CHAPTER 3 LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATION IN MULTICULTURAL SETTINGS “To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” ~Anthony Robbins Life Coach LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this chapter, the students are expected to: 1. determine culturally appropriate terms, expressions, and images (sensitivity to gender, race, class, among others); and 2. adapt cultural and intercultural awareness and sensitivity in communication of ideas. Whatis Culture? Whatis culture? According to Macionis (2010), culture pertains to the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together form a people's way of life. It includes what we think, how we act, and what we own. How many cultures are there? One indicator of culture is language; that is the key to the world of culture, is a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another (NVTC, 2007). And as posited by Sapir-Whorf thesis (Sapir, 1929; Whorf, 1941) that people see and understand the world through the lens of language. This means, all languages fuse symbols (that is defined as anything that carries a particular meaning by people who share culture) with distinctive emotions so that, one multilingual knows, a single idea may “feel” different when spoken, say, Bisaya rather than Filipino. Globally, itis implied that effective communication is difficult under the best of conditions.(Cross-cult factors clearly.create the»potential for increased communication problems, Researchers have identified a number of problems related to langiiage difficulties in cross-cultural oommnicesoy and they are semantics, word:connotations, i and di e for conflict and-methods for resolving conflicts (Robbins and Judge, 2014). First are barriers caused by semanti¢s. Words mean-different things to i le, Particular re! i i iItures. Some words do not translate between cultures. The Finnish word sisu means something akin to “guts” or “dogged persistence” but is essentially untranslatable into English. The new capitalists in Russia may have difficulty communicating with British or Canadian counterparts because English terms such as efficiency, free market, and regulation have no direct Russian equivalents. pate ES BG. Some type of knowledge or skill. The wot In addition, these are words that English and Kiwi and Australia words share but peculiar to each other. ENGLISH KIWI ENGLISH ‘AUSTRALIA hiking tramping chooks. slippers jendals bathing suit togs sari-sari store dairy truck driver truckie, trucky points units tuckshop french fries chips ‘underpants underdaks thank you cheers. apartment unit stationery school supplies utility truck ute play hookey wog ice block hood of the car chicken cafeteria comfort room toilet ‘so many heaps popsicle bonnet trouser pantscops sleeveless undershirt singlet stop over ‘stay over (other countries) toload top up fuel refill go: the following terms may also reveal some difficulties as they mean differently from Luzon to Mindanao people. Forexample: Luzon Mindanao Libog (lust) Libog (confused) Libang (recreation) Libang (defecate) Asawa (husband/wife) Asawa (wife) Langgam (ant) Langgam (bird) Davao Cagayan‘ Kgpayason (easily cry) @ Kapayason (boastful) Second are barriers caused by word connotation’. Words imply different things in different languages. Negotiations between U.S. and Japanese executives can be difficult because the Japanese word hai'translates asyes,? but its connotation is “Yes,I’m-listening” rather, than “YespIragree.” On the other hand, Egypt can have varied associations such as pyramids, Sahara, a camel, The River Nile, Yul Brynner as Rameses the Second in the film, The Ten Commandments or belly dancer (Deriada, 2004), . . The word “teacher” is synonymous in the widest sense with words like “mentor’ and “tutor.” The three wofds hay thing to do with imparting is literally meant as one who teaches and, in a generic way, includes anybody who imparts knowledge or skills which may range from intricacies of calculus and logic and astrophysics to how to play sepak takraw, bake a cake or use the telephone. Contemporarily speaking, eau: a person who gives advice and trains one in a specific field, whether intellectual or purely physical. Thus, one who trains a student in debating is a mentor in debating just as one who trains a beginner in tennis 30is a mentor of tennis. While, a tutoris some type of a private teacher who does his or her teaching at the student’s home or, if the teaching is done in school, it is outside the regular class hours (Deriada, 2004), Third are barriers caused anions cakes language is formal; in others, it is informal. the tone changes depending -on.the,context: people