Local and Global Communication in Multicultural Settings
Summary
TLDRIn 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
🌐 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.
🔍 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.
📚 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.
🗣️ 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.
🎓 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Culture
💡Cultural Understanding
💡Cross-Cultural Communication
💡Generalization
💡Stereotype
💡Perception
💡Miscommunication
💡Register
💡Variety
💡Stereotyping
💡Non-Verbal Communication
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
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