structured and formal tone. Non-formal register, on the other hand, is more relaxed and includes slang, abbreviations, and a personal touch, suitable for casual conversations and informal writing. The paragraph also touches on the 'gray areas' between formal and non-formal registers, such as neutral, intimate, frozen, and consultative registers, each serving specific communicative purposes.

15:05

🗣️ Language Varieties and Their Impact on Communication

The fourth paragraph discusses the concept of language variety, which refers to specific linguistic elements associated with factors like geographical area or social group. It explains how varieties develop due to geographical differences, leading to distinct dialects, and social group affiliations, which can adopt specific jargons. The paragraph also addresses how language varieties can affect judgment and inclusion or exclusion in social contexts, underlining the importance of recognizing and respecting these linguistic differences.

20:07

🎓 Conclusion on Multicultural Communication

In the concluding paragraph, the lecture wraps up by summarizing the importance of understanding language varieties in multicultural communication. It reiterates the significance of being aware of different pronunciations and terminologies within the same language, emphasizing the need for consistency rather than arguing over correctness. The paragraph ends with a reminder of the value of learning from the lecture and a note of caution for everyone to stay safe.

Keywords

💡Culture

Culture is defined in the script as a system of thinking and acting that is taught by and reinforced by a group of people. It is a set of values, behaviors, and communication preferences that are socially inherited. The concept is central to the video's theme, as it discusses how culture influences personal preferences and communication styles, and the importance of cultural understanding in a multicultural setting.

💡Cultural Understanding

Cultural understanding is the ability to recognize and appreciate one's own culture and those of others. It is crucial for effective communication and is highlighted in the script as a prerequisite for embracing diversity and relating to people from different backgrounds. The script emphasizes that understanding one's own culture is the first step towards understanding others.

💡Cross-Cultural Communication

Cross-cultural communication occurs between people from different cultural backgrounds. The script explains that it is inevitable in today's globalized world and requires an understanding of one's own culture and the culture of others to overcome potential barriers. Examples from the script include communication between different nationalities and age groups.

💡Generalization

Generalization in the script refers to the patterns of communication used by most people in a cultural group. It is a way to categorize typical behaviors or characteristics of a group, but when applied rigidly to every individual within that group, it can become a stereotype. The script warns against the misuse of generalizations leading to stereotyping.

💡Stereotype

A stereotype is an oversimplified and often negative assumption about a group of people based on generalizations. The script explains that stereotypes are hasty generalizations that can lead to miscommunication and misunderstanding in cross-cultural interactions. An example given is the stereotype that all women are weaker than men, which can be misleading and unfair.

💡Perception

Perception is how individuals interpret and make sense of the world around them based on their personal and cultural experiences. The script discusses how perception is influenced by culture and can affect how people understand and communicate with others from different backgrounds.

💡Miscommunication

Miscommunication is a failure to convey or understand the intended message during communication. The script cites several sources of cross-cultural miscommunication, including assumptions of similarities, language differences, and non-verbal misinterpretations. It is a key issue in the context of multicultural communication.

💡Register

Register in the script refers to the level of formality in language use, determined by the context, purpose, and setting. It is an important concept in multicultural communication as it influences how language is adapted to suit different situations, ranging from formal business letters to informal text messages.

💡Variety

Variety is a specific set of linguistic items associated with external factors like geographical area or social group. The script explains that variety develops due to differences in dialects or language use among distinct groups and can include sounds, words, or grammatical features unique to those groups.

💡Stereotyping

Stereotyping is the act of assigning fixed, oversimplified characteristics to a person or group based on preconceived notions. The script discusses how stereotyping can lead to misjudgments and hinder effective cross-cultural communication by not allowing for individual differences within a cultural group.

💡Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication encompasses the wordless messages conveyed through body language, facial expressions, eye contact, and even clothing and furniture style. The script highlights the importance of non-verbal cues in communication and how misinterpretations can lead to cross-cultural miscommunication.

Highlights

Culture is defined as a system of thinking and acting taught and reinforced by a group.

Cultural understanding influences personal preference and communication style.

Cultural understanding is essential for self-awareness and better relating to others.

Cross-cultural communication involves interaction between people with different cultural perspectives.

Generalizations can lead to stereotypes if applied rigidly to individuals within a cultural group.

Stereotypes are negative connotations arising from overgeneralized cultural norms.

Perception is highly personal and influenced by both personal and cultural experiences.

Six primary sources of cross-cultural communication miscommunication were identified.

Assumption of similarities can lead to miscommunication due to cultural invisibility.

Language differences and barriers are common sources of miscommunication.

Non-verbal misinterpretation can cause unintended messages in communication.