speak-differently-athome),in-socialsituations, and-at work. Using a personal, informal style when a more formal style is expected can be embarrassing. Fourth are differences in’ i 14 Individuals fro1 cultures (refer to the tendency to be more concerned with one’s goals, needs, and interests than with those of the group and emphasize the importance of the unique self, or the “I”) tend to be more comfortable with direct conflicts and will make the source of their disagreements overtly. Collectivists (refer to be more concerned with the group's goals, needs and interests than with those of the individual and emphasize the importance of the group, or the “we”) are more likely to acknowledge conflict only implicitly and avoid emotionally charged disputes (Hofstede, 1980). They may.attribute-conflicts to the situation. more than to the individuals and -therefore:may not require explicit apologies'to repair relationships, whereas individualists prefer explicit statements accepting responsibility for conflicts and public apologies to:restore relationships,(Robbins and Judge, 2014). Culturally Appropriate Terms There are terminologies many Filipinos think are English equivalent, hence misused. These words are adapted from the works of Leoncio P. Deriada’s Little Lessons, Little Lectures. 1. Votation. It is proper to use voting. For example, “Let us begin the voting.” 2. Masteral, masterate. It is better to use master’s degree or M.A. 3. Green joke’ (movie, story). Among Filipinos, this can mean bawdy or Worse, and that is obscene or purely pornographic. American i slang calls pornographic films a: . 4, Slang. It is defined as the linguistic way of labeling the unrefined language of the Unschooled or,of certain ethnic or cultural groups. For example, hippies, gay world, gangsters, drug pushers, and addicts. Sample of this speech are as follows: ain’t (isn’t, am not, aren't), wadya (what do you), dunno (I don’t know), yeah (yes), nope {no}, W'U(lttle), critter (creature), and words that dropped the final g like comin’, goin’, seein’, singin’, lovin’, tellin’, livin’ among others. 5. Cheapie, quickie. Cheapie is cheap woman, a prostitute. Quickie is somethin, done very quickly. ‘ Oe 8. It is one who officiates in a ceremony or ritual. While a 1 one who celebrates an occasion. 7. ~Presidentiable,..senatoriable»-mayorable, These are not! Englishee Pa the following are some words and phrases which are peculiar P nglish and do not appear in other English dialects at all. 8. Aircon. It is used when referring to the Air-conditioning system, Although this term is also used in Australia. 9. C:R:To mean for toilet, bathroom. C.R. is initials for Comfort Room, 10. Every.nowand then, often ‘for a while.” This is used on the telephone to mean please hold. it Get/-go.down.therbus. Get off the bus, 2. Gimmick. This refers to havea good time, party, watch a movie, . 13. I’m toothbrushing. I am brushing my teeth. 14. Overpass. Elevated footbridge (An overpass is called a “Flyover’, same as British English). 15. «Remembrance. This is used when the majority of the English speaking world uses the word “souvenir” from French. 16. «Rotonda - Roundabout, 17. _Routinary. It is used in place of routine (routinary is not in English language dictionaries). . 18. “Salvage. Summary execution (A typical scenario involves finding a body in the Pasig River ridden with bullets or stab wounds by policemen or military men. The victims would usually be a controversial political opponent). 19. .Take-home - Take-out. (or “to go” in American English). 20. Tomboy. Lesbian. ; 21. Theotherday: The day before yesterday. Culturally Appropriate Expressions As to expressions, these too adapted from Leoncio P. Deriada’s “Little Lessons, Little Lectures.” One is go ahead which in Bisaya is “isis ko (ninyo)” “Go ahead” is one idiomatic expression which can mean any of the following: “I have torun along,” “I should be running along,” “let me run along” and “it is time Iran along.” While go ahead contextually and correctly used in Filipinos sense Other transliterated expressions are kill the fire (patya ng kalayo). In English, fire is not killed but put out (meaning to extinguish). Anything that has a flame is put out like a lamp, a candle, or a bonfire. On another note, electric lights are not extinguished butiturned off or swi Raper they have switches. It is appropriate to use as close doors and windows and mouth. The common things one (eee offiare electric. i ce ing (afternoon, To add more, Ne never should be saying “Hello, good morni: 0 Ne gO d evening” It is either{"Hello” alone or penIARy clone. It 18 as English to say the two together, Le is no such thing s ae noon” that can be a transliteration of Bisaya “Maayong