LOCAL AND GLOBAL

COMMUNICATION
IN MULTICULTURAL
SETTING
Chapter 3

Reporter: Mark Justine N. Narte

 Learning Objectives
At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:

01 Discuss and define communication in multicultural setting;

Determine appropriate terms, expressions, and images (sensitivity to

02
gender, race, class, etc.)
Adopt cultural and intercultural awareness and sensitivity in
03 communication of ideas;
Identify effective ways of communicating within the influences of
04 individual cultures.
 Chapter 3

Communication in Multicultural Settings

a. Culturally Appropriate Terms, Expressions and Images
b. World Englishes and English as International Language
c. Linguistic Preferences and Nonverbal Behavior
d. Tips for Successful Multicultural Communication
e. Tips for Non-native English Speakers
f. Varieties and registers of spoken and written language
URCLETU CULTURE
OALBGL GLOBAL
CULTERINTURAL INTERCULTURAL
CATUMIONCONIM COMMUNICATION
Communication in Multicultural Settings
 Cultural Understanding

Influences our personal preference in communication style

and continues to influence our perception of others throughout
our life. (Haslett, 1989, in Stringer Cassiday, 2009)
What is Multiculturalism?
 Multiculturalism
A person respectful of and engaged with people from distinctly different cultures
called multiculturalist (Gamble, T. & Gamble M., 2013).
 
It is the view that cultures, races, and ethnicities, particularly those of minority
groups, deserve special acknowledgment of their differences within a dominant
political culture.
 Challenges on Multicultural
teams (Brett, Behfar, and Kem,
2006)

Trouble with accents and fluency

Differing attitudes toward hierarchy and authority
Conflicting norms for decision making
 Improving Intercultural
Communication

1. Simplify your message.

2. Never shout to be understood.
3. Avoid non-standard abbreviations.
4. Be patient.
5. Ask people to repeat it.
6. Remain cool and composed.
7. Clarify their meanings and intentions.
8. Ask yourself
9. Make sure that all the messages are consistent.
What is Intercultural Communication?
 Intercultural Communication?

Humans are formed by forces other that genetics. Family

background, religious affiliations, educational achievements, socio-
cultural forces, economic conditions, emotional states, and other factors
shape human identities. Because of this, no two people can ever be
exactly the same.
 Defining Intercultural Communication?

Intercultural communication refers to the communication between

people from two different cultures. (Chen & Starosta, 1998)
 Forms of Intercultural Communication

a. Inter-racial communication
b. Inter-ethnic communication
c. International communication
d. Intra-cultural communication
 Forms of Intercultural Communication

a. Inter-racial communication
communicating with people
from different races
Forms of Intercultural Communication

b. Inter-ethnic communication
interacting with people of different
ethnic origin
 Forms of Intercultural Communication

c. International communication
communicating between
representatives from different
nations.
Forms of Intercultural Communication

d. Intra-cultural communication
interacting with members of the same
racial or ethnic group or co-culture
Communication Style among Cultures (Gamble and Gamble, 2008)

Low-Context
High-Context Cultures
Cultures

is a tradition-linked is a system that works on

communication system which straightforward communication.
adheres strongly being indirect.
 Potential Areas for Misinterpretation in Intercultural
Communication

According to AJ Schuler (2003), miscommunication in a cross-cultural

setting can be minimized if one is aware of the different areas wherein
misinterpretation can occur.
 Potential Areas for Misinterpretation
in Intercultural Communication

1. Opening and closing conversations

2. Taking turns during conversations
3. Interrupting
4. Using silence
5. Using appropriate topics of conversation
6. Using humor
7. Knowing how much to say
8. Sequencing elements during a conversation
 Improving Intercultural
Communication

Pay attention to your words and actions

Control your assumptions
Engage in transpection
Gain knowledge
Gain Experience
A. Culturally appropriate
terms,expression and images

Reporter:Trisha Grace Alvarez

 Culturally
Relevatism and
Ethnocentrism
 Ethnocentrism
● is the tendency to look at
the world primarily from the
perspective of one’s own
culture. Part of
ethnocentrism is the belief Cultural Relevatism
that one’s own race, ethnic the view that moral or
or cultural group is the most ethical systems, which vary
important or that some or all from culture to culture, are
aspects of its culture are all equally valid and no one
superior to those of other system is really “better”
groups. than any other
 Different Customs and Behavior