Preconceptions and stereotypes affect how we perceive and judge people or groups.

Tendency to evaluate messages through our cultural lens can lead to misunderstandings.

High anxiety can result in miscommunication due to the fear of saying the wrong thing.

Register refers to the level of formality in language, which is context-dependent.

Formal register is used in official contexts and avoids contractions, slang, and abbreviations.

Non-formal register is characterized by the use of slang, abbreviations, and a more casual tone.

There are gray areas in register beyond just formal and non-formal, such as neutral, intimate, frozen, and consultative.

Variety in language is associated with external factors like geographical area or social group.

Language varieties can develop due to geographical differences or social group affiliations.

Understanding and respecting language varieties is crucial for effective multicultural communication.

Transcripts

hello everyone welcome to our

third lecture entitled local and global

communication and multicultural settings

so again this is professor windma

carvajal but you can call me miss cars

and i decided to turn my camera off

because of

my allergies you know that okay anyway

so

um before we delve deeper into

communication and multicultural settings

and the issues that are surrounding this

particular topic

uh it's imperative that we know first

what culture means okay so let's try to

see

what culture is okay

so according to stringer and cassaday

2009 culture is a system

of thinking and acting that is taught by

and reinforced by a group of people

cultural groups teach their members

certain sets of values with

accommodating behaviors

and communication preferences so as you

can see here

culture is a system so therefore there

is

a set of rules behaviors embedded

principles and whatnot that we instill

in our people and take note that this

is taught by and reinforced by a group

of people

so meaning culture is adapted or adopted

okay whichever might apply and this is

something that is socially

all right inherited okay this is

something that

is gotten from outside factors

or outside forces this is actually why

you know dictionary meanings would tell

you that culture includes the tastes

and manners that are favored by a social

group

or that culture is all the knowledge and

values shared by a society or

culture is the attitude

and behavior that are characteristic

of a particular social group or

organization

and this leads us to the point that we

have to have what we call

cultural understanding okay because

cultural understanding is something that

influences our personal preference and

communication style and continues

to influence our perception of others

throughout

our life okay you have to understand

where you're coming from as a group

as an organization or as a society as a

community

you have to understand and accept your

background

okay where you grew up in uh who you

grew up with

and what are the characteristic

values and manners that are in it okay

because

having cultural understanding is knowing

you

and apart from knowing you it's knowing

others as well because

when you know you you can better relate

to others okay so um you have to start

from understanding

what's within you and what are

actually influencing the person that is

you

before you can well relate to other

people

now at this point when you already have

cultural understanding

you may now see that apart from your

culture there are diverse

cultures outside it that you really need

to comprehend and you really need to

have a grasp about

this is because you have to tolerate

diversity

you have to embrace diversity

and differences that is outside your own

culture

because you have to inevitably

communicate

cross-culturally okay which leads me to

the point that

every time that you are talking to

people

outside your own culture you're doing

cross-cultural

communication okay and cross-cultural

communication

occurs between people who may have

different

cultural perspectives okay this include

the entire range of differences from

nationality to age to different

departments within the same organization

so let me give you an example

differences in nationality you're a

filipino when you talk to a foreigner

automatically you're doing

cross-cultural communication okay

as a filipino you've got your own set of

beliefs of traditions of manners

of characteristics and

you try to mingle with a foreigner

who has their own so doing that

you may encounter several barriers and

several struggles

but still you are able to do it

because you have understanding of your

own culture and

their culture and that there are several

differences between the two of you

so cross-cultural communication does not

only happen between nationalities it

could also happen

between age groups so for example you're

a gen z

person or you're a person who is born in

the computer

age and then you talk to an older

generation who does not know

about computers and what they do or who

does not understand how internet works

or cannot really even use a phone so

that

is already cross-cultural communication

because there's a lot of

barriers that you have to cross and that

you have to really

uh understand the other end because you

are

really coming from different

perspectives

and technicalities for that matter right

so there are a lot of issues

that surround cross-cultural

communication

and three of which would be

generalizations

stereotypes and perception okay so let's

go

uh for generalization first it says here

the generalizations are the patterns of

communication

used by most people in any cultural

group

so we can actually generalize based

on the you know characteristic

uh characteristics of the population of

the culture group so for example we can

generalize filipinos as hospitable

people

now if you're gonna apply this

generalization

to each and every one

that belongs to that culture group

rigidly

then that becomes stereotype already

okay you are now

trying to box okay each and every

individual and that's certain group

as what is and what is not okay so

for example the generalization is

uh filipinos are hospitable widma is a