udto” and ie i the “Magandang tanghali.” It “ “Good atermen: (Pe reason is a fraction of second before high noon is morning and a frac second after it is afternoon.Additionally, still on greetings, “Good day” is not a substitute for “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” and neither’ it is the equivalent of our “Maayong adlaw” or “Magandang ara' is said in the sense of “Good bye” and usually a device to smi: 5 ngement or argument or to dismiss , want to see longer, thus, it.sounds final. Practically, ically serves the same purpose. It is not the same as “Good ” whi said at the time of. meeting, not parting. ~ Moving on, the next set of expressions are dealing with meals let it be junch, supperior dinner. Merienda, snacks, and refreshments, are meant to be 5 have i , jt. By the way, soup is intended to be eaten not drunk as ee iy, hes some solid things in it like pieces of meat, fish or vegetables. Correct: Tate my dinner at the canteen. Thad my dinner at the canteen, Thave eaten my lunch. have had my lunch. Itake my breakfast at six. have taken my dinner. I took my supper late. Moreover, what else are to be taken? One helpful list»medicine, avacation, trip, a-bus(or any means of transportation, including the.sikad andhabal- habal). Another expression “You can’t take with you” means that once cannot carry your billions, buildings, painting, diamonds and shoes (here) with you toithe-afterlife(there). This fake should not be confused with | To bring ething is to carry or have that thin; with-you from there to here. In short, SMRMMEUERAPURE, whereas 2 SotbeLRE. Another set of expressions are on this list: congratulations, condolences, regards, thanks, manners, and wishes. Right: Cc on your promotion. Isent her my condolences the day her mother died. Extend my regards to your brother. She expressed his thanks by sending cards. Good manners have no substitute. . ' Your good wishes) are enough to make me try more. Note, we need to extend our good wishes to one you wish well, so we never say “Congratulations” to the bride. It is the groom we congratulate (he did the harder work, didn't he?), We give our best wishes to the bride even if it is obvious that she did all the work that has brought about the wedding. And you ee say “My condolences,” or “Please accept my condolences” or use the verb rm saying, “My husband and I would like to condole with you.” ts Th tame is another error that is not an expression of good English is Peculiar: Asiwhat my mother has said, good work has its own reward, Tdi instructed. Reesenicad id.as what she had instr ak. mother has said, good work has its own reward, ¢ had instructed. ee, 33Culturally Appropriate Sensitivity to Communication _ {Ctoss-cultural communication requires both the knowledge (understanding different cultures and customs) and the skills (performance) as cited by Robbins (2014). In the succeeding paragraphs are the differences among cultures that need to observe sensitivity and they are the following: gender communication differences, eye contact/gaze, facial expression, gesture, touch, posture, time, physical space, and smell. Gender Communication Differences } Women Men Report talk Rapport talk Gives advice quickly Gives advice indirectly and and directly reluctantly Avoids asking Frequently asks for information for information Less sensitive to nonverbal cues (Eye Contact/Goze 4. Americans look directly in each other’s eyes when talking. 2. Most Western people think that if people are afraid to look others in the eye, it means they are hiding something or lying. 3. InChina, long eye contact makes people weird and people frequently avoid direct eye contact with others. 4, In Japan and Africa, prolonged eye contact is offensive and disrespectful. 5. In Arabic cultures, prolonged eye contact shows interest and helps them understand the other person. ~ 6. People from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean avoid eye contact to show respect. . ‘Facial Expression ? Facial expression is considered as universal. Smile is one of the most common facial expressions. 1, Americans smile freely at strangers. 2. Asians smile not only to express joy and friendliness but also to com pain and embarrassment. 8. Russians consider smiling strange and even impolite. 4. Mediterraneans, like Latin and Arabic cultures, exaggerate sadness while most Americans hide grief or sorrow. More sensitive to nonverbal cues vey grief ores often feel that animated cultures lack manners and overall restraint. While anim often feel that restrained cultures lack emotion or interest. 1. In the Middle East, nodding the head down indicates agreement and nodding it up is a sign of disagreement. : 2. In Japan, an up-and-down nod might just be a signal that someone is listening. 