❑Formality
❑Social Customs
❑ Styles of Dress
❑Time
❑ Tolerance of Conflict
❑Gender Roles
  
Gender Sensitivity –
the process by which people are made aware
of how gender plays a role in life through
their treatment of others
 
Six (6) principles of gender-sensitive
communications
 
1 Ensure that women and men are
represented
Both men and women should be
seen, heard, and treated equally in
corporate media products and
messages. It is important to ensure that
quotes from both men and women are
included in press releases, stories and
other communications.
Six (6) principles of gender-sensitive
communications
   
  Gender Biased Gender Sensitive
Social Good Summit attendees Social Good Summit attendees
2 and their wives are invited. and their partners are invited.

John Challenge
and Mary both gender
have full John and Mary both have full
stereotypes
time jobs; he helps her with the time jobs; they share the
housework
Gender stereotypeshousework.
 
limit
and trivialize both women
Research scientists often Research scientists often
and men, presenting
neglect their wives and children. neglect their families.
inaccurate images.
Six (6) principles of gender-sensitive
communications
   
  Gender Biased Gender Sensitive
Each Employees will do Employees will do better if
Avoid
better exclusionary
if they have a voice in forms
they have a voice in the
3 Exclusionary
the decision forms ofdecision
language indicate
the use
Dear of “he”/“his”
Mothers, please Dearwhen Families,
referring to
please
ensure that your children ensure that your children
both a female and male, which excludes
wash their hands after using wash their hands after using
females.
the bathroom.One can usethe “he” and “she” to
bathroom.
  be inclusive, or use the   plural ‘they’ to
avoid
The usingwill
employer anyaddress
gendered pronouns.
The employer will address
the situation when he is the situation when ready.
ready.  
 
Six (6) principles of gender-sensitive
communications
 
  Use equal forms of 
4. Gender
addressBiased Gender Sensitive
Miss,Mrs.
Addressing womenMs. by
Mantheir
and marital
wife status isWife And Husband
an old
  practice dating back  to the
Men1700s.
and Ladies
Women were Men and Women
often
 
called by their husband’s full
name,
Six (6) principles of gender-sensitive
communications
     
Gender Biased Gender Sensitive
5. FatherCreate
Land a gender balance
Native Land
Native Land Native Tongue
  Generics are   nouns
Man’s andsearch
pronouns forintended
The search
to for
knowledge
be used has led knowledge
for both women has led us
him and men. impressive to to impressive
scientific discovery. scientific discovery.
 
Six (6) principles of gender-sensitive
communications
     
Gender
Promote Biasedequity
gender Gender Sensitive
through titles,
6 Salesman
labels, and names / Sales clerk; sales
saleswoman person; sales
representative
Titles for people and occupations often
Career woman
reflect inequitable Professional;
assumptions about males
executive;
and females; gender-sensitive languagebusiness
promotes more inclusive person
and equitable
Male nurse Nurse
B. World
Englishes and
English as an
International
Language
 In the present era of high technology, the
issue on culture and use of English has
become more complicated than what it
seems because of the emergence of the now
recognized "World Englishes."
What is “World Englishes?”

The term World
Englishes is used to
describe the different
varieties of English in
the multifarious
sociolinguistic context.
 Example:

American English British English

Pants Trousers
 What is an international
language?
An international language is a language
intended to be used by people of different
linguistic backgrounds to facilitate communication
among them and to reduce the misunderstandings
and antagonisms caused by language differences.
 Why did English become an
international language?
Out of the world’s approximately 7.8 billion
 inhabitants, 1.35 billion speak English. Roughly 500
million people in the world are native English speakers.
Another 510 million people speak 
English as a second language, which means that there are
more people who speak English along with their native
language than there are native English speakers.
English is the world’s lingua franca or common second
language, as this table shows.
History of World Englishes

1970 1985

Kachru put He proposed the three

forward the notion concentric circles to view
of World Englishes the varieties of English.
 Expanding Circle

