Culture & Communication Lynn W. Zimmerman, PhD Fulbright Scholar International Relations Institute Moldova Chisnau, Moldova Lynn.Zimmerman@trainingexpress.es

Conceptualizing communication What is communication? Why do people communicate?

Forms of communication Written Oral Nonverbal

Functions of language and communication Interactional – used primarily to establish and maintain social relations. Transactional - to transmit knowledge, skills or information Direct communication – intentional – often direct factual type statements Indirect communication – inferential – involves metaphors and idioms, not straightforward

Which functions? ESL – Shopping for clothes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSlbU_ZW6fk Which functions did you see? Give examples

Context of Language Degree to which the environment gives meaningful clues to help the communicator(s) decipher and interpret the communication Face-to-face non-verbal cues tone of voice watching how the other interacts Oktapodi What is this film about? How did context help (or lack of context not help) communication?

Decontextualized communication If language is “decontextualized” fewer clues in the environment

Expectations Everyone has preconceived notions of how communication should take place. Often one person has to adjust.   Funny Call Center call https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSlbU_ZW6fk Why did this misunderstanding occur?

Assumptions about Communication Assumption 1: Communication is symbolic Assumption 2: Communication is a process involving the transmitting and interpreting of messages Assumption 3: Communication involves the creation of meaning Assumption 4: Communication takes place at varying levels of awareness

More Assumptions about Communication Assumption 5: Communicators make predictions about the outcomes of their communication behavior Assumption 6: Intention is not a necessary condition for communication Assumption 7: Every communication message has a content dimension and a relationship dimension Assumption 8: Communicators impose structure on their interactions

Definitions Intercultural communication – between people from different cultures Intracultural communication – among people of same culture Cross-cultural communication – implies a comparison of particular aspects of communication between cultures

Culture and Communication Hall (1959) – culture and communication are closely intertwined How culture influences us and how it affects out communication it is largely unconscious. McLuhan (1962) – global village Our own level of ethnocentricity affects how well we can understand others Cultural relativism – understanding others in the context of their culture – helps with postponing of judgment resulting in better communication

HW 3 This week observe some people from your culture talking for a few minutes. Write a 100-150 word paragraph which includes these points: Describe the context – where they were, what they were talking about, what their relationship was to one another, etc. Which functions could you identify in the conversation? Give examples. Were there any miscommunications? Why or why not? (think about the assumptions) What does this tell you about how people in your culture communicate?

References Gudykunst, W.B. & Kim, Y.Y. (2003). Communicating with strangers: An approach to intercultural communication. 4th ed. Boston: McGraw- Hill.