Second Semester, AY 2021-2022

Subject: ENGL 2 Purposive Communication Instructor: Mary

Donneli
C. Alcoser,LPT / 09129143705
Topic/s: CHALLENGES OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Directions: Read the discussions and answer the following exercises carefully. Write your answers on a
yellow pad.

Module 4
Objectives: Upon completion of this lesson, the student should be able to:

a. recognize the challenges of intercultural communication;

b. determine the sources of misunderstanding;
c. identify the approaches to studying intercultural communication;
d. appreciate learning about other cultures and identities; and
e. appreciate the value of co-existing with individuals of different cultural backgrounds.

It has become a widespread notion that speakers' use of different languages results in intercultural miscommunication and
misunderstanding. As Scollon and Scollon (1995) state:

When we are communicating with people who are very different from us, it is very difficult to know how to draw
inferences about what they mean, and so it is impossible to depend on shared knowledge and background for confidence in
our interpretations.

Indeed, the lack of shared knowledge and beliefs and cultural diversity make it more complicated to arrive at the correct
inference or interpretation of meanings. But it can also be argued that English is now a global lingua franca. In fact, with the ASEAN
integration, English has been declared the official or working language of ASEAN. So with just one language to be spoken or used by
many countries including the 10 member countries of the ASEAN, what else can go wrong?

It is thus important to emphasize that the ownership of English cannot be attributed to just one country or to those who use it
as a native or home language. The varieties of English spoken by different speech communities have evolved for a reason. They use it
for communal purposes. These varieties have been heavily influenced by the local culture and its speakers. Recent studies have shown
that the problem of misunderstanding is not overt and can be traced to speech perturbations, poorly managed turn-taking, and non-
aligned, "parallel talk" (House, 1999, p. 80). Meierkord (2000, p. 11 as cited by Kaur, 2016) emphasizes that communication in
English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) is "a form of intercultural communication characterized by cooperation rather than
misunderstanding" (p. 135). This she noted in her study of participants coming from 17 different first language backgrounds which
yielded the result that the participants displayed communicative behavior not generally associated with their linguacultural
backgrounds making the talk cooperative and supportive in nature with few misunderstandings.

Note that misunderstanding in intercultural communication may not always be caused by verbal utterances.
Misunderstandings may also occur due to wrong interpretation of the non-verbal code. For instance, the handshake which is
commonly done by people introduced to each other by a third party should be done and interpreted correctly as the type of handshake
varies from culture to culture. Study the table below and find out how handshakes differ from country to country.

Country or Region Type of Handshake

United States Firm handshake
France Soft handshake
Germany Firm handshake, for men, traditionally accompanied by a slight
bow
Japan Handshake with arm firmly extended, accompanied by a bow
Middle East Handshake and free hand placed on the forearm of the other
person
GREETINGS

Like handshakes, greeting rituals also vary from culture to culture. Japanese women bow differently from Japanese men.
Could you describe how the bow is done by the Japanese and the German?

The German bow which is termed as diener means a bow to and in recognition of an authority. Thus, when a person bows,
he/she is actually sending the message "at your service."

SOURCES OF MISUNDERSTANDING

Kaur (2016) cites the following as the sources of misunderstanding:

1. Ambiguity- Lack of explicitness on the part of the speaker in form of problematic reference and ambiguous semantics in
which an utterance is open to different interpretations.
2. Performance-related misunderstanding — slips of the tongue and mishearing which may be due to utterances spoken quickly
and unclearly.
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 3. Language-related misunderstanding — ungrammaticality of sentences.
4. Gaps in world knowledge — gaps in content rather than language.
5. Local context—turns and the turns within sequences produced by the participants themselves, and the orientation of the
participants as well as the repair moves that follow the displayed understanding (p. 147).

APPROACHES TO STUDYING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Why is there a need to understand intercultural communication? It is easy to say that people belong to diverse cultures, hence
the need to understand others. But it is easier said than done. Some people take it for granted to read about and study first a country's
culture before they go and travel to the place.