Outer Circle

Three
Concentric Inner Circle

e.g. USA, UK
 
Circles  
320-380 million

e.g. India, Singapore & Philippines

300-500 million

e.g. China, Russia

500-1000 million
When turning to other circles, the question of
what counts as a language and what may be
considered a variety of English is somewhat
intricate. Pidgins and creoles belong to this
issue.
 Pidgins Creoles
• used as lingua franca for trade or
• fully developed pidgin which
any other practical interaction
serves as the language of the
• uses words from the languages of
community
both communicators to understand
• have native speakers
each other, but it is not the language
of either communicator
• Lexifier is the language that provides
vocabulary, and substrate is the
language that provides syntactic
structure.
• no native speakers
 Hawai'i Creole English - HCE

Day Numba One

"Den God say, 'I like light to shine!' an da light

start to shine. God see how good da light. Den he
put da light on one side, an da dark on da odda side.
Da light time, he give um da name 'Day time.' Da
dark time, he give um da name 'Nite time.' So, had
da nite time an da day time, az day numba one."
Interlanguage
• Developed by people from outer and
expanding circles in the process of learning
English as either a second language or a foreign
language.
• Also called "learner language" (which is neither
pidgin nor creole) that deviates from the norms
of the target language.
• Results from several language-learning
processes.
 In Philippine English, for instance, we hear many Filipinos
saying sentences like these (which may just be interlanguage for
most):

1. I already ate. ("Kumain na ako.")

2. He will come with us, isn't it? ("Sasama siya sa atin, hindi
ba?")
3. One of my classmate is inside. ("Isa sa kaklase ko ay nasa
loob.")
4. They will come there. ("Pupunta sila doon.")
 Let us look at examples in another variety of
English - Indian English:

1. You have taken my book, isn't it?

2. You are soon going home, isn't it?

The two examples show how the linguistic form is affected by cultural
constraints of politeness in India.
In standard American or British English, tag
questions are formed by using the subject of the
independent clause and an appropriate modal
auxiliary, such as the following:

1. You have taken my book, haven't you?

2. You are soon going home, aren't you?
Example of Indian English and it Standard
English counterparts:

Indian English: "These mistakes may please

be corrected." ("May" is used to express
obligation politely.)

Standard English: "These mistakes must be

corrected." or "These mistakes are to be
corrected."
 Since English is an international
language, we do not communicate only with
people from our own circle, whether it be
Outer Circle or Expanding Circle, but with
those from the other circle (Expanding or
Outer, respectively) and the Inner Circle, too.
In other words our English must be the
kind of English understood and used
worldwide.
To be able to use English well and to understand the
many accents and varieties of English, we need to learn
to communicate across cultures.
C. Linguistics
Preferences and
Nonverbal Behaviours

Reporter:
Jessa U. Delos Santos
 Linguistics Preferences
Variations in the way different cultures use language like
linguistics preferences and non verbal behaviors also cause
miscommunication. Nuances in linguistics preferences provide
hints about behavior, manners, and thinking as cultural group.
(Lee, 2017; Zelinski, 2017).
 Linguistics Preferences
Spaniards and Italians English
• very polite
use understamement to avoid
• prefer eloquence and expressiveness to confrontation
exactness end up being ambiguous
tend to be flowery with their language

Asians Scandinavians
• consider harmony as an important virtue • tend to be reserved
they often say “YES” to many things with completely focused
understanding of “Yes, I hear you” or “Yes, dedicated listeners
I understand
 Linguistics Preferences

Latin America, Southern Europe and Japan

• not comfortable with ambiguity
expect absolute truth

German

• very logical in both manners and words

There are instances that what
we want to say is not
only express through
verbal message.
It could be by wearing
something or twitching
your brows or by just
merely standing; you are
already conveying a
message
---this is what we call
nonverbal
communication.
 Nonverbal Behaviours

Nonverbal communication is a broad term used to describe the

general act of relaying or transmitting information in ways other than
verbal language. This can include things like our tone of voice, facial
expressions, posture, gait, gestures, et cetera.
Nonverbal behaviors may occur spontaneously or intentionally,
with or without our conscious awareness. (Ekman, P., 2013)
 Nonverbal Behaviours

