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

2. Conceptualizing communication
What is communication? Why do people communicate?

3. Forms of communication
Written
Oral
Nonverbal

4. 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

5. Which functions? ESL – Shopping for clothes
Which functions did you see?
Give examples

6. 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?

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

8. Expectations
Everyone has preconceived notions of how communication should take place.
Often one person has to adjust.
Funny Call Center call
Why did this misunderstanding occur?

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. HW 3
This week observe some people from your culture talking for a few minutes. Write a 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?

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