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Intercultural Communication
Week 4
Time, Space and Context
UDS
Utilitarian Discourse System
Global business culture
Roots in 19th century European philosophy
Spread by British and American imperialism and economic domination
Mixing with local cultures
Edward T. HallFamous American AnthropologistHall, E.T. (1959). The silent language. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday. Hall, E.T. (1977). Beyond culture. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday. Hall, E.T. (1983). The dance of life. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday. Hall, E.T. (1985). Hidden Differences: Studies in International Communication. Hamburg: Gruner & Jahr. Hall, E.T. (1987). Hidden differences: Doing business with the Japanese. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday. Hall, E.T. (1990). Understanding cultural differences. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.
Three Levels of CultureInformal Level
Most importantLearned by example/modelingOften unconscious‘Exist like ‘air’ around us’
Formal levelLearned by rules
Technical levelTheories behind rulesReasoning and abstractionsWhat we learn in school to justify informal system
The Silent Language
Spradley and Phillips (1972)
Asked overseas volunteers what they found most difficult about adapting to a foreign culture
Top three itemsLanguage
The pace of life
punctuality
Punctuality in BrazilAs a visiting professor in Brazil, Levine (1988) discovered that college students there had a very different conception of class time compared to American students. When the time came to meet his first class, Levine arrived twenty minutes late to an empty classroom (Levine & Wolff, 1985). But, unlike in the U.S.A., that did not mean that the class had already been there and left. Rather, it meant that none of the class had even arrived! Then, when class was over, only a few students left. The rest hung around for an additional half hour.
Flexibility in Time
Latin Americans vs. North Americans
StereotypesLazy/irresponsible
Punctuality and Values
Levine asked US and Brazilian college students about what makes a successful person
US students rated people who were never late for appointments as more successful
Brazilians rated people who were always late for appointments as more successful
Why?
Time
UDS Time=abstract, measurable, independent of circumstances, synthetic
Compare many cultures time measured in natural cycles (eg. Crops)
Chronos (‘clock time’)
Kairos (‘appropriate time’)
UDS Metaphors for Time
Time is money
Spend time
Waste time
Run out of time
Save time
Lose time
‘Depth’ in timeHow ‘deep’ is the past? For AmericansFor EuropeansFor ArabsFor ChineseFor Hong Kongers?For your generation?For your parent’s generation? For your grandparent’s generation?
How far ahead is the future?
For Americans
For Chinese?
For Hong Kongers?
For you?
For your parents?
Attitudes towards the past and the future
‘Golden Age’ view
Utopian view
Traditional Chinese/Confucian view
Maoist/Dengist view
American view
Your view?
Your grandparents’ view?
American view of time
Scheduling 15-30 minute intervals
PunctualityOn time—5 min.– 10 min.– 15 min. – 20 min – 30 min.– 45 min. – 1 hour late
American view of time
Urgency
Monochronism
Activity
Variety
Urgency
Type ‘A’ personality
‘hurry sickness’
Rural—city
Genders
Generations
Professions
Contexts
Effect of technology
Task
Rank the countries/regions based on how ‘fast paced’ you think they are.
Pace of Life
‘Fast’ societies and ‘slow’ societies
Urban vs. Rural
Bornstein (1979)Population correlates with walking speed
V=0.86 log P + 0.05
Pace of Life
Rank the following countries on your impression of their pace of life (fast vs. slow)
England
Japan
USA
Taiwan
Indonesia
Italy
Levine and Wolff (1985)
MeasuredWalking speed
Accuracy of bank clocks
Post office speed
Results
Monochronic vs. Polychronic Time
Monochronic
Linear, tangible, divisible
Single focus: Events scheduled one item at a time
Schedule takes precedence over relationships
Emphasis on punctuality
Adherence to plan
Polychronic
Circular, holistic. Flexible
Multiple focus: Simultaneous attention to different things
Greater involvement with people
Change plans easily
Easily distracted
Monchronic vs. Polychronic
Northern European and American
Mediterranean, Latin American Asians
Different discourse systems (generations, professions) in a society are different
People adhere to different patterns in different situations (eg. At work vs. at home)
ageric vs. non-ageric
How does one define being ‘busy’
Thinking vs. Doing
Especially important in corporate discourse systems
‘Looking busy’
Variety
Related to sense of time passing
Boredom
Cultural differences
Urban-rural
Generational
Effects of technology
Rhythm
Synchrony
People tend to move in ‘synch’
Places develop rhythms
Groups develop rhythms
Feeling of being ‘out of synch’
Task
Rate the different discourse systems you are familiar with based on the dimensions we have discussed
ProxemicsThe Hidden Dimension (1966)human perceptions of space are molded and patterned by culturediffering cultural frameworks for defining and organizing space can lead to serious failures of communication and understanding in cross-cultural settingspersonal spaces that people form around their bodies cultural expectations about how streets, neighborhoods and cities should be properly organized.