3. Americans and Chinese; nodding or moving the head up and down means “Yes” and shaking the head from one side to the other means “No.” In India, nodding the head means “No” while shaking it means *Yes,” . Nodding of the head in other cultures is a sign of acknowledgement or agreement, but in some cases it only means “I am listening, but I am not in agreement.” 6. Bowing is criticized or rejected in the US, but in Japan, it indicates respect and an acknowledgment of rank. 7. The thumbs-up signal is vulgar in Iran and Latin America, 8. “Ok” signal, refers to money while in others, it is extremely offensive referring to a private body part. 9. Americans use their index finger; Germans use their little finger,- Japanese and Thais use their entire hand to point. 10. To start counting, the Germans use their thumb; the Japanese use their little finger; the Indonesians use their middle finger. : 11. Placing both hands at the sides of the head with the forefingers pointing * upward is a sign of anger, in other cultures it is an invitation to make love. 12, Some countries consider a handshake rude. In the Middle East, it is always rude to hand an object to another person with your left e. 13. Whil after a meal is considered the height of uncouthness in the US, a heartily belch is a sign of appreciation for the cook in India. 14, In China, you wave you from one side to the other side to call a taxi on the street; in the US, most people will face a taxi at a drive-through, makea ‘Uegioeiastomly In China the hand movement means that people agree with others’ idea or it means “Good” or “I am okay.” \Touch) Each culture has a clear concept of what parts of the body one may not touch, 1D Vay tonsa ao orb OeaIaRIVANY 1. Asians do more touching than Americans. 2, In-Chitia, a lot of girls like,holding-each-other’s-hand or putting an arm on the other’s shoulder while walking on the streets. For some Americans and Europeans, this action seems too close and some of them may think that the girls are homosexuals, 3. Insome cultures, patti ‘ld’ . iendly except in Asian countries. ' a oe ae\ ) Posture ¥ 1. Resting the feet.on the desk while sitting is common among Americ, In Asia, Middle East and Europe, it is considered as highly offensive, 2, Slouching is rude in most of Northern Europe and even in some Asian countries. 3. Putting hands inside the pocket while standing is disrespectful in Turkey. 4, Sitting with legs crossed is offensive in Ghana. % 5. In Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Saudi Arabia, showing the solé of the feet while sitting in formal gatherings is offensive. 1. Inthe US, time is gold, respect for efficiency and the success of economic endeavors are generally based on time. The Americans’ use of time is smonochronic, they do things one at a time. 2. In the East, they treat time.as endless and limitless. Their use of time is polychronic; that is doing several tasks at the same time. 3. In Germany, arriving on time is a sign of respect and politeness, being late is rude. 4, In China, when you are invited to someone’s house party, you should be there on time or a little bit early. 5. Venezuela is another place where being early or on time is being rude. 1. Arabs €onsider natural body odor as normal. 2, Asians bathe frequently, but Americarts and Europeans criticize this practice. ans, VARIETIES AND REGISTERS OF SPOKEN AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE ‘Variety The general term “variety” is used for a category of texts (described as according to their contexts, considering the characteristics of the people who produced the texts, and the characteristics of the situations and communicative purposes associated with the texts) that share some social or situational characteristic. For example, a national variety of ‘English refers to the texts produced by the speakers of English who reside in a specific country (e.g. British English, Australian English, Indian English, etc.) (Biber and Conrad, 2009). With that definition, the following are called ‘varieties of language’: English, Mandarin, Filipino, French, Spanish, etc. Variety also includes examples of what is normally called languages, dialects, and registers (style). This means, the general term variety” refers to things the layman calls languages; dialects, or styles. There are no restrictions on the relations among varieties—they may overlap and one variety may include another.The defining characteristic of each variety is the relevant relation to society (by whom, and when, the set of items are used). The.tost-widely recognized types of language variety:are language, dialect, and