Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2 (51) - 2009
Series IV: Philology and Cultural Studies
Ildikó HORTOBÁGYI1
Abstract: In a highly mediatized world, where the new media have the
great potential to change existing cultural languages, one might assume that
differences in communication tend to become levelled off. Or with the
emergence of an apparently chaotic network of individual voices, a more
thorough insight into the elements of different identities as well as into the
verbal and non-verbal components of intercultural communication proves
indispensable.
1
University of Pannonia, Institute of English and American Studies, Veszprém, Hungary.
258 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Vol. 2 (51) - 2009 • Series IV
38 percent by voice quality, and 55 percent reveals how languages are socially
by the nonverbal communication. constructed, but that speech events,
(Heathfield, 2009). activities, participants and context display
unpredictable modes of expression.
3. Identity and Discourse It is also worth mentioning that much
research was consecrated to the
A critical post-modern analysis of racial exploration of verbal and discourse genres
and ethnic categories of difference points and practices which constitute for instance
to the multilayered and fractured the African American speech community.
construction of individual identities. Ethnic Discourse genres refer to language and
identity is socially constructed and can be communication styles which commonly
reformed in discourse and political occur in socially, culturally and politically
struggle. Racial identities are unstable and defined contexts. In contrast, verbal genres
have shifted according to the drifts of refer to the speaker’s use of culturally
political trends. For instance once defined significant varieties and styles which
by the U.S. Census Bureau by race, mediate, constitute and construct contexts.
Hispanics are now identified by ethnic Thus, while both discourse and verbal
categories as Central American, Mexican- genres may co-construct various contexts,
American, Cuban and so on. verbal genres can conflict with strongly
Giroux (Hortobágyi, 2004)) tackles the framed discourse norms eroding or
radical post-modern notion that identities are disrupting well-defined social contexts.
shaped in discourse through language use and How can we exploit the advantages of a
the content of what for instance students are multicultural or intercultural background?
allowed to voice in the classroom. By In the process of developing conscious
stressing the importance of the self, Giroux sensitivity to decode the message-
argues that little space is available for human carrying elements of identity, it is very
action. In the social context of urban important to presuppose their
schooling, it is clear that much pedagogical omnipresence. The first step would be to
practice rests on the assumption that ethnic admit and recognize the complexity of
dialects interfere in the goal of assimilation people’s cultural identity in terms of how
for minority students. Many students of they want to represent themselves. In
multiple cultural background, for example, case of a person who comes from a
immigrants and Mexican-American students country whose society is complex and
in border towns and states, are therefore multifaceted, the layers and the depth of
silenced or forced to make a choice of such a complex society are as a rule
survival, rejecting one of the multiple visible, thus will be shown in
identities in favour of assimilation. Clearly, communication as well. In these societies
individual identities are woven in discourse, the identity is not only multifaceted but is
privileging specific use of language and also continuously shifting. Consequently,
silencing other uses. in order to understand the complexity of
Research on African-American an event, one has to look at it from
discourse, verbal genres and interactions different angles.
has been copious, covering the fields of
linguistics, folklore, anthropology, 3. Conclusion
sociology, psychology, education, and
literary criticism. The way African Successful intercultural communication
Americans talk to each other not only should grow from an understanding of
262 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Vol. 2 (51) - 2009 • Series IV