There is a need to be aware or conscious of other cultures especially those that you will visit so you can avoid offending
people. Due to misinterpretations, miscommunication occurs. Likewise, it is suggested that you become aware of cultural identities
and backgrounds as it will broaden your horizon. All cultures are equal and though sometimes difficult to understand, you need to
understand that no culture is superior or inferior to another. It is only through awareness that you get to compare other cultures with
your own and appreciate cultural diversities and learn to live with them. People have different languages, lifestyles, and ways of
thinking, speaking, and behaving. This is the essence of cultural diversity.

To better understand the concept of intercultural communication, three approaches as explained by Martin and Nakayama
(2010) can be studied:

Three Approaches to Intercultural Communication

Social Science or Interpretative Critical

Functionalist
Discipline on which approach Psychology Anthropology, sociolinguistics Various
is founded
Research goal Describe and predict behavior Describe behavior Change behavior

Assumption of reality External and describable Subjective Subjective and material

Assumptions of human Predictable Creative and voluntary Changeable

behavior
Method of study Survey, observation
Relationship of culture and Communication influenced by
communication culture
Contribution of the approach Identifies cultural variations;
recognizes cultural differences
in many aspects of
communication but often does
not consider context
Participant observation, field
study
Culture created and
maintained through
communication
Emphasizes that
communication and culture
and cultural differences should
be studied in context
Textual analysis of media
Culture as a site of power
struggle
Recognizes the economic and
political forces in culture and
communication; asserts that
all intercultural interactions
are characterized by power

VARIETIES OF ENGLISH

During your senior high school, you must have encountered the term World Englishes (WE) or varieties of English in class.
WE actually stands for the localized varieties of English as they are used or spoken in certain areas. In the Asian context, the concept
was introduced by Braj Kachru. The famous "Three Concentric Circles of Asian Englishes" attributed to Kachru presents the three
circles: Inner Circle with ENL (English as a native language) member countries; the Outer Circle with ESL (English as a second
language) member countries; and the Expanding Circle with EFL (English as a foreign language) member countries. Examples of
countries belonging to the Inner Circle are the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Kachru's Outer Circle is comprised of
Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Pakistan, among others while the Expanding Circle is composed of countries such as China,
Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand. Aside from the fact that the Outer and Expanding Circles are ESL- and EFL-speaking, respectively, they
have been colonized by some member countries in the Inner Circle making the varieties they speak as post-colonial. It is then to be
understood that people have different linguistic and cultural backgrounds making intercultural communication a significant variable in
communication.

Three Concentric Circles of English

According to Bautista and Gonzalez (2006), the structural characteristics of these new varieties differ. This is brought about by the
mother tongue or home languages of those who learn or acquire English. And even in terms of social features, differences can also be
highlighted in that there is a continuum of basilectal, mesolectal, and acrolectal varieties of English within the same speech
community. The acrolect then comes closest to the standard while the basilect digresses thoroughly from it and comes closest to the
Pidgin. Mesolect or the middle variety is midway between the acrolect and basilect. Bautista and Gonzalez use the term edulects for
these varieties resulting from certain types of education certained by social class but are conveyed or transferred by the kind of
instruction of the school system especially for those coming from higher-income families and/or better educated classes.

As regards structural variation, Kachru and Nelson (2006) claim that these varieties of English are influenced by the local
language(s) in various areas of their grammars and exhibit specific phonological, lexical, syntactic, and discoursal characteristics. For
instance in terms of stress and rhythm, Outer and Expanding Circle varieties observe syllable-timed rhythm rather than stress-timed
rhythm. Nigerians say 'success for suc'cess and Indians and Nigerians say recog'nize for 'recognize. Moreover, speakers from the
Outer and Expanding Circles do not make any changes in their pronunciation to make a distinction between nouns and verbs in pairs
which Inner Circle countries observe as in the case of 'import and im 'port and do not utilize contrastive stress for focusing
(Bamgbose, 1992 & Gumperz, 1982a, 1982b, as cited in Kachru & Nelson, 2006). As regards sounds, Outer and Expanding Circles do
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not observe initial aspiration of voiceless plosives such as p, t, k and these are often perceived by Inner Circle countries as b, d, g.
Some speakers of Expanding Circle varieties, as in the case of Japanese speakers, do not properly distinguish between r and l.