Territoriality
In animals
Relates to ownership and power
Some places are reserved for people in power
Different cultural patterns
Use of Space: BusinessNorth Americans
big boss has the corner office on the top floor, deep carpets, an expensive desk, and handsome accessories. The most successful companies are located in the most prestigious buildings.
Francethe highest-ranking executives sit in the middle of an open area, surrounded by lower-level employees.
Middle Eastfine possessions are reserved for the home, and business is conducted in cramped and modest quarters.
Task: Space and Power
Look at the floor plan of the EN department and try to determine who has the most and the least power
City U Corporate Discourse System
Offices
Size
Windows
Corner
Personal SpaceIntimate space
the closest "bubble" of space surrounding a person. Entry into this space is acceptable only for the closest friends and intimates.
Social and consultative spacesthe spaces in which people feel comfortable conducting routine social interactions with acquaintances as well as strangers.
Public spacethe area of space beyond which people will perceive interactions as impersonal and relatively anonymous.
Personal Space
In the United States people engaged in conversation will assume a social distance of roughly 4-7’
in many parts of Europe the expected social distance is roughly half that
Americans traveling overseas often experience the urgent need to back away from a conversation partner who seems to be getting too close..
Personal Space
The distance one keeps with the other person may influence the response one will get
If you are too close to a person who is used to keeping a certain physical distance in conversation, this person may feel threatened.
If you keep the same distance with a person who is used to physically closer interaction, physical distance may be interpreted as psychological distance.
ProxemicsThe Hidden Dimension (1966)human perceptions of space are molded and patterned by culturediffering cultural frameworks for defining and organizing space can lead to serious failures of communication and understanding in cross-cultural settingspersonal spaces that people form around their bodies cultural expectations about how streets, neighborhoods and cities should be properly organized.
Elevator RulesWhat are the rules are for standing in the elevator? Where do people stand when there are only two or three people? What happens when a fourth person enters the elevator.How would you feel if there were two people on the elevator and a third person entered and stood right next to you?What happens when the elevator becomes more crowded and there are now four or more people?How close will people stand? What is allowed to "touch?"What do people look at in a crowded elevator?When is it permissible to talk to the other people?
Elevator Rules: US1. If there are only two or three people on an elevator, each person usually leans against the walls. If a fourth person boards the elevator, the four corners are normally occupied.
2. This would be a breach of our personal “space.” We would feel very uncomfortable and move or get off the elevator at the next stop.
3. When there are more than four people on an elevator, the occupants begin to follow a complex set of rules for behavior. Everyone turns to face the door. Hands, purses, and briefcases hang down in front of the body. People usually scrunch up, rounding their shoulders, so that they take up as little space as possible.
4. People don’t touch each other in any way unless the elevator becomes very crowded, and then they only touch at the shoulders or upper arms. If you see an overcrowded elevator, you will probably choose to wait for the next one.
5. Everyone usually looks at the floor indicator located above the door.
6. It is unusual for people (who are strangers) to speak to each other in an elevator unless they are sharing some kind of similar experience. (Such as a conference) People who do know each other will usually speak softly. When a group of people enter the elevator and do not follow these rules, other occupants usually feel very uncomfortable.
Use of space: Cities
United States cities are customarily set out along a grid
In France and Spain a star pattern is preferred
Context
We can’t pay attention to everything in the context
Culture provides a screen that determines what we pay attention to and what we don’t
High vs. Low ContextLow
Most of the meaning in the words
Background information more explicit/verbalized
Narrower social networks
‘New couple’
High
Most of the meaning in the context
Background information more implicit/tacit
Wider on social networks
‘Old couple’
High/low context depends on
Situation
Relationships
Past experience
‘Culture’
Situation
Low contextLaw court
High contextGetting along with your girlfriend/boyfriend
High context
Chinese language
Tones
Time
Number
meaning
Infor-
mation
context
LC
HC
