Intercultural Misunderstandings Research Articles

Communicative styles in English and German

In this paper cultural differences in communicative styles preferred by speakers of German and English are presented, and their impact on intercultural misunderstandings and the ascription of politeness or impoliteness is discussed. Concretely, five dimensions along which these cultural differences (as outcomes of extensive contrastive-pragmatic work can be placed) are introduced and exemplified. Further, the value and the explanatory power these dimensions might have for culture clashes and for the perception of misunderstanding and (im)politeness are discussed.

Intercultural aspects of the speech act of promising: Western and African practices

This paper examines the reasons for a frequent intercultural misunderstanding between Africans and Westerners with regard to promising. After studying the conditions of use for the act of promising in each culture, I look at the cultural premises underlying these conditions of use for the act of promising in each culture. I argue that the notions of sincerity and commitment so closely attached to the Western promise stem in fact from the deeper level of Western cultural premises and that the African promise is typically informed by different cultural premises, even though commitment can be attached to an African promise through a verbal negotiation.

Speech acts as intercultural danger zones: A cross-cultural comparison of the speech act of apologising in Irish and Chilean soap operas

Intercultural communication presents many challenges and one of them refers to the need to create awareness about the importance of understanding speech acts cross-culturally. Speech acts are what the writer or speaker is doing in uttering a particular form of words, and their focus is on meaning (speaker's intention). The recognition of the meaning of a particular speech act in a given cultural setting is at the heart of successful intercultural communication. Speech acts are considered universal, nevertheless research shows that they can manifest differently across languages and cultures. This cross-cultural difference in language use is indicative of broader socio-cultural differences that underline language in use internationally and certainly it is at this level that much inter-cultural misunderstanding has its origin. This paper focuses on the speech act of apologising, and it draws on two linguistic datasets or corpora for its analysis: one comprising two hours from an Irish soap opera Fair City and the other comprising two hours of comparable data from Amores de Mercado, a Chilean soap opera. These data are transcribed to form an electronic corpus for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Extracts of data containing the speech act of apologising in both sets of data are compared and the socio-pragmatic implications for meaning and intercultural communication are discussed.

’n Skande- versus ’n skuldgeoriënteerde gewete: ’n Verklaring vir die botsing tussen die Afrikakultuur en die Westerse kultuur?

A shame-oriented versus a guilt-oriented conscience: An explanation of the conflict between African and Western cultures? Not only mutual intercultural enrichment but also intercultural misunderstanding, frustration and even conflict are daily realities in the ten year old “new” South Africa. Thus it is important not merely to acknowledge that the cultures of Africa and the West are different, but it is of even greater importance to understand why they differ. This article deals with a model taking two kinds of conscience as starting point of an analysis. A good conscience according to the West requires justice (obedience to norms), while a bad conscience is the result of guilt (transgression of norms). Guilt requires restitution and retribution. By contrast, a good conscience according to African reasoning is the result of honour and acceptance by one’s community as a outcome of one’s compliance with its ideals. A bad conscience results from one’s failure to comply with one’s responsibility towards one’s fellowmen. In such a case the offender experiences shame – the consequence of exclusion and rejection. Reconciliation and reinclusion in society is of utmost importance. Because the aim of this article is to provide theoretical insight and practical guidance, it starts with a number of practical problems experienced in everyday life in the encounter between African and Western culture. This is followed by a brief overview of seven existing models describing the differences between the two cultures. Subsequently the typology of “shame versus guilt” is described and evaluated in the light of Scripture. The concluding section is an effort to solve, in the light of this new approach to the two cultures, the practical, day-to-day problems mentioned at the beginning.

Intercultural pragmatics: a cognitive approach

The main purpose of this paper is to explore pragmatic misunderstandings caused by intercultural factors. My thesis is that misunderstandings are caused not by difficulty in drawing the intended implicature, but primarily by lack of access to the correct explicature of the utterance. The explicit vs. implicit nature of the conveyed meaning is the key to the explanation of pragmatic misunderstanding. This argument is based on some assumptions supported by Relevance Theory, namely the ostensive-inferential character of linguistic communication and the difference between explicature and implicature. Some examples of intercultural misunderstanding will be discussed, and some consequences drawn. For instance, one parameter that increases the risk of misunderstanding is the quality of the audience’s linguistic knowledge. My hypothesis is that the greater the audience’s mastery of the speaker’s language, the greater the risk of intercultural mis- understanding. The reason is that speakers tend to attribute to non-native speakers cultural background which is in due proportion to their own mastery of language and therefore do not necessarily imply the right explicature of the utterance. This thesis will constitute the starting point for a useful contribution about what the minimal conditions for successful inter- cultural communication should be. In conclusion, a sketch of the empirical field for intercultural pragmatics will be given.

