Chapter Five Cross-cultural Studies

Cross-cultural / Intercultural Refers to the meeting of two cultures or two languages across the political boundaries of nation-states. Culture shock may take place upon crossing national boundaries. Foreign language teaching/ use language to understand culture May also refer to communication between ppl from different ethnic, social and gendered cultures within the boundaries of the same national language – E.g. Chinese Americans/ African Americans Intercultural communication refers to the dialogue between minority cultures an dominant cultures.

Multicultural Used in two ways: 1. Societal sense: – The coexistence of ppl from many diff backgrounds and ethnicities./ multicultural societies 2. Individual sense: – Persons who belong to various discourse communities – They have linguistic resources and social strategies to identify with many different culture and different ways of using language – Depending on the situational context/ play multiple social roles

Features of the Target Language Culture National Cultural Dimensions Prof. Hofstede – Studies of how values in the work placeare influenced by culture/ more than 70 countries His cultural dimensions model allowed international comparison between cultures Hofstede’s four dimensions of national culture 1.Individualism vs. Collectivism 2.Power Distance 3.Uncertainty Avoidance 4.Masculinity vs. Femininity

Individualism vs. Collectivism Individualism: – Individuals are expected to care for themselves – Highly individualistic cultures believe the ‘individual’ is the most important unit – E.g. (USA/ UK/ Australia) – Ppl take care of themselves and immediate family only/ self-oriented/ identity based on individual/ guilt culture/“I” mentality/ privacy Collectivism: – Its opposite – Individuals can expect their relatives or members of their social group to look after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty – Highly collectivistic cultures believe the ‘group’ is the most important unit – E.g. (China/ Japan) – Absolut loyalty to group (extended family)/ group- oriented/ identity based on social system/ shame culture/ “we” mentality/ privates life invaded

Power Distance How society handles inequalities among ppl High power distance: – Ppl accept a hierarchal order/ everybody has a place which needs no further justification – E.g. Korea Low power distance: – Ppl strive to equalize the distribution of power and demand justification for inequalities/ should be minimized – Superiors are accessible/ Communication between superiors and employees informal, participative (even between teachers and students) – E.g. USA/ UK/ Australia

Uncertainty Avoidance Deals with a society’s tolerance foe uncertainty and ambiguity Whether the members of a culture feel comfortable or not in unstructured situations (new/ unknown/ surprising/ diff from usual) Uncertainty avoiding cultures (high score) try to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict laws and rules. – E.g. China E.g. of Low uncertainty avoiding cultures – USA/ UK/ Australia – Happy to wake up to a new day without knowing what the day will bring/ change plans as new info comes to light – Relaxed ‘muddling through’/ not too many rules/ acceptance of new idea and opinions/ willingness to try new things

Masculinity vs. Femininity High score (masculine): – Indicates society will be driven by competition, achievement and success – Money and things are important – What motivates ppl: wanting to be the best/ the winner – E.g. USA/ UK/ Australia Low score (feminine): – Indicates that the dominant values in society are caring for others and the quality of life – Ppl and relationships are imp – What motivates ppl: liking what you do/ standing out from the crowd is not admirable – E.g. Scandinavia / Sweden (e.g. fully paid maternity leave) Activities

Low Context vs. High Context Culture has a powerful effect on communication. Context is imp – The background and surrounding circumstances in which communication tales place – Gives additional information needed for understanding

High context culture: – Societies in which ppl have close connections/ long term relationships – Less verbally explicit/ non-verbal – Less written/formal communication – Differences in status are valued/ no first names – Relationship-focused – E.g. Brazil, China, India Low context culture: – Ppl have many connections but of a shorter duration – More accessible – Task-centered – Informal/ first names are fine – Direct/ say what they feel – E.g. Germany, UK, USA