The feelings, associations, connotations, and nuances of language both influence

Question

The feelings, associations, connotations, and nuances of language both influence and are influenced by the culture” (Matsumoto & Juang, 2008, p. 227). Cultural differences exist in how people communicate with each other. You may be familiar with lexicons (what people call themselves and others), pragmatics (how language is used and understood), verbal and non-verbal communication styles; encoding; and decoding. Understanding how cultures communicate is important to effectively communicate within a multicultural environment. For example, imagine if you moved to a state or territory of the Middle East. You knew the language, but you were not aware of the cultural influence on nonverbal behaviors, such as hand gestures and interpersonal space. Would you be able to fit in?

Consider cross-cultural communication.

With these thoughts in mind:

1. A brief explanation of the influence of culture on communication.

2. Then explain two ways misunderstandings might occur among cultures with different communication styles.

3. Finally, propose two solutions to enhance cross-cultural communication.

Explanation / Answer

1. The influence of culture on communication can be explained on the dimensions of individualism and collectivism,in other words on high context cultures and low context cultures. The individuals belonging to collectivist societies or high context cultures have a strong sense of "we". They are more integrated, cohesive societies. Hence,the communication in such societies or cultures are more implicit, they value the situations and non-verbal cues more than the spoken or written words. Whereas,in individualistic societies the sense of "I" precedes over the sense of "we". Hence,the communication in such societies are more precise, explicit and direct. Non-verbal and situational factors are not considered very important, hence,are considered as low context cultures.

2. The two misunderstandings that might occur among cultures with communication styles are;

3. Solutions to enhance cross-cultural communication are;

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