Culture, Language and Communication in Intercultural Contexts

This essay discusses the issues related to culture, language and communication in intercultural contexts. It covers topics such as Hofstede's cultural dimensions, language and culture, communication accommodation theory, and face negotiation theory.

Sociology
Essay
Student’s name
9/22/2019

Sociology 1
When we talk about the culture aspect, it mainly highlights information about the certain
knowledge, beliefs, art, moral, law, particular custom, and other capabilities and habits, which an
individual acquires as by being a member of the society. Other than this, it also cover in
information about the various cultural languages, gestures, day to day practices of various
individuals to define culture. So in brief, culture highlights the various characteristics and
knowledge of the particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social
habits, music and lastly, art (Bonvillain, 2019).
Moreover, when we talk about the intercultural or cross-cultural aspect, it highlights
about the deep understanding and respect for all the cultures. In other words, it states that
collection of information from the different cultural groups when various individuals interact
with one another. Further, when we talk about the intercultural aspect, it mainly highlights about
the certain issues in communication aspect, in language and lastly in cultural aspect, when we
consider, communication aspect, issues such as politeness, directness and indirectness, speech
acts across the cultures, intercultural competence, misunderstanding, miscommunication and
cultural presuppositions are considered (Ushioda, 2011).
In cultural terms, there are many issues such as individualism, collectivism, which carries
certain features such as directness and indirectness, low and high power distance, horizontal and
vertical, self-oriented or group oriented, assertiveness or modesty are certain traits that are
defined cultural differences within people and their country (Carbaugh, 2013).
First theory which is Hofstede cultural dimension which is divided into 5 major
categories, named as high or low power distance which high score highlights about the society
which accepts unequal, hierarchical distribution of power. Low distance highlights about shared
power, which is widely dispersed, or power distribution is unequal. Another factor highlights
about the individualism and collectivism, in which individualism highlights weak interpersonal
connection, less responsibility for other actions and outcomes. In collectivism, people are loyal,
take responsibility for other wellbeing.
Other factor highlights about masculinity and femininity in which masculinity highlights
men role over women and they behave assertively by being strong and fast. Whereas, femininity
aspect highlights modesty, which highlights cooperate well with one another. Further uncertainty

Sociology 2
avoidance highlights about the controlling of life high uncertainty highlights less control over
life whereas low uncertainty higher control over life which generates openness, innovation and
change. Lastly, long and short term orientation highlights people with long term orientation tends
to be pragmatic, modest and are more thrifty, while other are consistency to truth, religion
majorly emphasis over principles. Lastly, indulgence and restraint highlights people enjoying
their life, own drives and emotions whereas, restraint highlights more regulation, more conduct
and behavior through it highlights more strict social norms (Richards, & Schmidt, 2014).
In terms of language, culture and language are intertwined, which helps one another to
interact in not only language terms but also interacting person with other culture. Therefore,
language is the manifestation of culture, it open doors to cultural learning and lastly, it makes
person more open-minded when they knew about different culture. However, it only does these
things but sometimes this particular language become ambiguous which translation and
interpretation. This generates issues and differences such as issue of ideology, socialization,
forms of discourse and face systems and social organization. As ideology, aspect mainly covers
beliefs, values and religion that need to be respected. Socialization highlights about the inherit
norms, customs, ideologies and social skills and lastly, behavior in specific groups. Forms of
discourse highlight that information and relationship, negotiation and group harmony and
individual welfare (Martin, & Nakayama, 2013).
Issues in relation to it highlight regarding learning language and vocabulary, which
generates poor ability to send information and gain information and their comprehensive
communicative competence, is majorly affected. There is lack of social skills. When language
competence improves to a level, cultural barriers stand out. Language faults may easily gain
others’ understanding, but pragmatic failure and cultural misunderstanding will often lead to
contradictions and even communication failure. Such pragmatic failure sometimes will make one
suspect this is a deliberate verbal behavior, thus leading to conflicts (Neuliep, 2017).
In this context, person need to follow the theory of cultural scripts, in which represents a
cognitive approach to culture and society and along with this, it also offers a specific
methodology which allows the person to explore thinking, speaking in term of language and
doing a unified work. Therefore, this theory allows a maintaining an effective cross-cultural
study in between the countries, people and their actions and behavior. Moreover, this particular

Sociology 3
theory also highlights the key ideas of cultural script which mainly shares and widely known for
the various ways of thinking established universal human concepts with the adoption of the
universal grammar for particular languages. Because people internalize communal scripts by
perceiving and facing similar difficulties in usual circumstances in different social backgrounds,
it is by “being in the situation” that one comes to identify and know the communal scripts of
their own philosophy. Once one happenstance of new cultural conditions, perhaps they will
transfer what is suppressed in their mind and feel the social gap. It is from real cross-cultural
circumstances that one is able to grow social scripts of the proceedings and activities when
coming across a new culture (Dörnyei, 2014).
Theory in relation to language and culture highlights about the human languages
highlights the universal features like objects, actions and states. Firstly, direct style helps in
expressing direct intentions and desires of an individual’s whereas indirect aspect highlights
about the expression through hints, vague language, and nonverbal signs and maintain group
harmony. Other than this, personal and contextual style which states that, personal highlights
about the stressing individual identity of speakers whereas, contextual aspect highlights about the
importance and relevance of particular context, such as basic roles, status, age and gender aspect
(Hua, 2013).
Moreover, instrumental and affective style also highlights about the communication to be
taken in cross cultural aspect in which instrumental style highlights about the speaker which is
outcome oriented. In which individuals expresses what he / she thinks, achieve communication
goals like , while negotiation a deal in between the business owners , or it is considered when a
person or an individual is making decisions. Another aspect of this theory is affective which
highlights the saying of the addressee and the process that has to be undertaken into
consideration. In which both speaker and addressee communicate together, both communicate
and are responsible for understanding and always keeps an eye over the entire process that takes
place in between them. Lastly, elaborate and succinct style, which is also a part of this theory. As
elaborate style highlights about embellished language, elaborate points, details and repetition
aspects are considered. In exacting, it mainly comprises information about factual information,
compliance that is measures through relevancy, quality, quantity and manner. Succinct highlights

