InterculturalCommunication.docx
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InterculturalCommunication.docx
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InterculturalCommunication
Intercultural-Communication
ABriefCommentontheContradictionBetweenEasternandWesternCultures
DaiHuan
Abstract:
ThefrequentculturalcontradictionbetweentheEastandWestaffectsthefluentcommunication.Soitisnecessarytopointoutitsdeepcausesandadoptcertainmeasuresforenhancingthecapabilityofinterculturalcommunication.
KeyWords:
interculturalcommunication,culturalcontradiction,capability
WiththedeepeningofChina’sreformandopeningtotheoutsideworld,moreandmorepeopleandthingsfromtheWestarecomingintooursight.Sowehavemoreopportunitiestocontactdirectlywiththem,whichispositiveforourstandingofWesternsocietybutbynomeanseasy.Wehavetomeetpeoplefromunfamiliarculturalbackgrounds,whosethinkingpatterns,lifestyleandbehaviorareutterlydifferentfromours.Consequently,culturalcontradictionsareinevitable.
1.Contradictionsoccurring
1.1Contradictionconcerningprivacy
Intheaspectofprivacy,theChinesearegenerallyfrankanddirect,andhavelittleprivateroom.Thebelievethatindividualsbelongtothecollectiveandshouldbeunitedandcaringforeachother.Sotheyarereadytoinquireandpoureachother’shappinessandsufferings.However,Westernersemphasizesprivacyandpersonalroom,unwillingtomentiontheirownbusiness,letalonehavingothersinterfereinit.Thus,contradictiontakesplace.Forinstance,Chinesepeopletendtoinquireeachother’sage,marrigecondition,children,career,andevenincome,which,intheChineseconception,isshowingpoliteness,whereastoWesternersitisanoffenceagainsttheirrightofprivacy.
1.2Contradictionconcerningtiming
Westernersholdatightconnectionbetweentimeandmoney,sotheytreasuretheirtime.Theyhavelongdevelopedahabbitofplanningcarefullyandmakingappointmentsontime.InWesternsociety,youmustmakenoticeorappointmentinadvance,accertainingthepurpose,timeandsitethroughnegotiation,ifyoupayavisittoaperson.Chinesepeople,onthecontrary,areanationofpolychronicalculture,whichleadstoamorespontaneousandunstructuredlifestyle——characteristicsthatoftenconfuseandfrustrateWesterners.
1.3Contradictionconcerningpoliteformulas
TheChineseseemover-modestincommunicationandseeitasavirtue.Whenpraisedbyothers,theysayasasignofmodesty,
2.1.Differentthinkingpatterns
Thespecificcultureinwhichpeoplelivedefinestheirconceptionoftheworld.Westerncultureemphasizeslogicalandanalyticalthinking,whiletheChinesethinkingpatternstressesintegratedintuition.SotheChinesevalueexperieceandfeelingintheirconception,andtendtousethesetounderstandothers’.CompairedwithWesternthinking,theChinesepatternhasareobviouslygeneralandvague.Itgraduallydevelopesintoafixedone,withwhichChinesepeoplesimplifytheirconception.Someaspectsofthisfixedthinkingarewrongorfar-fetched,whichwillleadtomistakesininterculturalcommunication,thoughotheraspectscorrect.
2.2.Differentcodesofconduct
Codesofconductmeanmoralcriteriaandbehavingnormsthataregenerallyacceptedbythewholesociety.Simplyspeaking,theytellpeoplewhattodoorwhatnottodo.Peopletendtojudgethereasonabilityoftheotherparty’sbehaviorwiththeirowncommunity’scodes.Butsincethereexistdifferencesbetweenthetwosetsofcodes,misunderstanding,angerorevenworseresultscomeintobeing.Forinstance,Chinesepeoplepatchildren’sheadasasignoffondness,whilethisis,inWesterncountries,aconductofshockingdisrespectforthem,whoseparentswillbeinfuriated.Tosmoothinterculturalcommunication,peoplehavetoabidebythecodesofconductintheotherculture,especiallythosedefiningwhatistaboo.Thebestprincipleisto“doastheRomansdo”.
2.3.Differentvalues
Theabilitytocommunicateisformedinsocialization,andthereforeconnectedwithsocialvalues.Everyculturehasitsparticularsystemofvalues,whichcannotstandseparatefromtheculture.Sinceeverysystemhasitsownreasontoexist,wecannotjudgewhichoneismoreadvancedthananother.Forexample,Chinesepeoplethinkhighlyofmodestyandpoliteness,feelathomeeverywhereandinwhateversituationtheyare,anddespisepersonalambition.Meanwhilesocietydiscouragesoutstandingindividualswhopursuetheirownprominenceandthusareseenasextremeindividualists.
