High Context & Low Context Culture

Edward T. Hall  Edward Twitchell Hall (1914--)  American anthropologist  The forefather of Intercultural Communication

how much people’s communication relies on context. We can compare culture by

The Definition of Context  Context is the information that surrounds an event; it is inextricably bound up with the meaning of that event.

 Context  Background Information

We can compare culture by how much people’s communication relies on background information.

Low context  A low context culture is one in which things are fully (though concisely) spelled out. Things are made explicit, and there is considerable dependence on what is actually said or written. What is encoded matters.

High context  A high context culture is one in which the communicators assume a great deal of commonality of knowledge and views, so that less is spelled out explicitly and much more is implicit or communicated in indirect ways. What is encoded matters less than the context

Low context Low context  Pay little attention to messages sent non-verbally  Communication is the exchange of verbal messages that are meaningful apart from the context in which they are said.  Respond to what people say rather than to how they are behaving.

High context  Expect listeners to take more responsibility for interpreting the meaning of messages.  Assume that speakers do not always express their meaning fully or precisely in words.  Body language, facial gestures and voice inflection are important methods of communication.

Low context  More impersonal and precise relationships between individuals are relatively shorter in duration.  Deep personal involvement with others is valued less.

High context  Communication is imprecise, yet personal  Relationships are relatively long lasting, and individuals feel deep personal involvement with each other.

Low context  Business can be conducted successfully by letters, telephones, fax or .  Tend to have strong legal frameworks for commercial transactions and rarely rely on personal interaction.

High context  The physical surroundings for a meeting or a business meal are just as important as the substance of the discussion.  Agreements tend to be spoken rather than written.

High and low context countries High contextLow context China German Swiss North American English Italian Spanish Arab Korean Japanese Greek

Chicken Pot Pie (Ingredients)  1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat  1 cup chicken broth  1/2 teaspoon salt  1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper  1 1/2 cups milk  3 tablespoons butter  1 onion, chopped  1 cup chopped celery  1/3 cup all-purpose flour  2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed  1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley  1/2 teaspoon dried thyme  1 (9 inch) pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie  1 egg, lightly beaten

Measures ？  Spoon ¾ ½ spoon ¼ spoon  Cup ½ cup ¼ cup  一勺？  酱油少许  放点醋，放点姜

Case study  When a Chinese student going to the United States for study, he is likely to be met with lots of information, mostly in written form. There will be a handbook for international students, notices on the wall of the registration office with information about what forms are required or what to do before and after registration,

a handbook of dormitory regulations and printed information about different types of visas, how to renew them or how to change them--- and much more.

A cross-cultural dialogue  学校外办人员： Foreign teachers ask me for lots of information before they come to China.  外教： What do you tell them?  学校外办人员 : I tell them they will find out everything that they need to know when they get here.  外教 : Oh,  学校外办人员 : Yes, my office and the teaching departments arrange everything for them. Every foreign teacher has a contact person to help with problems of teaching and daily life.

Questions:Questions:  If you are going to study in the USA, how do you think of the handbooks and directories?  If you were the 外办人员， what do you think we should provide for the coming American teachers?

Many people would like to feed a pet when they were a child, it is because they are lovely, cute and they would not cause any unfortune to people. People can speak out their unhappiness and secret to these little creature and make sure those secret would not be heard by themselves from others mouth. For this reason, animal become a good friend of human being. If you like to start feeding a pet, there are a number of questions you should first consider, for example: Choose a suitable animal as a pet for yourself, make sure you can prepare a reasonable place for them and can spend time on them etc.