According to Pope (1976, as cited in Kachru & Nelson, 2006), in the case of syntactic features, question-answering systems
differ between Inner and Outer-Expanding Circles. While the former observes the positive-negative system where the answer follows
the polarity of the question (i.e., If the question is in the positive, the answer confirming the assumption of the questioner is in the
positive, and the answer disconfirming the assumption is in the negative. If, however, the question is in the negative, the answer
confirming the assumption of the questioner is in the negative as well, while the answer disconfirming the assumption of the
questioner is in the positive), the latter observes the agreement-disagreement system which poses difficulty to speakers who follow the
positive-negative system particularly in interpreting the yes or no of the response unless it is followed by a clarification (i.e., Yes' I
think you're right; No, that's not so) (p. 45).

With respect to lexicon, vocabulary words peculiar only to some English varieties in Southeast Asia can be noted as seen in
the following examples (pp. 189-190):

1. Singapore English: actsy 'show off,' missy 'nurse,' chop 'rubber stamp,' Marina kids 'youngsters who spend their leisure time
at or around Marina Square, a shopping centre', “graduate mothers” graduate (well-educated) married women, encouraged to
have more children and accorded certain privileges in Singapore,' as compared to non-graduate mothers (Pakir, 1992, as cited
in Kachru & Nelson, 2006);

2. Philippine English: deep 'puristic or hard to understand' as an attribute of language, stick 'cigarette,' high blood 'tense or
upset,' blow out 'treating someone with a snack or meal,' motel 'a hotel used for pre-marital or extramarital affairs,' manualize
'to prepare manuals,' go ahead 'leave before others with host's permission,' studentry 'student body,' Amboy 'a Filipino
perceived to be too pro-American, promdi 'from the province,' behest loan 'unguaranteed bank loan given to presidential
cronies,' pulot boy 'boy who picks up tennis balls in a game,' and balikbayan box 'box where Filipinos returning from abroad
put all their shopping, among others (Bautista, 1997, as cited in Kachru & Nelson, 2006); and

3. Malaysian English: antilog 'a male hated by a girl,' popcorn' a loquacious person,' kachang 'peanuts, easy,' slambar 'relax,' red
spot, open shelf' girls who are popular and those who are not,' day bugs 'those who come to attend school but do not live in
residence halls' (Said & Ng, 2000, as cited in Kachru & Nelson, 2006).

The foregoing discussion only shows how dynamic English is. These are only some of the essential features of some varieties
of English which should be given full attention by users coming from different cultures. From the variety of English used by the native
speakers such as British, Americans, Canadians, Australians, and New Zealanders, English has evolved into post-colonial varieties
and should not be mistaken as errors most especially if they have become the standard in the speech community and have been
codified. As the poet Gemino Abad (1997, p. 8) aptly put it: "English is ours. We have colonized it too.”

You have to be aware of and recognize intercultural communication as you need to be sensitive to the people around you who
belong to different cultural heritages and have their own linguistic identity. When you encounter them, you will be able to avoid
misunderstanding, avoid communication breakdown, and overcome language barriers with less difficulty since you are exposed to
their own language features. This way, you will be able to enhance your personal and social interaction.

LANGUAGE REGISTERS/REGISTERS OF ENGLISH

When it comes to language variation, the terms genre, register, and style are often encountered. David Crystal (2008) defines
register as "a variety of language defined according to its use in social situations e.g. a register of scientific, religious, formal English.
(P• 409)." He added: "In Hallidayan linguistics, the term is seen as specifically opposed to varieties of language defined according to
the Characteristics of the users (viz. their regional or class dialect), and is given a subclassification into field, mode and manner of
discourse (p. 409).

Crystal (1964) further discusses style and register:

Language being the product of interaction among the members of society, must ultimately be studied according to the social
context in which it is found. Within a language, there are variations in style and register, which differentiate and formally characterize
distinct social situations. Style refers to the degree of formality attached to particular interpersonal social situation which is reflected in
language — or example, the kind of language used while talking to a friend will differ noticeably from that used in addressing a
superior, in otherwise the same situation. Register-refers to a kind of language whose forms are of a definable social situation,
regardless of the status of the participants—thus one finds the register of legal language, liturgical language, and so on.

