Importance of Intercultural Communication
Intercultural communication, as you might suspect, is not new. Wandering nomads, religious missionaries, and conquering warriors have encountered people different from themlves since the beginning of time. Tho meetings were frequently confusing and quite often hostile. In ancient times, the recognition of alien differences lacked accompanying cultural knowledge and often elicited the human propensity to respond malevolently to tho differences. This notion was expresd over two thousand years ago by the Greek playwright Aeschylus who wrote, “Everyone’s quick to blame the alien.” This ntiment is still a powerful element in today’s social and political rhetoric. For instance, it is common in today’s society to hear that all of the social and economic problems in the United States are caud by immigrants.
Despite the persistence of this notion, today’s intercultural encounters differ from earlier meetings. They are more abundant and, becau of the interconnectedness of the world, more significant. We can now board a plane and fly anywhere in the world in a mat自拍神器
ter of hours, and the reality of a global economy makes today’s contacts far more commonplace than in any other period of the world’s history. For example, in just a single year, 1994 to 1995, multinational companies boosted their international investments 45 percent to a record $315 billion. Reflect for a moment that the Slupees we drink now come from over a thousand 7-elvens owned by the Japane. The web linking us together becomes vivid when we e a newspaper headline that tells us “Americans Once Again into Africa…And Staying a Lot Longer in Bosnia.” Additionally, the emergence of the information age has allowed us the opportunity to expand our knowledge so that the recognition of cultural differences need not result in hostile encounters. Think of the message nt to the world when U.S and Russian astronauts—who countries a decade ago were archenemies—began to participate in joint space ventures. Ironic and humorous as it might have emed, it reflected a new world order.
家庭会议记录 The above examples emphasize the changes that have taken place throughout the world and at home…
Our rationale for looking at the changes is threefold. First, as the familiar gives way to a new and different world, the entire human race is affected. Second, many of the events that have brought diver groups together have been too subtle to detect and have taken place over a long period. Hence, we believe that many of them may have been overlooked. Finally, by demonstrating both the quantity and quality of the changes, we might be better able to arou your interest in intercultural communication. We begin by looking at the quantity and quality of intercultural contacts, both abroad and at home, and their implications to the study of intercultural communication. Next, we alert you to some of the problems inherent in the study of intercultural communication. Finally, we offer a brief preview of the remaining chapters so that you know what lies ahead.
Diversity of Communication Purpos
Communication problems often occur becau people have different reasons and motivations for deciding why and when to talk. I口腔白斑病n American, where talking is common, the why behind our actions ranges from simple to the complex and covers purpos as diver
as eking the time of day from strangers to “ having our say” as a means of experiencing emotional catharsis. Iqq说说赞n the intercultural tting, this diversity of purpos can prent problems. F补肝or example, on a superficial level, we might be misunderstood if, while traveling in1768年 Turkey, we were to a approach an elderly female advance , particularly by a male stranger, would be quite inappropriate, and our innocent reason for making contact could be misconstrued. A difference of communication purpos would also be en if you were an international manager and asked advice from someone who cultural background does not encourage participatory decision making. In India, for instance, boss, not employees, usually make decisions.
Engaging in emotional outbursts is another illustration in diver communication purpos. In the United States, we often u communication to “get things off our chest” or to “clear the air.” And in many Mediterranean cultures, outward signs of emotion are encouraged and expected. 机器人布里茨However, in many cultures, communication is not ud for emotional purpos. Emotional feelings are left unexpresd for any number of reasons, each one demonstrating how diver cultures are in their u of communication. First, ma
ny cultures believe verbal explosions disrupt the natural peace and harmony that exists between people, and therefore they do not employ communication to express personal feelings. For example, as we noted elwhere, to the Chine肝痛是什么原因, interaction that manifests discord often caus one to lo “face”. For this culture, “ social harmony is prerved when all parties in a social situation behave in a decorous manner.” This means that each person gets to prerve “face” by not using communication for the purpo of challenging or confronting another person.
