Core Concepts in Culture, Language, and Communication

Metaphors for Culture in a Global Village

Global access to the world village means we don't have to leave home. This interaction is often described with metaphors:

• Melting Pot: Cultures blend together into one.
• Fruit Salad: Cultures are mixed but remain separate and distinct.
• Pizza Supreme: Cultures are held together by a cohesive bond (the cheese).

The Role of Language and Non-Verbal Communication

Kinesics, Proxemics, and Chronemics

Kinesics, the study of body language and gestures, plays an important role in communication. Other key areas include Proxemics, which involves preferences for space, and Chronemics, which involves preferences for time.

The Nature of Language

Language is symbolic. A symbol is an arbitrarily selected, learned “sign” that represents something else; letters stand for sounds, and words or stimuli stand for things in the world.

• Systematic and Rule-Based: Linguistics is the study of language as a system.
• Creative and Dynamic: Language evolves and can be used in novel ways.
• Intentional: Context is needed to make sense of intention and meaning.

Types of Context

1. Physical: Where and when communication takes place.
2. Relational: Who is involved in the communication.

Core Cultural Dimensions and Concepts

Collectivism vs. Individualism

• Collectivist Culture: The group is valued over the individual. Family is important as a collective unit (e.g., Mexican culture).
• Individualist Culture: The individual is more important than the group (e.g., mainstream U.S. culture).

The Cultural Unconscious and Mirror Effect

The Cultural Unconscious, a concept by Edward Hall, suggests that as we go about our daily lives, we are relatively unaware of how our culture impacts practically everything we think, say, and do. Oftentimes, we do not become conscious of this until we interact with other cultures where people think, speak, and act differently. This gained awareness of our own culture through interaction with other cultures is referred to as the Cultural Mirror Effect.

Levels of Culture

• Macro-culture: Nationality
• Micro-culture: Age, gender, etc.

Elements and Properties of Culture

Artifacts, Concepts, and Behaviors

• Artifacts: Concrete symbolic items, such as “the automobile.”
• Concepts: Values associated with these items. For the automobile, this includes transportation, independence, and self-expression, which make life “easier.”
• Behaviors: Things we actually do in conjunction with these concepts.

Key Properties of Culture

Culture is:

• Symbolic
• Learned (a process called enculturation)
• Norm-based
• Multi-leveled
• A property of avowal (how we define ourselves) and ascription (how others define us, which often involves stereotypes).

It also includes psycho-symbolic elements like beliefs, religions, values, languages, and actions.

Language, Thought, and Interpretation

Linguistic Determinism and Relativity

• Linguistic Determinism: The way one thinks is determined or restricted by one's language.
• Linguistic Relativity: Differences among languages are reflected in the different worldviews of their speakers.

Approaches to Language and Translation

• Prescriptive Approach: Examines language as it should be based on rules.
• Descriptive Approach: Examines language as it is used in context.
• Deverbalization: The process of getting away from the surface structure of a source language word to arrive at its intended meaning in the target language. This is centered around providing a description as opposed to a one-word equivalent.

Perspectives on Cultural Differences

Ethnocentrism vs. Cultural Relativism

• Ethnocentrism: Defining other cultures based on your own culture's values and perspectives. This is hard to overcome.
• Cultural Relativism: The idea that each culture should be understood by that culture's values and not by the standards of others.

Levels of Observation

• Phenomenal: Non-judgmental observations based on observable phenomena (e.g., sneezing, bowing).
• Ideational: Judgmental, deep-level observations resulting from the contextualization of phenomenal observations (e.g., understanding why appointments are not always kept in Mexico or the norms of physical contact in Saudi Arabia).