InterculturalCommunication.docx

InterculturalCommunication.docx

《InterculturalCommunication.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《InterculturalCommunication.docx（5页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

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