WMSU-ISMP-GU-001.

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Effective Date: 7-DEC-2016

IV. Intercultural Communication

Lesson 3: Exploring Texts Reflecting Different Cultures

Introduction

You learned that intercultural communication has an important role to play in

effective communication. Indeed, awareness of the different varieties of English with their
features as well as understanding the registers of English should be the goal of every
learner to avoid communication bog down. Note that one cause of miscommunication is
pronunciation. Speakers of different varieties of English have different ways of
pronouncing words. This happens due to differences in phonology. Kachru and Nelson
(2006, p.37) claimed that in terms of pronunciation, most Outer and Expanding- Circle
varieties display differences from the Inner Circle varieties, similar to those found between
regional dialects within the Inner Circle varieties. These differences may lead to
grammatical consequences affecting comprehension. In effect, interpretations then vary
because of differences in pronunciation. In Philippine languages, every vowel is
pronounced with a full distinct sound. Filipinos pronounce words as they are written or
spelled out making it syllable-timed and not stressed-timed. On the other hand, Americans
blend syllables or sometimes even drop some sounds making the syllables short.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you can:

1. Analyze texts that reflect varied cultures and practices;

2. Appreciate various cultural identities and differences;
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of cultural contexts in the
communication process.

Topic Outline
1. Varieties of English: pronunciation
2. Varieties of English: vocabulary
3. Varieties of English: idioms

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Try this!
Activity 1

Supply at least three (2-3) words having the same sound as that of the given word in
each item.
Example: cite= site, sight, scythe
1. Weigh
2. Isle
3. Race
4. Week
5. Assent

Supply the Philippine English equivalent of the given informal American English
expressions below.
Example: Can I getche adrink? Can I get you a drink?
1. Gotcha
2. Watche say
3. Wherd yu go
4. Ja hitit?
5. He ain’t no teeth.

Think ahead!

1. What did you observe in the variety of English between American and Filipino English
in terms of pronunciation?
2. Is your understanding affected by the sound the speaker produced in the utterance of
the words?
3. What do you need in order to get accustomed to other varieties of English sounds?
4. How will you help yourself in improving your listening skills? Suggest ways.
5. Where do you attribute the problem and how will you remedy them?

Read and Ponder

English Pronunciation
Sound-spelling relationship in English language needs to be studied. Homonyms,
homophones, phonemes, pronunciation, enunciation and phonology are terms you need

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to understand in the English registers. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) can help
you improve the production of sounds to make it intelligibly distinct, thus making the
learner, near-native in its utterance.

English Vocabulary
To increase your range of vocabulary, you need to have a solid foundation on the
following topics in increasing your word power. Topics such as building words from basic
parts: root words, affixes (prefix, infix, suffix), homonyms, homophones, homographs,
English words with multiple meanings, figurative language, denotative and connotative
meanings of words are some of the foundational topics for you to study.

Idiomatic Expressions
English language has full of idiomatic expressions. Some of these are culture
bound. A language learner needs a thorough exposure to these expressions in order to
understand the context of the message.

See if you can do this!

Spelling Variety
Supply another variant spelling of the following words in English.
1. aeroplane 6. behaviour
2. colonise 7. saviour
3. defence 8. judgment
4. enrollment 9. centre
5. honour 10. organization

Pronunciation Variety
Read the sentence aloud. Pronounce the words intelligibly.
1. I went to the market. (t sound being aspirated)
2. I will record your scores on my class record. ( shows distinct stress or
emphasis)
3. Breathe on me, Breath of God. (distinction between a verb and a noun)
4. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. (tongue twisters for rapid
speech)

Listening
Answer a sample International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Listening TEST
available online. You must reach a band score of 7 in order to pass. (Your score must be
36 out of 40). Look for sample listening test for free.

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IELTS Listening Test has four parts. In Part 1, you may hear a telephone conversation
between a caller and a callee. The caller can be a customer inquiring the business
manager about a product line the company is selling.

Part 2 provides a situation where the test taker will listen to a person giving direction to
another. It can be a flight attendant giving directions to the passenger where to locate their
aircraft amenities.

Part 3 is about two people agreeing on something they talked about.

In Part 4, a test taker is confronted with a university lecturer delivering a talk on some
important issues at hand.

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