Culture and Communication


  * Culture is not something waiting to be discovered but “an active meaning-making system of
experiences which enters into and is constructed within every act of communication.” (Barro et al.:
83)

  * Culture and communication work in tandem – they are inseparable (Samovar, Porter: 7)

  * “Culture is the rule-governing system that defines the forms, functions, and content of
communication … Understanding connections between culture and communication is critical to
improving intercultural interactions.” (Gay: 321)

  * “All communication, whether verbal or nonverbal, occurs within cultural frameworks.” (Johnson:
194)




Culture and Language


  * “Language, communication, and culture are intricately intertwined with one another. Language is
a symbolic system in which meaning is shared among people who identify with one another.” (Fong:
198)

  * “Both written and oral languages are shaped by culture, and in turn, these languages shape
culture.” (ibid.)

  * “Culture is a social system in which members share common standards of communication, behaving,
and evaluating in everyday life.” (ibid.)




Culture and Communicative competence


Ø  communicative competence: narrow interpretation > appropriate language use; broad interpretation
> “a competence in the social and cultural practices of a community of which language is a central
part.” (Barro:76)

Ø  “One must be aware that knowing when to bow or shake hands does not guarantee communicative
competence, but understanding that greetings vary according to culture helps us speak with people
from diverse backgrounds.” (Begley: 409).


Ø  Communicative Competence: appropriate use of language in context > utterance must, among other
things, be culturally feasible and appropriate to the situation (Johnson: 192).






Literature:


Barro, Ana, Jordan, Shirley, Roberts, Celia. “Cultural practice in everyday life: the language
learner as ethnographer.” In. Byram, Michael and Fleming, Michael (eds.). Language Learning in
Intercultural Perspective: Approaches through drama and ethnography. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1998, pp. 76-97.


Begley, Polly A. “Sojourner Adaptation.” In Samovar, Larry A., Porter,           Richard, E. (eds.)
Intercultural Communication. Belmont, USA: Wadsworth/Thomson            Learning, 2003, pp. 406 -
411


Fong, Mary. “The Nexus of Language, Communication, and Culture.” In Samovar, Larry A., Porter,
Richard, E. (eds.) Intercultural Communication. Belmont, USA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2003, pp.
198 – 206.


Gay, Geneva. “Culture and Communication in the Classroom.” In Samovar, Larry A., Porter, Richard,
E. (eds.) Intercultural Communication. Belmont, USA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2003, p. 320 –
339.


Johnson, Fern L. “Cultural Dimensions of Discourse.” In Samovar, Larry A., Porter, Richard, E.
(eds.) Intercultural Communication. Belmont, USA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2003, p. 184 – 197.


Samovar, Larry A., Porter, Richard E. “Understanding Intercultural Communication: An Introduction
and Overview.” In Samovar, Larry A., Porter, Richard, E. (eds.) Intercultural Communication.
Belmont, USA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2003, pp. 6-17.