filipino therefore winma is a hospitable

now what if wynma is not really

hospitable what if she doesn't really

like welcoming guests what if she really

doesn't like

mingling with other people okay so that

is not true to her

but you trying to box winma into being

hospitable simply because of that

certain generalization among filipinos

it is what we call stereotyping

okay so stereotypes are cultural norms

okay apply to everyone in the group

in the region manner so this is to say

you are generalizing hastily

okay that's hasty generalization or you

are sweeping

you're doing sweeping statements okay so

when we say sweeping statements you're

trying to sweep it all into that one

search in fact when in fact

um not everyone could actually fit into

that generalization

okay so stereotypes are negative in

connotation because these are cultural

norms that

are really going overboard so another

example

uh for stereotypes let's say women okay

generally speaking this is uh an

accepted generalization okay

women are weaker than men in terms of uh

physical aspect

right because science has evidence for

it physiologically

um we can actually prove that that's an

acceptable generalization

generalization but for you to say for

example that women

can't pull themselves into the army

the stereotyping that women can't do

anything

simply because they're weaker than men

and they're only inferior to men when in

fact there are certain women that could

actually pull their weight together

in the army so even when women are

generally weaker in terms of physical

aspect does it mean that each and every

women

woman cannot really do that thing

perception is highly personal and

cultural at the same time so

you perceive people in things and places

and whatnot

based on what you experienced and what

you are experiencing

personally and culturally okay so again

culture plays a very

big role in terms of shaping our

perspectives okay how we see the world

how we see people

and because of these issues we are

experiencing a lot

of cross-cultural miscommunication

okay and according to barna 1997 there

are six

primary sources of cross-cultural

communication miscommunication okay

first of which is assumption of

similarities now what is this

so the invisible aspects of our culture

lead us to assume

okay that our communication style and

way of behaving is how

everyone communicates and behaves so

meaning when they act

like us we think they are right or we

don't give it much thought right

but when someone acts differently we may

judge them

okay as again we judge them negatively

because we assume that

everybody should be similar and similar

with us

right next language differences

so language differences language

barriers

right so speaking a non-native language

for example can easily lead

us to miscommunicate filipinos in

general would have a hard time

pronouncing

cup cop and cap okay

sometimes we just pronounce this as gap

so when you talk to a foreigner

um and say cup we might not know

like what really you're trying to

pertain to

right because we're not really used to

saying ah a bad cat you say

people speaking the same language

actually can experience miscommunication

because the same word can mean something

different so for example

um in the west coast of the united

states pop would usually mean the soda

drink

right while on the east coast it often

refers to drug use or shooting someone

so you say

pop her pop him it means shoot her shoot

him

so another example would be in the

united states

being stuffed would mean you have too

much you had too much to eat

well in australia it often means you are

pregnant okay so these differences can

impact our communication negatively

so hence miscommunication okay thirdly

non-verbal misinterpretation so

nonverbal misinterpretations we send and

receive

wordless messages through body language

facial facial expression and eye contact

and even clothing and furniture style

can actually communicate

unintended or unintended message

okay so it really matters a lot just a

smirk or a smile or a raise of eyebrow

can actually makes a lot of difference

in terms of communication

and a lot of times this causes

miscommunication

okay first we have preconceptions and

stereotypes

so preconceptions and stereotypes

actually uh this has something to do

with our conceptions so culture

influences the way we see the world

right sometimes we've got preconceived

notions already about someone or

something and

and you know stereotyping occurs already

when oversimplified characteristics are

used

for us to judge people or a group of

people

okay or an individual associated with a

certain group

so yeah stereotyping and preconceptions

again

very very big issue

next tendency to evaluate this is

somehow somehow related to it

because when we hear communication or

observe behavior we tend to interpret

the message or the action through our

cultural lens

just our cultural lens so we may

evaluate the message from behavior

as good or bad without really

understanding the intent okay so it's

just the basis is just our cultural lens

okay lastly is

high anxiety again

high anxiety is caused

by this high effective filter

okay we are so anxious about what we are

going to say

next about uh how uncomfortable we are

in our thoughts and whatnot so not

understanding what is appropriate

or expected can raise our anxiety level

and miscommunication can be a direct

result of being in an

ancient state so for us to battle this

we have to prepare we have to rehearse

we have to socially mentally

um be you know

ready to actually do communication

okay so at this point

i would like to move on to varieties and

register okay so varieties and registers

are very important concepts in terms of

multicultural

communication because these are the

factors that

directly and indirectly affect our

communication

and may make or break communication okay

so let's go to register first okay

register

is the level of formality in the

language assets are mean by context so

again

i've been talking about context since

day one

and you probably understand what context

mean by now

okay and depending on the context or

um defined by the purpose and the

setting we

