DIMENSIONS OF CULTURENM3413 Audience Analysis

5

- Barriers to intercultural communication (cont’d)

- Dimensions of culture

OVERVIEW

LaRay M. Barna (1997):

Anxiety

Assuming similarity instead of difference

Ethnocentrism

Stereotypes and prejudice

Nonverbal misinterpretation

Language

Barriers to Intercultural CommunicationNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

LaRay M. Barna (1997):

Nonverbal misinterpretation- Physical appearance (clothes etc.)

- Proxemics (personal space)

- Chronemics (time)

- Kinesics (gestures)

- Haptics (touch)

- Oculesics (eye contact)

- Vocalics/Paralanguage (voice)

- Olfactics (smell)

Barriers to Intercultural CommunicationNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

LaRay M. Barna (1997):

Language

Barriers to Intercultural CommunicationNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

Word Order Sample Languages

SVO “cats eat mice” English, Chinese, Swahili

SOV “cats mice eat” Japanese, Korean

VSO “eat cats mice” Classical Arabic, Welsh, Samoan

VOS “eat mice cats” Tzotzil (a Mayan language)

OSV “mice cats eat” Kabardian (a language of the northern Caucasus)

OVS “mice eat cats” Hixkaryana (a language of Brazil)

Basic Word OrderSOURCE: Matthews, Polinsky, and Comrie (1996).

LaRay M. Barna (1997):

Language

Sapir-Whorf HypothesisBenjamin L. Whorf (1897-1941) and

Edward Sapir (1884-1939)

“Culture is controlled by and controls

language.”

Barriers to Intercultural CommunicationNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

LaRay M. Barna (1997):

Language

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis- Vocabulary

- Grammar and syntax

- Translation problems

Barriers to Intercultural CommunicationNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

Sapir-Whorf HypothesisVocabulary

You can assume that if a language

has a particular rich vocabulary for a thing

or activity in comparison to other language,

that thing or activity is important in that culture.

Barriers to Intercultural CommunicationNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

Sapir-Whorf HypothesisVocabulary

Eskimo language have many words for different kinds of

snow:

qana falling snow; snowflakes

akilukak fluffy fallen snow

aput snow on the ground

kaguklaich snow drifted in rows

piqsirpoq drifting snow

qimuqsuq snowdrift

Barriers to Intercultural CommunicationNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

Sapir-Whorf HypothesisVocabulary

- The Hanunoo tribe has 92 separate single words to refer to rice.

- In most of the languages of Asia, one word means both food and rice.

- Speakers of Guguyimadjir in the Australian state of Queensland have no

words for “right” or “left”.

- The Yanomamo language of southern Venezuela has only three

numbers, which correspond to “one,” “two,” and “more than two”

in English.

- In Japanese language, the four seasons are divided into 24 subseasons

according to the traditional lunar calendar. And each

subseason is divided into the beginning, middle, and end.

Barriers to Intercultural CommunicationNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

Sapir-Whorf HypothesisGrammar and Syntax

- Grammar had an even greater influence than vocabulary.

- In the Eskimo language, there is a consistent use of the word if rather

than when in reference to the future.

- Linguistics have associated the more common use of if in the Eskimo

language with the harsh environment that Eskimos live in,

where life is fragile and there is little control over nature

(Chance, 1966).

- In the word order, English places emphasis on a doer, on an action

taker.

- You are more likely to hear, “I brought my textbook with me” in the

United States and hear “Brought book” in Japan.

Barriers to Intercultural CommunicationNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

Sapir-Whorf HypothesisTranslation problems

Even when cultures speak the same language – as do Australia and the

United States – there can be vocabulary differences. When cultures speak

different languages, translation is critical – but always imperfect.

- Vocabulary equivalence

- Idiomatic equivalence

- Grammatical-Syntactical Equivalence

- Experiential Equivalence

- Conceptual Equivalence

Barriers to Intercultural CommunicationNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

DIMENSIONS OF CULTURE

NM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSISCULTURE

Geert Hofstede (1980):

o Individualism

o Masculinity

o Power Distance

o Uncertainty Avoidance

Dimensions of CultureNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

Loosely structured to tightly integrated.

How a culture’s dominant values are assertive or nurturing.

The distribution of influence within a culture.

A culture’s tolerance of ambiguity and acceptance of risk.

Individualism versus CollectivismThis dimension refers to how people

define themselves and their relationships with

others.

Dimensions of CultureNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

Individualism

The interest of the individual prevails over the interests of the group.

Ties between individual are loose. People look after themselves and their immediate families.

One difference is reflected in who is taken into account when you set goals. In individualist cultures, goals are set with minimal consi-deration given to groups other than perhaps your immediate family.

NM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSISCULTURE

Collectivism

The interest of the group prevails over the interest of the individual.

People are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups that continue throughout a lifetime to protect in exchange for unquestioning loyalty.

In collectivist cultures, other groups are taken into account in a major way when goals are set.