However,Westernculturesvalueindividualism,whilepeoplewithnogumptionarelookdownuponaslazyandincapable.HumanismtakesrootsinWesternsociety,wherepeopleadvocateindependentthinkingandjudgment,achieveindividualsuccessthroughabilityandhardwork,andregardindividualinterestasinviolable.Consequently,theuseoflanguageisdifferentindifferentcultures;thecodesofconductinoneculturecannotbeappliedtoanother.Anyviolationorinsensitivityoftheabovelawwillcausecommunicatingfailure,whichsometimesendsingreatlosses.Forinstance,China’scashmereproductsenjoysgoodreputationontheinternationalmarket.Acashmerefactoryexporteditsqualityquiltstrademarkedas“Shuangyang”whichweretranslatedas“Goats”intoEnglish,andexpecteddecentsales,onlytofindtheproductsunmarketable.Thereasonisthattheword“goat”hasaconnotativemeaningof“lecher”besidesitsliterarymeaning.Withsuchanawfulname,thissortofquiltswereutterlyunacceptabletogirlsorhousewivesnomatterhowhigh-qualifiedorcomfortabletheymightbe.
(2)
2.Solution:
toenhancestudents’capabilityofinterculturalcommunicationthroughEnglishteaching
Fromtheaboveanalysis,wecanseemanyculturalcontradictionsinEast-Westcommunication,whichobstructsthecommunicativeeffect.Tosolvethisproblem,wemustdevelopstudents’capabilityofdealingwithdifferentcultures.
3.1.Teachersshouldtransformtheirteachingideasandmethods.Underthecurrenteducationalsystem,foreignlanguageteachingisusuallyconductedintheclassroomonly,whereteacherspredominate.Ifteachersemphasizemeregrammarandvocabulary,studentswillneverlearntoapplytheirknowledgetorealsituation,nottomentionacquiringtheabilitytohandleinterculturalcommunication.Soteachersmustrealizethehazardofculturalcontradictionandtheimportanceofinterculturalcommunicationability.Atthesametime,theyshouldcontinuetheirstudiestoimprovetheirownquality.OnlythroughconstanteffortscantheycontrolthequantityandqualityoftheteachingofEnglishculture,manipulatethespecificteachingstepsandmethod,andachievetheteachinggoals.(3)
3.2.Thepresentteachingmethodshouldbeimproved.Emphasishaslongbeenputonimpartinglanguageknowledge,whilethecultivationofinterculturalcommunicationabilityisneglected.Tochangethissituation,wemustenhanceteachingmethods,opptimizethequantityandqualityofclassroomteaching,andmakefulluseofmodernteachingtechniquestomobilizestudents’initiatives.Besides,wemaygivespecialforumstomeettheirlearningenthusiasmandtocultivatetalentsofinterculturalcommunication.Butwemustinsurethatthenewcontentsarecloselyrelatedtostudents’languageknowledgeandtotheapplicationofcommunication.
3.3.Non-verbalcommunicationskillsshouldbestressedasanindispensablecommunicatingform.Non-verbalcommunicationreferstotheprocessofcommunicatingandunderstandingwithoutlanguageundercertaincircumstances.Non-verbalsignsarenotlinguisticunits,buttheyindicateparticularmeanings,varyingwithdifferentcultures.Forexample,Chinesepeoplebelieveintheproverb“Silenceisgold”.Theythinkthatindeliberatesilencethereexistsalotofhiddeninformationoreventhat“Silencemeansmorethanutterance”.ButthisoftenannoysWesterners.WhentwoWesternerstalk,thelistenerusuallylookattentativelyintotheeyesofthespeakerandusesbodylanguagetoshowhisattentionaswellasrespect.However,theChineseregardthisasimpolitebecausetheyarenotaccustomedtobeingwatchedsolong.(4)
3.4.TeachersshoulddirectstudentstoapproachextensivelythematerialsaboutWesterncultures.
ThetimeforclassroomEnglishteachingislimited,whilestudents’haveabundanttimeattheirdisposalafterclass.Soteachersshouldnotonlyenhancestudents’interculturalabilityduringclasstime,butalsoleadthemtoreadEnglishliteraryworks,newspapers,magazinesandcurrentissuecommentsingreatquantitiesintheirsparetime,soastoincreasetheirculturalknowledge,improvetheircultivation,expandtheirsight,andenhancetheirinterculturalability.Besides,collegesthathaveforeignteachersmaygivefullplaytothissuperiority,fortheyarelivingtextbooksofWesternculture.CommunicationwiththoseteachersandtheirreportswillenablestudentstostartthejourneyofWesternculture.
References
1.LiuYunqing.ResearchMethodsinForeignLanguageTeaching.ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress,2004
2.XuGuo.“OnCulturalDifferenceandCultivationofInterculturalAbility”.ChongqingUP,2006
3.HuaHoukun.“OnCollegeEnglishTeachinginInterculturalCommunication”.HeilongjiangHigherEducationResearch,2005
4.WuFengzhen.“CulturalContradictionBetweentheEastandtheWest.”SuihuaNormalCollegeUP,2003
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