Perceived communication of emotion in intercultural Estonian-Australian couples in Australia

Abstract

This thesis investigates the communication of emotion in intercultural Estonian-Australian families in Australia from an applied linguistics perspective, situating the study within the fields of intercultural communication and acculturation with a specific focus on emotion. It adds to a growing body of literature on the communication of emotion in intercultural and bilingual contexts (most prominently by Dewaele, Grosjean, Panayiotou, Pavlenko, Piller and Wierzbicka) by drawing attention to a less frequently studied combination of cultures and focusing on the mutual perceptions and interpretations of the informants.Even though globalisation has led to an increase in the number of intercultural families, so far little research has focused on mixed family communication, and even less on the expression and perception of emotion between partners. To contribute towards filling this gap, the present study focuses on cultural differences in emotional behaviour and in its interpretation, specifically on Estonian and Australian partners’ perception of their own and each other’s emotional behaviour. Since emotional behavioural patterns not only vary among cultures and individuals but may also be affected by sustained contact with cultural others, this study also explores the multidirectional influences and patterns of negotiation in the communication of emotion in intercultural Estonian-Australian families.An embedded mixed methods approach was used to gain a detailed picture of the perception of emotional behaviour in Estonian-Australian families. Semi-structured interviews were adopted as the main data-gathering method in combination with an online questionnaire, where the latter provided background information about the participants and context. The interviews were conducted with both partners simultaneously, which enabled the partners to add to or comment on each other’s responses, and therefore compensated for a potential bias in the self-reports. The analysis explored the relationship between the partners’ linguistic and cultural backgrounds and the interpretation of the differing forms of emotional behaviour, together with the perceived changes in the communication of emotion which may occur in intercultural contact.The analysis revealed cultural differences in the expressiveness of the Estonian and Australian partners. Specifically, the Estonian partners were found to be more reserved in their expression of emotion in comparison with their Australian partners. This difference, in turn, emerged as a source of misunderstandings in Estonian-Australian families. The Australians in particular experienced difficulty in interpreting the affective states of their Estonian partners, expecting their partners’ expression of emotion to resemble that of their home culture. One specific area which emerged from the data as problematic was the interpretation of vocal cues accompanying the Estonian partners’ speech. This was related to the different acoustic properties characteristic of Estonian and Australian English, which created difficulties for the Australian partners in interpreting their partners’ affective states. Nevertheless, as illustrated in the present study, the extra challenges related to the cultural differences in the expression of emotion do not prevent the Estonian and Australian partners from succeeding in communicating emotion and in their intercultural relations.The participants reported gradual changes in their expression and perception of emotion over the duration of their relationship. These were related to both intercultural and interpersonal contact. While it is generally considered that immigrants, in this study the Estonian partners, undergo more substantial acculturation than do host cultures, the data show that there is a shift in both the Estonian and Australian partners’ emotional behaviour. In both partners, transitions from the behavioural patterns characteristic of the home culture towards the behavioural traits typical for the partner’s culture were reported. Such shifts were found, however, to be partial, selective, and asymmetrical.Furthermore, intercultural contact within the family context was found to increase one’s emotional competence. Both Estonian and Australian partners reported becoming more aware of cultural differences in the communication of emotion, and acquiring an ability to express and/or interpret an emotion characteristic of the foreign culture and language. The analysis also revealed a shift in the perception of behavioural patterns, where the traits deemed to be typical for their home culture were seen over time as less desirable in comparison with the characteristics of their partners’ culture.The findings of this study demonstrate that close relationships facilitate changes in the partners’ emotional behaviour and contribute to the formation of a hybrid cultural identity within a family micro-culture. Unlike the majority of studies on acculturation, the present research shows that changes in the partners’ emotional behaviour are bidirectional, and are often of a temporary nature and context-dependent, showing the multiple emotional repertoires of the partners. This highlights the complexity of communication of emotion within an intercultural family context, as one of the closest forms of intercultural contact, where both partners’ emotional behaviour is under negotiation and is subject to change.