1. Ten Primary Message Systems: A Means to Constructing a Cultural Context
Edward T. Hall

2. Communication 440/690 Panama 2015
Cultural Context
The cultural context represents an accumulated pattern of values, beliefs, and behaviors shared by an identifiable group of people with a common history and verbal and nonverbal symbol systems
Communication 440/690 Panama 2015

3. A Contextual Model of Intercultural Communication

4. Primary Message Systems
Communication 440/690 Panama 2014

5. Dimensions of Cultural Variability
Individualism – Collectivism
High-Low Context
Value Orientations
Power Distance
Uncertainty Avoidance
Communication 440/690 Panama 2014

6. Interaction The most basic of human activities
Talking
Living in groups
Lies at the hub of culture

7. Association
Complex organisms are really a society of cells, each with a function
Begins when two cells have joined
The issue is one of organization
Pecking order

8. Subsistence Nutritional requirements
How does one eat and go about getting food
This Primary Message System includes everything from food to a country’s economy
Work is a key dimension of subsistence
Work and stigma?

9. Bisexuality
(Not contemporary elided usage of the term) Sexual reproduction and sexual differentiation, the combinations of genes.
Sexual differentiation is not about physiology
Gender is socially or culturally constructed

10. Temporality Life is full of rhythms and cycles Tempos of speech
Time to eat
Time often an obvious cultural message system

11. Territoriality
Taking possession, use, and balance of life and usage of space
History of mankind is often described as one group trying to get space from another
Status and space

12. Learning
Behavior modification, adaptive mechanisms, and the various patterns of learning as agents of culture.
Tied to when animals became warm-blooded
Had to adapt to environment
Learning by doing or watching or being told

13. Play
Joking relationships, intimately interwoven with learning, competition primarily as displayed in the west versus vast continuum among various cultures with wider spectrum of vast degrees of enjoyment.
Competition as play

14. Defense
Through warfare, religion, medicine and law enforcement, internal or external dependencies, cross-culturally various degrees of contemporary compartmentalization.

15. Exploitation of Resources
Elaboration or materials, in dress, tools, toys, books, signs of status, etc.
Furniture takes the place of squatting
Telephone carries a voice over long distances
Clothes

16. Communication 440/690 Panama 2014F G T S L P D U
Interaction AI FI GI TI SI LI PI DI UI
Association IA FA GA TA SA LA PA DA UA
Food IF AF GF TF SF LF PF DF UF
Gender IG AG FG TG SG LG PG DG UG
Time IT AT FT GT ST LT PT DT UT
Space IS AS FS GS TS LS PS DS US
Learning IL AL FL GL TL SL PL DL UL
Play IP AP FP GP TP SP LP DP UP
Defense ID AD FD GD TD SD LD PD UD
Use of Resources IU AU FU GU TU SU LU PU DU
Communication 440/690 Panama 2014