1 United States 36 Malaysia

2 Australia 37 Hong Kong

3 Great Britain 38 Chile

4/5 Canada, The Netherlands 39/41 Thailand, Singapore, West Africa

6 New Zealand 42 El Salvador

7 Italy 43 South Korea

8 Belgium 44 Taiwan

9 Denmark 45 Peru

10/11 Sweden, France 46 Costa Rica

12 Ireland 47/48 Pakistan, Indonesia

13 Norway 49 Colombia

14 Switzerland 50 Venezuela

15 Germany 51 Panama

16 South Africa 52 Ecuador

17 Finland 53 Guatemala

Individualism Rankings for 50 Countries and Three RegionsSOURCE: Hofstede (2001, Exhibit 5.1, p. 215).

Masculinity versus FemininityHofstede (1980) found that women’s social

role varied less from culture to culture than men’s.

He labeled as masculine cultures those that strive

for maximal distinction between what women and

men are expected to do.

Dimensions of CultureNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

Masculinity

Masculine cultures strive for maximal distinction between what women and men are expected to do.

Cultures that place high values on masculine traits:

- Stress assertiveness- Competition- Material success

NM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSISCULTURE

Femininity

Those labeled as feminine cultures are those that permit more overlapping social roles for the sexes.

Cultures that place high value on feminine traits:

- Stress quality of life- Interpersonal- Relationships- Concern for the weak

1 Japan 37/38 Spain, Peru

2 Austria 39 East Africa

3 Venezuela 40 El Salvador

4/5 Italy, Switzerland 41 South Korea

6 Mexico 42 Uruguay

7/8 Ireland, Jamaica 43 Guatemala

9/10 Great Britain, Germany 44 Thailand

11/12 Philippines, Colombia 45 Portugal

13/14 South Africa, Ecuador 46 Chile

15 United States 47 Finland

16 Australia 48/49 Yugoslavia, Costa Rica

17 New Zealand 50 Denmark

18/19 Greece, Hong Kong 51 The Netherlands

20/21 Argentina, India 52 Norway

22 Belgium 53 Sweden

Masculinity Rankings for 50 Countries and Three RegionsSOURCE: Hofstede (2001, Exhibit 6.3, p. 286).

Power DistanceThe way the culture deals with inequalities.

Hofstede (1997) defines power distance

as “the extent to which less powerful members of

institutions and organizations within a country

expect and accept that power is distributed

unequally”

Dimensions of CultureNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

High Power Distance

Children are expected to be obedient toward parents versus being treated more or less as equals.

People are expected to display respect for those of higher status.

- Power is centralized.- There is a wide salary gap

between the top and bottom of the organization.

NM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSISCULTURE

Low Power Distance

In the low power distance workplace, subordinates expect to be consulted, and ideal bosses are democratic.

In more democratic organizations, leaders are physically more accessible.

1 Malaysia 35/36 Argentina, South Africa

2/3 Guatemala, Panama 37 Jamaica

4 Philippines 38 United States

5/6 Mexico, Venezuela 39 Canada

7 Arab countries 40 The Netherlands

8/9 Ecuador, Indonesia 41 Australia

10/11 India, West Africa 42/44 Costa Rica, Germany, Great Britain

12 Yugoslavia 45 Switzerland

13 Singapore 46 Finland

14 Brazil 47/48 Norway, Sweden

15/16 France, Hong Kong 49 Ireland

17 Colombia 50 New Zealand

18/19 El Salvador, Turkey 51 Denmark

20 Belgium 52 Israel

21/23 East Africa, Peru, Thailand 53 Austria

Power Distance Rankings for 50 Countries and Three RegionsSOURCE: Hofstede (2001, Exhibit 3.1, p. 287).

Uncertainty AvoidanceThe extent to which people in a culture feel

threatened by uncertain or unknown situation.

Hofstede explains that this feeling is

expressed through nervous stress and in a need

for predictability or a need for written and unwritten

rules (Hofstede, 1977). In these cultures, such

situations are avoided by maintaining strict codes

of behavior and a belief in absolute truths.

Dimensions of CultureNM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

CULTURE

High Uncertainty Avoidance

Cultures strong in uncertainty avoidance are active, aggressive, emotional, compulsive, security seeking, and intolerant.

- Need for rules, precision and punctuality

NM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSISCULTURE

Low Uncertainty Avoidance

Cultures weak in uncertainty avoidance are contemplative, less aggressive, unemotional, relaxed, accepting of personal risks, and relatively tolerant.

- No more rules than are necessary

- Precision and punctuality have to be learned.

1 Greece 35 The Netherlands

2 Portugal 36 East Africa

3 Guatemala 37 Australia

4 Uruguay 38 Norway

5/6 Belgium, El Salvador 39/40 South Africa, New Zealand

7 Japan 41/42 Indonesia, Canada

8 Yugoslavia 43 United States

9 Peru 44 Philippines

10/15 France, Chile, Spain, 45 India

Costa Rica, Panama, Argentina 46 Malaysia

16/17 Turkey, South Korea 47/48 Great Britain, Ireland

18 Mexico 49/50 Hong Kong, Sweden

19 Israel 51 Denmark

20 Colombia 52 Jamaica

21/22 Venezuela, Brazil 53 Singapore

Uncertainty Avoidance Rankings for 50 Countries and Three RegionsSOURCE: Hofstede (2001, Exhibit 3.1, p. 287).

Reference:

Jandt, Fred E. An Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Identities in a Global Community. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2010.

NM3413 AUDIENCE ANALYSISCULTURE