Korean African American Native American
Arab
Greek
Between HC & LC
Latin Italian
• French, English and Italian
English French
LC cultures
• North America • Northern European Countries
meaning A perception, thought, or feeling that a person experiences and might want to
interpret
communicate with others.
message The “package” of symbols that is used to create shared meanings.
♦ (3) Communication is transactional
All participants in the communication process work together to create and sustain the meanings that develop.
Sender
② social context: types of social relationships that exist between sender and receiver.
2.1 Characteristics of Communication
♦ (5) Communication is a process
2.1 Characteristics of Communication
♦ (3) Communication is transactional
③ Transactional View 交际执行观
Person 1
Message
Person 2
• no pure senders or pure receivers • emphasize shared creation of messages • aim at seeking understanding and developing
Fail, Exit to Philippines, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia
The hand beckoning
A signal to call people China A signal to call small animal U.S., Canada
Sender
Feedback: ongoing responses
Receiver
② Interactional View 交际互动观
• emphasize interpretation • recognize receiver’s feedback • but still sender-oriented • aim at influencing and controlling the receiver
Meanings are invented or created by people as they participate in the ordinary and everyday activities that form the context for common interpretations.
talkative, elaborating and using redundancies(LC) VS.
nondisclosive, sneaky and mysterious (HC)
(2) HC cultures do not value verbal communication the same way as do LC cultures. more verbal more attractive in US
VS. less verbal more attractive in Korea (3) HC cultures are more reliant on the nonverbal communication than the LC cultures.
(4) People from HC cultures expect more nonverbal communication than do interactants in LC cultures.
The finger beckoning
1 In the U.S, it’s a signal to call people. 2 In the oriental east like Japan, it is a rude gesture. 3 In Singapore, curling the index finger signifies death.
American Scandinavian
German German-Swiss
2.2 Intercultural Communication
(1) Explicit forms of communication such as verbal codes are prevalent in LC cultures.
The” v” gesture sign
In the U.S., it stands for victory or peace. Across the continent in England, the “V” is a rude challenge.
The” Thumbs-up” sign
Take a lift North America
Two outcomes

Understanding: participants have imposed similar shared interpretations about what the messages actually mean.
② reaching agreement on the particular issues that have been discussed.
Communication events are unique, as identical experiences can take on vastly different meanings at different stages of the process.
♦ (6) Communication involves shared meanings
2.2 Intercultural Communication
HC cultures
Japanese Chinese
• the Orient, China, Japan and Korea
• American Indian, Latin America
• Eastern Mediterranean countries
Man, Your father, old fogey Japan, Korea
Enough Greece
Very rude Nigeria
Good China, Australia, Britain, America
Pray lucky
America, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Holland
personal relationship
low-context messages
• Explicit, elaborated, clearly communicated and highly specific. EX: courts of law, mathematics,
computer language
The” Thumbs-down” sign
Bad lucky French, Mexico
Stop or pour water Tunisia Taunt Australia
Down China
Hate Greece
Disagree, other lost Britain, America, Philippines
a setting or situation, the place where people meet, the social purpose for being together, and the nature of the relationship.
Context
① physical context: actual location of the interactants.
2.2 Intercultural Communication
World cultures(Hall)
high-context message
• Implicit, integrated with the environment or the context, unavailable in the explicit verbal utterance. EX: conversation between lifelong friends,
Culture
2.1 Characteristics of Communication
♦ (1) Communication is symbolic.
symbol A word, action, or object that stands for a
unit of meaning.
represent
Communication
A symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual process in which people create shared meanings.(P20)