Sociology 4
about silence or concise talk, which only highlights about the effective communication style
(Cameron, et al, 2018).
In terms of communication aspect, there are many issues such as verbal and nonverbal
issues, conscious and sub conscious issues, immediate and continuous issues, using combine
code such as voice, gaze, and space at times. As such issues majorly affects the communication
aspect while intercultural communication. Other than this, when we talk about the nonverbal
communication or messages, this serves the multiple functions in intercultural interactions.
While verbal communication messages carry the strong identity and relational meanings, which
are easy for communication at an international communication aspect. Other factors can be
interpersonal feelings, conveying moods and personality traits, feedbacks and assurance and
lastly, interaction management are the ways to which the issues can be reduced and can generate
great deals through effective communication at intercultural level or cross-cultural level. For this,
face negotiation theory is the best to resolve the issues in relation to communication aspect
(Oetzel, 2017).
The social changes in the culture outline the reactions to fights in diverse cultures. This
concept grasps the impression of upholding a expression according to their beliefs. The face is
nothing but individuality or uniqueness, the personality, which we retain in the society-as a
communal image. As face signifies oneself in the culture, the people display their boldness,
which is desired to them. A person from a collectivistic culture usually evades or assimilates the
fight while more idiosyncratic individuals rule the battle as to maintain a self-governing face in
the public. Additional factor in exchanging face is positioning in the culture, which creates
control. In Collectivistic, society individuals are born into certain rank or position and their
uniqueness is less anxious. In a more individualistic culture, individuals earn their control to
alive in the culture (Griffin, 2012).
Lastly, Communication accommodation is a announcement theory which highlighting the
alterations that persons does while collaborating. This is done when people try to emphasis or
minimalize the communal alteration between the others whom they interact with. The factors that
lead to the lodging activity are modifications, which can be through verbal communication or
through gesticulations. The theory was progressed from speech modification theory, which

Sociology 5
validates the worth of emotional concepts to comprehend the dynamics of speech. However, the
theory incorporates more arenas such as non-verbal and signs.
Communication accommodation theory mainly highlights about the individuals affinity
to regulate their behaviour while interrelating. The main motive behind this aspect majorly
highlights about the controlling aspect, the communal alterations between the interrelated ants.
People accommodate their statement actions to get support and to set a optimistic appearance in
front of the interrelate ant. The atmosphere in which they are interrelating also impacts the
communication behaviour. This mainly comprises of two factors convergence and divergence as
convergence where individuals tends to familiarize the other individual’s communication
features so as to decrease the communal differences. Whereas another factor is divergence which
contradicts the technique of adaptation and in this context the person mainly focus on the social
dissimilarity and nonverbal dissimilarities between the interact ants. As such, philosophies help
the individuals to communicate in terms of cross cultural communication aspect (Gallois, &
Giles, 2015).
From the above essay we can conclude that whenever individuals goes on an
international ground, the major issues occurs in terms of language, culture and communication at
large. In terms of culture, issues such as individualism, collectivism, which carries certain
features such as directness and indirectness, low and high power distance, horizontal and
vertical, self-oriented or group oriented, assertiveness or modesty are certain traits that are
defined cultural differences within people and their country are faced. In language aspect, person
to explore thinking, speaking in term of language and doing a unified work and lastly, in
communication aspect, verbal and nonverbal issues, conscious and sub conscious issues,
immediate and continuous issues, using combine code such as voice, gaze, and space at times.
As such issues majorly affects the communication aspect while intercultural communication.

Sociology 6
References
Bonvillain, N. (2019). Language, culture, and communication: The meaning of messages.
Rowman & Littlefield.
Cameron, D., Frazer, E., Harvey, P., Rampton, M. B. H., & Richardson, K. (2018). Researching
language: Issues of power and method. Routledge.
Carbaugh, D. (Ed.). (2013). Cultural communication and intercultural contact. Routledge.
Dörnyei, Z. (2014). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second
language acquisition. Routledge.
Gallois, C., & Giles, H. (2015). Communication accommodation theory. The international
encyclopedia of language and social interaction, 1-18.
Griffin, E. A. (2012). A first look at communication theory/Em Griffin. New York: McGraw-
Hill,.
Hua, Z. (2013). Exploring intercultural communication: Language in action. Routledge.
Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2013). Intercultural communication in contexts. New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill.
Neuliep, J. W. (2017). Intercultural communication: A contextual approach. Sage Publications.
Oetzel, J. G. (2017). Effective intercultural workgroup communication theory. The International
Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication, 1-5.
Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. W. (2014). Language and communication. Routledge.
Ushioda, E. (2011). Language learning motivation, self and identity: Current theoretical
perspectives. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 24(3), 199-210.