It is to be noted that genre and register overlap and are sometimes used interchangeably. According to Lee (2001), whereas
genre is associated more with the organization of culture, register is associated with the organization of situation. To this end, register
is understood as the context-specific variety of language to which the field-mode-tenor framework is important.

To give a concrete example, with the genre of recipe, field may be analyzed in terms of the social setting and the
communicative purpose in which the text is produced. Tenor may be described in terms of the role/s required of the writers and
readers including the cultural values shared by both. Mode could be explained in light of the knowledge of other texts required of
writers/readers as regards the genre including the formal text.

Language register then refers to the formality of language which speaks. Different registers are used in different situations. It
is rough register that you are able to determine the kind of lexicon vocabulary to use as well as the kind of structure to be used. In
some instances, even a neutral language register is identified.

In writing, you may use a formal or an informal register. The formal register then is used in writing and speaking situations.
In a state of the nation address as a formal communicative situation, the speech is usually delivered using highly-polished language,
read from a manuscript. This is certainly allowed since the President occupying the highest position in the country could not afford to
make mistakes. On the contrary, a priest delivering his homily, more often than not, speaks extemporaneously and uses ordinary

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language. This is so since the audience is composed of various audiences coming from different walks of life. The priest should be
able to convey his spiritual message to the listeners without difficulty of comprehension on their part. The priest should also be able to
touch the very core of the listeners' hearts so that they live the preachings they hear.

The formal register is likewise appropriate for use in professional writing like project proposals, position papers, and business
letters as in the case of writing to a superior or to a head of a certain organization. It is more impersonal, objective, and factual.
Informal register, which is more casual in tone, is appropriate for people with whom you have established a more personal relationship
as in the case of friends and relatives. This type of writing may sometimes be emotional as an intimate relationship exists between the
speaker and listener or writer and reader.

Earlier in the discussion, it was mentioned that register refers to the kind of language whereby the forms used define the
social situation, notwithstanding the status of the interlocutors. Thus, legalese or legal language is highly characterized by archaic
expressions, technical jargon intrinsic only to the community of legal professionals, embedded structures, nominalizations, passive
voice, as well as long, kilometric sentences which are not the features of textese or language of texts.

Conversely, the features Of SMS language or textese language, are exactly the opposite— use of abbreviations, acronyms,
slang words, and expressions. This is so since messages used to be limited to a certain number of Characters/spaces which made
texting much easier and quicker. However, misinterpretation and/or miscommunication in text messaging may arise if vocabulary and
knowledge of context are limited. Hence, extra care should be practiced when comprehending text messages.

EXERCISE NO. 1 COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

Check your understanding of the input by answering the following questions: 5 points each.

1. Cite certain situations when you encountered miscommunication while talking with people of different nationalities.
2. As a conscientious student, what have you done so far to avoid miscommunication and misunderstanding when
communicating with people of different cultures?
3. Looking at the three different approaches to intercultural communication, which one would you prefer and why?

EXERCISE NO. 2 COMPREHENSION

Check your understanding of the input by answering the following questions:

1. What is the importance of intercultural communication?

2. Are you familiar with some English varieties? If so, what are some vocabulary words present in these varieties but are not
present in the variety that you speak? Aside from lexicon, are there other features that you are familiar with?
3. How do you become more aware of the language features of the post-colonial varieties?
4. How do you think can you begin to communicate with people from other cultures and avoid conflicts and misunderstandings?
5. Have you talked to people of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds? Have you experienced any difficulty? If so, how
did you manage the conversation? What strategies did you employ?
6. How do formal and informal registers affect the way one speaks? How do they affect one's way of writing?
7. What are other communicative situations in which one uses formal and informal registers? Why do you think so?
8. Do know of other types of registers similar to legalese and textese? How do they differ from each other?

Agreement: On YouTube, watch the speech delivered by the President of the Philippines on his SONA 2020 and write a reaction
paper focusing on the language used in the said speech.

References:

https://www.intechopen.com/books/globalization-education-and-management-agendas/the-impact-of-globalization-on-cross-cultural-communication

Madrunio, Marilu R., and Martin, Isabel P. Purposive Communication,2018.

Uychoco, Marikit Tara A. and Santos, Maria Lorena. Communication for Society Purposive Communication, 2018.