Establishing a National Standard and English Language Curriculum Change in Kenya

The paper revisits the debate on the new forms of English and proposes a curricular reform that would make the teaching of English in Africa effective and profitable. The discussion is based on sample texts from Kenyan users of English and relates the linguistic form to the sociocultural contexts in which the language is used. The paper argues for the identification and codification of a local standard English anchored on the performance of 'educated and articulate' Kenyans and not on the nativespeaker model. The paper then recommends a curriculum reform that focuses on language use and function and that situates language teaching in the social–cultural and historical context of the learners and teachers. Doing this would make English language learning and teaching relevant to the aspirations of the people. Finally, the paper also argues that multiple standards of English around the world will not necessarily foster intercultural misunderstanding, but on the contrary, it would enhance mutual respect and increase intercultural interaction.

Interkulturelle Missverständnisse in der Migrationsforschung

The number of publications in Germany on the topic of migration is constantly growing. In most of this work, “native authors” — in other words, Germans — are the ones who observe, interview, and write about the “others”, the migrants. For those who adhere to the notion of the universal validity of academic research, the social gap between “authors” and “objects” of science has no meaning for the research process. In this contribution, in contrast, it is argued, that this gap is anything but irrelevant for the results of such investigations. The research process continually generates intercultural misunderstandings and researchers’ interpretations reveal prejudices which bear the stamp of concepts from everyday life in mainstream German society.

Introducing human rights into conflict resolution: The relevance for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process

The search for a better understanding of the Israeli/Palestinian peace process is not only timely and related to the authors' own particularistic concern with the collapse of the process but also reflects a universalistic outlook. With the nature of conflict around the world changing from predominantly international to intra-national, the question of rights for the members of communities involved in various struggles arises at a more significant level. Within this context, this article explores the issues at stake in our own conflict. While there may be other important reasons for the breakdown of the Oslo Process - such as leadership failure, intercultural misunderstandings, contending negotiating styles and previous traumatic experiences - the prospects for 'humanizing the peace process' need to be revisited, appraising its added value and creative outlooks.

Euclid in China: The Genesis of the First Chinese Translation of Euclid's Elements, Books I-VI (Jihe yuanben, Beijing, 1607) and Its Reception up to 1723 (review)

As part of the Jesuits' programme of introduction to European culture, in 1607 the Elements of Euclid (+ 300 BC) were translated for the first time into Chinese. The translation of this epoch-making ancient Greek textbook on deductive geometry meant a confrontation of contemporary Chinese and European cultures. Part I of Peter Engelfriet's work deals mainly with the European and Chinese backgrounds, part II with linguistic and textual matters. In part III the manner in which learned Chinese tried to integrate this new knowledge into their own, Chinese, mathematical and cultural traditions comes to the fore. This fascinating work explores in depth and at various levels the circumstances and mechanisms that shaped the transmission of a key work of science from one language and cultural context onto another. Consequently it offers often surprising insights into the ways of intercultural exchange and misunderstandings.

The Notion of Misunderstanding in Intercultural Communication

Misunderstanding (MU) is a central working category in Intercultural Communicaton (ICC) studies. Generally speaking, MUs have gained the role of a raison-d'être for studying ICC, in particular under the premise that the communication in question is between cultural others, thus transforming MU into intercultural MU. In other studies, conflicts, uncomfortable moments, and miscontextualization in terms of sociocultural knowledge become indicative for ICC. Thus making MU criterial for ICC. Both positions are somehow biased and leave MU mystically underdefined. In order to escape such uncritical allround function of MU, all MUs should be of a comparable kind - under all premises.

An Intervention Strategy to Managing Diversity: Discerning Conventions

The article presents a strategy to minimize disadvantages and maximize advantages of diversity in multinational groups. Members of multinational groups require the skill to recognize cultural differences between group members if they want to deal with intercultural misunderstandings and realize high quality and originality in work. They must discern differences in behavioural standards which may cause mis- and non-understandings during group discussions, and they must determine different ways of defining problems and solving them. Different theoretical assumptions are made concerning the conceptualization of cultural differences as conventions. In multinational groups communication and task conventions can be distinguished. The different communication conventions cause interpersonal misunderstandings. Participants of a training programme learn to use an algorithm for discerning cultural differences. It includes detecting mis- and non-understandings, making conventions explicit, and negotiating conventions. The aim of making task conventions explicit is to obtain a larger number of alternatives to interpret a problem, to solve it, and to evaluate it. The algorithm of discerning conventions is learned with the technique of leading questions Fisher, 1980; Vygotsky, 1978, which is demonstrated to a group of participants which work together on a real task.

