LANGUAGE & INTERCULTURAL AWARENESS “All speech, written or spoken, is a dead language, until it finds a willing and prepared hearer” R.L. Stevenson, Lay Morals

Big Ideas about Communication n Communication is a Process n Meanings are in People n Communications involves Perceptions –Perceptions are not always accurate n Communication is Symbolic n Communication requires Context n We communicate to satisfy needs. n Communication involves ethical choices

Communication competence n No one, ideal way. n Situational n Relational n Can be learned

This Chapter’s Focus on Becoming a Competent Communicator n To understand the influence of culture and context on communication

Competent communicators n A wide range of behaviors rather than a few n The ability to choose the most appropriate behaviors n Mindfulness n Empathy/perspective taking n Cognitive complexity n Self-monitoring n Commitment to others

Competent Communicators n Skills at performing behaviors –Listening –Reframing –Argumentation –Persuading

The Nature of Language n Language is Symbolic n Meanings are in People, not Words n Language is Rule-Governed

Rule governed n Phonological rules n Semantic rules n Syntactic rules n Pragmatic rules –Relationship –Setting –Nonverbal behavior

The Power of Language n Language shapes perception n Meanings are negotiated between communicators

Roles of Communication –as interpersonal influence –as information processing –as artful public address –a process of sharing meanings through signs –as the creation and enactment of social reality –as reflective challenge of unjust discourse –as an experience of self and others through dialogue

Triangle of Meaning C.K. Ogden & I.A. Richards USER WORD (SYMBOL) THING (REFERENT)

BALANCE THEORY Fritz Heider (1958) PERSON OTHER PERSON ATTITUDE OBJECT (THING, EVENT, ACTION)

Language shapes attitudes n Naming n Credibility n Status n Sexism and racism

Language reflects attitudes n Power n Affiliation –Convergence n Responsibility –it versus I –You versus I –but versus and –questions versus statements

Implications …. n Meanings are in People n Perceptions are in People n Attitudes are shaped and reflected in language n Conversational style choices are made by People n Motives for communications are in People

Activity n Write the name of a vegetable that you don’t like on a piece of paper n Write the name of an animal (bug, pest, or otherwise) that scares you or you dislike n Write the name of a loved one, family member, close friend on a piece of paper

Communication problems n Equivocal n Relative n Emotive n Disruptive n Overly Abstract

Troublesome Language n Language of Misunderstanding n Stereotypes n Confusion n Disruptive Language n Evasive Language

Overly abstract language n Abstraction ladder –low level abstractions are specific –high level abstractions useful as short-cut useful to avoid confrontations problematic as stereotyping problematic when confusing others

Avoid overly abstract language n Use behavioral descriptions –Person(s) who? –Circumstances - when and where? –Observable behavior - what? n Reasoning –Argument by example, argument by analogy –Fallacies in reasoning Sign reasoning

Powerless Language n Hedges: –I think we should … –I guess I’d like to … n Hesitations: –Uh, can I have a minute … – I wish you would - er -- try to be on time. n Intensifiers: –So that’s how I feel … –I’m not very hungry

Disruptive language n Fact-opinion confusion –Facts can be verified –Opinions are beliefs n Fact-inference confusion –Facts –Inference conclusions from interpretations of evidence

Evasive language n Euphemism n Equivocation

Language & Culture n Verbal Communication Styles n Face and Facework n Proxemics n Individual Differences

What seems logical, sensible, and important in one culture, may seem illogical, irrational, unimportant in another culture.

INSIGHTS Perception checking Perceptual tendencies Describe, interpret, clarify …..

Verbal communication styles n Directness –low-context cultures –high-context cultures n Elaborate or succinct –Arab elaborated style –succinctness and silence valued n Formal and informality

Language & Sex n Content n Reasons for Communicating n Conversational Style n Nongender Variables n Sex Roles

“If women speak and hear a language of connection, while men speak and hear a language of status and independence, then communication between men and women can be like cross-cultural communication, prey to a clash of conversational styles. Instead of different dialects, it has been said they speak different genderlects”. Deborah Tannen, You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, or are they? n 30,445 students last spring, 61% or 18,500 female and 39% male n Students from 86 countries (one planet) n Deborah Tannen

Powerless Language n Polite forms: –Excuse me, sir … n Tag questions: –It’s about time we got started, isn’t it? – Don’t you think we should give it another try? n Disclaimers: –I probably shouldn’t say this, but … –I’m not really sure, but …

INSIGHTS Say what is missing in their story that would help it make sense to you. Be persistent about listening. Ask for advice. Ask what, if anything, would persuade them. Invent new options. Professor Stone, Patton, Heen - Harvard Project book entitled Difficult Conversations

Language Effectiveness n Mindfulness n Dignity of others n Cognitive complexity n Self-monitoring n Develop skills to create a wide range of behaviors