Nonverbal behaviors, which Edward T. Hall (1959) called “the

silent language,” are expressive human attributes that impact feelings,
attitudes, reactions, and judgements which need to be given continued
attention because they are acquired mainly through acculturation
(adopting the traits of another cultural group); moreover, they are
unspoken and largely unconscious, so the implied meanings are more
felt than understood (as cited in Buerlein, 2017).
 Types of Nonverbal Behaviours

01 02 03

Kinesics/Body
Haptics Proxemics
Language

04 05
Paralinguistic/
Appearance
Paralanguage
 01
Kinesics/Body Language
• It is a kind of non-lexical communication
where ideas or messages are expressed
using your body.
It is composed of gestures, facial
expressions, eye contact and body stance
 02
Haptics
• The study of communication by touch
Touches that can be defined as communication include
handshakes, holding hands, kissing (cheek, lips, hand) back
slap “high five”, shoulder pat, brushing arm, etc.
• Each touch give off nonverbal message as to the touching
person’s intensions/feelings.
• It is composed of friendship-warmth touch,
professional/functional touch, social/polite touch and love/
intimacy
 03 Proxemics
• Refers to the space of an individual maintains around him or herself.
• Space and distance influence communication
When we are content with and attracted to someone, we say we are “close” to him or her.
When we lose connection with someone, we may say he or she is “distant.
• It is composed of public space, social space, personal space and intimate space
 04 Paralinguistic/
Paralanguage 05 Appearance

• It is not just what you say; it is how you
say it.
• It is composed of speed of voice,
intonation, tone of voice, pronunciation,
articulation, and pause
• The communication of the outward form.
• Clothing, hairstyles, jewelries and other factors
affecting appearance are also considered a
means of nonverbal communication.
• How we present ourselves to people and
situations tells a story.
 Problems in Nonverbal Communication

One code communicate a

variety of meaning

Interpretation
 Nonverbal Behavior Across the Globe

Australia
The popular American ‘thumbsup’ sign is considered
obscene

The V-sign with the palm facing toward the

speaker is the obscene “up yours” insult.
 Nonverbal Behavior Across the Globe
France

Your hands should be visible at all times

even when seated at a table
Nonverbal Behavior Across the Globe
Germany
It is impolite to put your hands in
your pockets.

Gum chewing in public is rude.

Sit down only after you have been

offered a seat.

Use titles to show respect; be

punctual because punctuality is
important
Nonverbal Behavior Across the Globe
Hongkong
Maintain a two (2) arm’s length
distance with the person.

Touching and parting are taboo.

When you’re seated, your feet

should be facing the ground; the
soles of your shoes should not be
shown.
 Nonverbal Behavior Across the Globe
Indonesia
When you are in a private home
or mosque, be sure to remove
your shoes. Position them by
pointing them toward the door
from which you entered.

Hugging and kissing in public is

inappropriate
Nonverbal Behavior Across the Globe
Japan
The bow is still the tradition in greetings. Bend your body about a 30-degree angle from the waist.
For men: Palms should be face up, toward the knee.
For women: Hands should be folded in front of you as you bow
D. Tips for Successful
Multicultural
Communication
Presented by: Jolina S. Junio
BSE-English
 Tips for Successful Multicultural
Communication

Every culture has its own set of tacit assumptions and

tendencies when it comes to face-to-face interactions, and
trying to get your point across effectively can sometimes
be difficult.
 Tips for Successful Multicultural
Communication

Being a member of culturally diverse society,

you can adopt strategies to avoid being
misunderstood when communicating with
others from another cultural group.
Here are our some tips for effective multicultural
communication:

1. Maintain etiquette  

Many cultures have specific etiquette around the

way they communicate.  Before you meet,
research the target culture, or if time allows, do
some cross cultural training.
 2. Keep an open mind

This may sound obvious, but keeping an open

mind is the most important thing you can do
in relating to people of different cultures.
 3. Avoid slang 
Not even the most educated non-native English
speaker will have a comprehensive understanding
of English slang, idioms and sayings. They may
understand the individual words you have said,
but not the context or the meaning.
 4. Keep it simple

In a cross cultural conversation there’s no need

to make it harder for both of you by using big
words. Just keep it simple.
 5. Practice active listening

Active listening is a very effective strategy for

improving cross cultural communication.
Restate or summarise what the other person
has said, to ensure that you have understood
them correctly, and ask frequent questions. 
6. Have at least some knowledge of people’s
cultural backgrounds. 