need to decide what which level of

formality we have to use so that's what

we call register

so we have formal register we have

non-formal register

right so formal register is

again when you do these things so for

example we're writing business letters

letters of complaint

some essays reports official speeches

announcements professional emails

we have to use formal register right

um because these are formal occasions or

formal situations

therefore um we don't use contractions

we don't use slang okay we don't use

we rarely use the the first person

or the second person point of view we

try to sound formal

therefore we use the third person okay

we avoid too much passive in formal

register

we also avoid slang idioms we have to

avoid

exaggeration or cliches we have to go

straight to the point

we have to go to the business itself

okay we don't beat around the bush

we do it formally try to avoid using

abbreviations and acronyms

if you're doing formal register you have

to

write what abbreviations and acronyms

mean

and then you have to write in complete

sentences so never write in incomplete

sentences when you're doing

formal register right and also do not

start your sentences with like

so but also okay this is very informal

in nature

so again please make sure that you have

a subject and a predicate in your

sentences

so it um it would really be formally

structured okay now we've got um

non-formal register

um non-formal registers uh we use it for

personal emails phone texts short notes

friendly letters most blogs and theories

and journals

so these are full of slang and cliches

and figurative language which is which

are very much welcome

because again this is very non-formal so

meaning

uh you may just be talking to a friend

or someone really close to you it

doesn't really matter

like how you sound to them because

you're not really doing a formal

transaction okay

this is also full of symbols

abbreviation for example your short

notes are full of abbreviations acronyms

whatnot okay and you can even use the

first person and second person

right point of view there freely and you

can use the short sentences

in complete sentences you can have no

paragraphs

you can even crack jokes and you can

have personal opinions put forward there

okay and the most common thing in

non-formal register is that

is the extra punctuation or the

excessive use of punctuation like for

example you say hi

bob exclamation exclamation exclamation

point okay like

10 examination points but but it's very

welcome

right sometimes um in non-formal

register

you write as if you speak

okay that's why you you tend to do these

extra punctuation and whatnot

okay and uh again um

there are gray areas it's not only

uh formal and non-formal we have gray

areas like

for example here what we've got

level formality so we have the continuum

of formal and non-formal

between them we've got neutral intimate

frozen consultative so what are these so

for example neutral register

um is usually used for broadcasting for

news

uh writing uh basically to put forward

an opinion and from the public okay so

you don't need

um to have up to be very opinionated all

you do is lay down the facts that's why

it's just neutral register

okay intimate register you do that for

uh

when you're talking to someone really

close to you

uh perhaps a family member or best

friend or someone who you're not really

related with but

um someone who you trust okay and who

you are comfortable with

okay perhaps a partner okay or

a soul mate frozen register

or meanwhile is something that we see in

the bible or in history books for

example um because

this these are the the registers that

are meant

to be preserved that are meant to be

unchanged

so for example in the bible you say thou

shall not steal

okay and until now we can actually

see it or read it because this register

is preserved okay

it's not changed nor is meant to be

changed

consultative register so we've got um

for example you

talking to me a student talking to a

professor regarding

his or her grade or his or her output or

class standing

et cetera et cetera okay so again it's

not only formal non-formal there are

gray areas like those that i

set lastly i would like to talk about

variety so variety is a specific

set of linguistic items which can be

associated

with external factors such as

geographical area or social group so

when we say linguistic items these are

sounds words or grammatical features

okay so these are the different

variety is a set of sounds words

grammatical features that are unique to

a particular geographical area or

social group now variety develops for a

number of reasons

number one geographical area

differences can come about for

geographical reasons

like people who live in different

geographic areas often develop distinct

dialects

or variations of language so for example

um

even when people are native speakers of

english

based on their geographical location

they can develop this certain variety of

english like standard american english

is very different from british english

this means that whether you say often or

often

it doesn't matter because there's no one

correct pronunciation

again these are called varieties of

language so varieties of english

you may just choose whatever you're

comfortable and the only thing that

matters is that you'll be consistent

about it

now you don't have to argue whether it's

mo mobile or mobile

because again varieties of english

is the key to it okay we have to

understand it from that perspective

okay now for a social group

for example um certain people who belong

to a specific

group often academic or professional

tend to adopt jargons that is known to

and understood only by the members of

the specific group

so for example gay lingo

is a variety of language that only

people who belong to that social group

understand okay

or for example there's a certain way of

english speaking

uh when you go to ateneo and then when

you go to la

salle okay so language varieties are

often basis of judgment

and again even inclusion or exclusion

okay so i hope you guys learned

something uh from this lecture

so i will end here

please stay safe and saying everyone

goodbye