register. Throughout the history of English, experts have proposed many models to try to classify its speakers. And with that, the most important and accurate model is the one proposed by Braj Kachru in 1988, His “Three circle model ot .s”, states that there are three circles inside which, the different speakers are classified (Handke, 2013). ‘The Inner Citele is made up ofthe traditional bases of English and its speakers are the ones in charge of providing the norms. These places are where the norms are created and from which they spread:to the other circles. English is classified ag ENL meaning HE AAG CHRD ISSR, these are native speakers born in an English-speaking country, having then this language as their mother tongue. Some of the countries that conform the Inner Circle are USA, UK, Canada,~Australia and'New Zealand. ‘The Outer Circle represents the places where they speak official non- native varieties of English because of their colonial history. The speakers of these places are the ones who challenge the norms and develop them and are mainly ESL’ Calle eet ene ES. . This means that these are the non-native speakers who have learned English almost at the same time as their mother tongue. Some of the countries that belong to this circle are Hong Kong, BangladeshyGhanayIndia, Kenya, Malaysia; Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri-Lanka,Tanzania, and Zambia. Thi is made up by EFL that is ese are the non-native speakers who learned English in a country where English is not usually spoken. In this circle, the speakers have to follow the rules established by the Inner Circle and developed by the Outer one. Some examples of countries that belong to this circle are China, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Saudi*Arabia, Taiwan, Russia, Brazil, and-Zimbabwe (Handke, 2013). ‘Levels of Usage Every language has different levels of usage and this aspect of language is sometimes called varieties of English. This is the usual listing of the levels of usage (Deriada, 2004), | This i ized language of literature, Literary language GREET, This i the atylico @-mosb-refined ofvall the levels of usage because it.ii ized, Stylized means something is done for self- use itis stylized. Sty tt sake. A poet may call a young expression, when it is done for its ow ae woman maiden or an open plain meadow. — This is the sate ie 1dof , The terms photosynthesis and transpi ration are Th biology just aevfou!l andsjump-shot are technical 1. ili i a aR 7Si gotta This is the i language of everyday communication, fact, this is the normal level of daily speech. Colloquial language is intimate to it and is not used to communicate with people of higher rank, To call your friend chum and your home place is colloquial. 4. Slang. This is the crude, substandard utterance of the unschooled, ‘ of so-called subcultures that include certain social or ethnic groups, Slang is not the nasal twang in the speech habit of one who has a big nose and a big nasal cavity like the Americans /A8 a@fule} slang is not ; :, 4 Please do not be offended if you are from the province, ‘is is merely a linguistic term that refers to a substandard, localize version of the language of the place. The Tagalog promdi or baduy ns provincial. The Hiligaynon unsophisticated or simple-minded is the same as the Kinaray-a and Cebuano buki. _ This is the lowest level of communication that uses distinct words. The words are so arbitrary and ridiculous that most likely, the users simply mean to be funny or satirical. For example: “I will guna. you to the Dean,” or “We will san izé the grass,” or ‘I cannot/agwans.anymore the penitens of the kalibuts,” Language and dialect are not the same. Language is the collectiveutterance of a particular group of people occupying a particular geography and sharing land cultural i s. A language, aside from its particular grammatical and spoken characteristics, has a tradition of written and/or oral literature. A dialect on the other hand, is a localized version.of alanguage. Being local and only a version or a variation of a bigger lingua franca, a dialect is.considered substandard and inferior. Between the speakers of the language and the speakers of the dialect, which is a localized version of the language, there is communication (Deriada, 2014). i If we consider Metro Manila Tagalog as the lingua franca, then the utterance of people in the hinterlands of Batangas or the Chavacano of Cavite is a dialect. A Manilefio and a Batanguefio highlander would anderstand each other, but the Manilefio would insist that his utterance is correct and the Batanguefi's a linguistic anomaly, The following are examples of a variety of Visayan dialect. Cebuano Bisaya (Cagayan), Nindot Tsada Ba-ay Balay Abat Wakwak Aho Ako Buwan (moon/moth) Bulan » Tua dagway didto Tua didtoA regional dialect refers to the language variety ; 1. Dialectal diversity develops ole aaa 2 geographical ach er geographically. This gives enough differences in’ the language spoken in a particular region. ; Examples: Bisaya (Cebu) Bisaya (Cagayan) —_Bisaya (Surigao) Molantaw Manan-aw Mangita Molakaw Molakaw Mopanaw Bisaya.