To be fluid and cohesive with your team, it is

important to have at least a general
understanding of each member’s cultural
background. 
 7. Watch your nonverbal communication

Often included with the skill of active listening,

nonverbal communication takes on special
importance when it comes to the subject of
multiculturalism.
 8.Be careful with
humour
If you do decide to use humour make
sure it will be understood and
appreciated in the other culture and not
cause offence. 
9. Avoid shouting to be understood

Shouting will make them tune out and discipline will be harder
between the communicators.
10. Give the benefit of the doubt to someone who does or
say something that seems weird and/or wrong (ask
yourself “how else could I interpret these words or
actions?”
9. Avoid shouting to be understood

Shouting will make them tune out and discipline will be harder
between the communicators.
 E. TIPS FOR NON-
NATIVE LANGUAGE
SPEAKERS
Presented by: Virjelyn M. Terrado
BSE-English 1-2
•There are approximately 380 Million Native Speakers of
English and more than 700 Non- Native speakers of
English. (English Language Guide, 2008)

• Non- Native Speakers of a Language, are people who

have learned this particular language as second or third
language, but have a different language as Native
Language. (Svenja Christen, 2008)
 As a learner of English, you can observe the
following strategies to avoid any miscommunications
when using English.
(AMA, 2017
 Tips for Non- Native Language Speakers
1. It doesn't have to be perfect, the goal is to get your message
through.
2. Maintain the Simplicity of your sentences.
3. Try to participate in English as a Second Language (ESL)
courses, take them, even if your English is already functional.
Courses designed to help you modify your accent to make it more
understandable by Native English speakers can be particularly
beneficial.
 Tips for Non- Native Language Speakers

4. If you don't understand, ask people to repeat

themselves.

5. Avoid using idioms or minimize them as much

as possible.

6. Be Confident.
 Tips for Non- Native Language Speakers

7. Keep a dictionary handy or google to make

sure the words you use mean what you think they
mean.

8. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

9. Practice makes perfect.

F. Varieties and registers
of spoken and written
language

ROSAL, JUSTINE MARK F.

REPORTER
 International Communication/ Transnational
Communication

According to Davies and Yagmur, communication

has become so fluid and boundless. This is due to
increasing effects and influences of globalization.

Hence, reintroduction and strengthening of

multimodal and multicultural tasks among learner
is necessary.
Cultural competence

It is loosely defined as the ability to understand,

appreciate and interact with people from cultures
or belief systems different from one's own

∙ You may have assumed that when you learn the

language of others, you also learned their culture.
Reminder: This is not always the case
∙ You can learn a lot of cultural features but it does not
necessarily teach you sensitivity and awareness or
even how to behave in certain situations.
! The Key in having Intercultural competence is
Attitudinal Change through the use of language
 LANGUAGE VARIETIES
● In sociolinguistics, language variety—also called
lect—is a general term for any distinctive form of
a language or linguistic expression. Linguists
commonly use language variety (or simply
variety) as a cover term for any of the
overlapping subcategories of a language,
including dialect, register, jargon, and idiolect.
 LANGUAGE VARIETIES

Pidgin
- is a new language which develops in situations where
speakers of different languages need to communicate but do not
share a common language.
- A lexifier is a particular language where the
vocabulary of a pidgin comes from
Examples:
X Nigerian pidgin X Conyospeak
X Gay language
Language can be used to negotiate relations and
contradictions of gender and sexual identities, and can
index identity in various ways, even if there is no specific
gay or lesbian code of speaking. Gay men and lesbians
may, through the use of language, form speech
communities.
 Creole
- is a pidgin that becomes the first language of the children
and the mother tongue of a community.
Examples:
X Patwa (Jamaican creole) X Chavacano
X Pidgin (Hawai'i Creole English)
Creole, Spanish Criollo, French Créole, originally, any person of
European (mostly French or Spanish) or African descent born in the
West Indies or parts of French or Spanish America (and thus
naturalized in those regions rather than in the parents' home country).
Regional Dialect
- is not a distinct language but a variety of a language spoken
in a particular area of a country.