(( Camiguin) Bisaya (Cagayan) Wa ta kahibawo Wala ta kahibalo ‘Social dialect Dialects ate also distributed according to social classysex and:age, hence, social dialects, or sociolect, to refer to;non-regional.differences. Moreover, sociolect also refers to the dialect used by social group: a variety of speech that is used by a particular social class or group (Microsoft Encarta, 2009). Social dialect could be further distinguished by»gendef,*age,ethnie-group, religion, andvclass: In addition, people who have been schooled typically have no regional traits at all in their language (or idiolect). Jdiolect refers to the dialect of an individual: an individual person’s vocabulary and unique way of using his language (Microsoft Encarta; 2009). ‘Registers, « What is the difference between saying (it ain’ righ’!) (dropping your Ts atthe ; end of words) and (that is not right!?) Or between (innit?) and (isn’t it?)? There is no difference in meaning. Both mean exactly the same thing. The only difference is in the level of formality and properness. Linguists call this the sometimes also referred to andenorstoncorstile Put simply, a register (Reid, 1956) is a variety of a language used in a particular social setting, using certain words, phrases and contractions that are not normally used in other settings (or if they did, they may sound strange or Burar pla For example, when sp in English speaker is more likely to use featu e pronouneing words ending i ith 2 (aleaaiaat instead of an > . Or she or he may choose more s (e.g. d, and so on). She or he would also usual It may sound intuitive but the differences between how one may talk on the street, with friends, during a job interview or when writing forroal lars Li emails are amazin, the same person speaking. This is w! ; ig, even though Ee paren ial setting. May use more than on epending on the context or social i At times though, thie tan Sexe a problem. That is why they may sometimes Sound like TV presenters or politicians (i.e. very formal), ever: when speaking toclose friends, Or they may sound too informal, even rude, without intending to (Youssef, 2015), aaa 9Formal, Informal and Neutral Registers) diviand fue common languages in writing register are: formal, infor ‘he terms are defined in detail in the succeeding paragraphs, The formal register is more appropriate for professional writing and to.a-boss or a stranger. The formal writing is possibly the most difficult typ, of writing for it is impersonal, this means it is not written for a specific person, and is written without emotion. Some examples of this are the following. business.letters, letters-of complaint, some essays, reports; official.speeches, announcements and professional’emails. , : The gapenesianiye” (also called casual or intimate) is conversational ang appropriate when writ ing to friends and people one knows very Well. This is the same when we talk to our friends and family as the same is true in writing This is especially true when we are writing to someone we know very well, Some informal writing includes: personal-e-mails, phone.texts, short notes, friendly letters, mostvblogs, diaries and journals. The rules mentioned may not apply to informal writing. With informal writing though, you can use the following: slang and clichés, figurative language, symbols and abbreviations, acronyms, incomplete sentences, short sentences, first person, second person, and third person, paragraphs or no paragraphs, jokes, personal opinions, extra punctuation (e.g. Hi Bob!!!!!!!), passive and active voice. The a is area tional’ and sticks to facts. It is most ee ings. fee ee eet information, neutral language register sui ell. Neutral writing is neither necessarily formal nor informal. Itis neither usually positive nor negative, plainly delivers . Some writings are written in a neutral register. Meaning, they are not specifically formal or informal. Writing in the natural language register includes: reviews, articles, some-letters, some-essays"and technical writing . (Really Learn English, 2019). , ang tt yOu ! ri Oasone 70 Examples Filipinisms/ Transliteration aonpe L 2. 3. 4. 5. 6 7. 8 9. eaone 5 Socio-Cultural Sensitivity of Communication SX eoeeEDeE3 Circles of World English and 5 countries each