Examples:
X Hillbilly English (from the Appalachians in the USA)
X Ilokano
X Pangasinan
Minority Dialect
- is a variety used as a marker of identity, usually alongside
a standard variety, by the members of a particular minority
ethnic group.

Examples:
X African American Vernacular English in the USA X
London Jamaican in Britain
X Aboriginal English in Australia
Indigenized Varieties
- are spoken mainly as second languages in ex-colonies
with multilingual populations.

Examples:
X Singlish (spoken in Singapore) X Spanish
X English
 LANGUAGE REGISTERS

Register is defined as the level of formality in

language that's determined by the context in which
it is spoken or written. It can be formal or informal.
Formal speech is proper, while informal speech is
conversational or casual.
Frozen
- it refers to historic language or communication that is intended to
remain unchanged, like a constitution or a prayer. This register rarely
or never changes.

Examples:
The Holy Bible, The United States Constitution, The Bhagavad Gita,
and Romeo and Juliet
Formal
- is used in professional, academic, or legal settings
where communication is expected to be respectful,
uninterrupted, and restrained. Slang is never used and
contractions are rare.
Examples:
a TED talk, a business presentation, the
Encyclopedia Brittanica, and Gray's Anatomyby
Henry Gray
Consultative
- is used in conversation when they are speaking with someone
who has specialized knowledge or who is offering advice. Tone
is often respectful (use of courtesy titles), but may be more
casual if the relationship is longstanding or friendly.
Examples:
the local TV news broadcast, an annual physical examination, a
service provider like a plumber
Casual
- is used when they are with friends, close acquaintances
and co-workers, and family.
Examples:
a birthday party, at a club with friends
Intimate
- is reserved for special occasions, usually between
only two people and often in private.

Examples:
an inside joke between two college friends or a word
whispered in a lover's ear
 LANGUAGE REGISTERS ARE CLASSIFED AS:

Formal Language Register

- is more appropriate for professional writing and letters to a
boss or a stranger -is impersonal, meaning, it is not written for a
specific person and without emotion
 Examples:

a. business letters
b. letters of complaint
c. reports
 
Informal Language Register
- is conversational and appropriate when writing to
friends and people you know very well.

Examples:
a. personal e-mails e. most blogs
b. phone texts f. diaries and journals
c. short notes
Neutral Language Register
- is not necessarily formal or informal.
- is used to deliver facts.

Examples:
a. reviews
b. articles
Two Factors that distinguish spoken from written
language:

1. the actual situation or context

2. the purpose of communication
 Characteristics of Spoken Language

• Spoken language is mostly maintained in the

form of a dialogue.
• Spoken language utilizes human voice and all
kinds of gestures.
• It presupposes the presence of an interlocutor
• Spoken language is spontaneous but
momentary.
• Characterized by the insertion of “fill-ups”.
ex. “uhm”, “well”, “so”, “and”
 Varieties of Spoken Language

Interactional - social function

Referential - objects or abstract concepts

Expressive -judgments or feelings

Transactional - driven by needs and wants

▪ Phatic - small, plain talk
  
Characteristics of Written Language
• It presupposes the absence of interlocutor.
• It is maintained in the form of monologue.
• It is able to live forever with the idea it expresses.
• It is more carefully organized and more explanatory.
• The writer has an opportunity to correct and improve it.
• It bears a greater volume of responsibility than
its counterpart.
Language varies from one location to another, from one culture
to another and from one situation to another. We use different
varieties and registers of language to suit different
communication context. In writing, we need to use specialized
features of words to clearly convey the message.
It is also important to use appropriate varieties and registers
of language in a certain communication context in order for us to
determine the level of ‘formality’. We can now easily know on
how we are going to approach and deal with a certain person in a
certain situation with a certain purpose with the correct
expression and correct manner.
ARIGATO ありがとう