Social Work Practice in Situations of Intercultural Misunderstandings

SUMMARY This article discusses research on the difficulties of practicing social work ie a multicultural and multiethnic context. The research is based on critical incidents involving 40 social workers in the most “ethnic” public social service centers in Montreal in 1990-1992. The most significant incidents of culture shock between workers from a developed western-type society and clients from developing non-western societies relate to a different notion of the role of social services, different ways of bringing up children, unequal relationships between men and women, a different concept of the family and to a different concept of physical and mental health. The author emphasizes that a better understanding of culture shock and an effort to identify and analyze these sensitive zones of intercultural encounter can have a definite impact on the practice and training of social workers.

Misunderstanding in Intercultural Communication

Misunderstanding in intercultural communication may result from many different and possibly interacting sources such as inadequate perception, inappropriate comprehension at different linguistic levels, gaps in interlocutors' knowledge of the world, uncooperativeness on the part of one or both of the interlocutors, or their inability to assemble and realize an intercultural move that is expected by the partner at this particular point in the interaction. Given this complexity, any analysis of misunderstandings must be approached in an interdisciplinary manner such that different research traditions can be taken into account. In this article, an overview of a number of research traditions relevant for investigating intercultural misunderstandings is given and the results of an ongoing project featuring conversations from a corpus of naturally occurring everyday talk, fieldnotes and diary-entries as well as open role plays between members of different linguacultures are discussed. This primary data is triangulated by introspective reports, narrative interviews and metapragmatic assessment data. The results of this project essentially confirm the findings of earlier contrastive pragmatic analyses (German-English), which I conducted with different subjects, data and methodologies. Given this converging evidence, the assumption of deep-seated differences in communitive preferences and expectation patterns between members of the linguacultures I examined may not be totally unwarranted.

Intercultural and intrapersonal processes and factors of misunderstanding: Implications for multicultural training

Success or failure of intercultural communication depends on the extent to which each person understands the subjective culture of the other. The nonverbal dimension of communication dominates in many intercultural situations. While strange gestures create a state of non understanding, external kinetic similarity of gestures, found frequently throughout different cultures, leads to a high degree of mis understanding. Following a presentation of empirical findings on intercultural misunderstanding, the paper analyzes several functions and processes in cases of correct decoding, conscious nonunderstanding, and unconscious misunderstanding according to theories of cognitive dissonance and tension reduction. It develops the concept of interpretation-certainty and its interpersonal functions in the communication process. A model of “Communication Quality” is presented. In contrast to the positive contribution of high certainty with regard to correct understanding, its effect on communication fluency in the case of mis understanding is highly negative. In order to raise communication quality, a training activity, aimed at certainty-reduction, was developed and tested. The comparison of certainty level resulted in highly significant differences between training and control groups as well as for the training group itself for pretest and posttest comparisons. The proposed training strategy contributes directly to a reduction of low “communication quality”. It is culture-general and may be effective for as many types of individuals in the intercultural encounter. Moreover, it also contributes to the development of cultural sensitivity and respect for cultural diversity.

Marginal paradises: Bungalow tourism on the islands of Southern Thailand

In a longitudinal comparative study, some current issues concerning the nature, penetration, and impact of youth tourism on two beaches on two differentially developed islands in southern Thailand are examined. The beaches are “marginal paradises”—touristic paradises marginal to both the life plan of the tourists and the ecology and economy of the native society. Contrary to a widespread idea, vacationing youth tourists seek mainly “recreational” experiences, resembling those sought by most mass tourists, and show marked narcissistic tendencies. They have few relations among themselves or with the natives. Superficial native friendliness covers up a deeper resentment of the foreigners; while nude bathing causes inter-cultural misunderstanding, animosity finds expression in tourist- oriented crime. Though tourism development is of the small scale “craft” type, its benefits for the surrounding native villages are few, especially on the more developed island, where urban businessmen control the beach. The study lends some support to the multi-lineal model of touristic development, with the two beaches mainfesting differential development dynamics

Intercultural misunderstandings about health care: Recall of descriptions of illness and treatment

Noncompliance with medical instructions is a major problem in health care. In areas of the world where traditional and Western systems co-exist, failure to follow medical directives has been attributed to the conscious rejection of Western medical beliefs and values by the indigenous population. This study provides evidence that the absence of shared concepts between practitioners and patients may impede even willing compliance. When patients do not possess the background knowledge, or schemata, undergirding the Western practitioners' conclusions and proposed treatment, they are unable to fully understand what is communicated because they lack the conceptual framework for integrating and holding the information presented. Matched groups of Australian Aboriginal and American women heard and recalled two stories incorporating Aboriginal and Western conceptions of illness and treatment. Analysis of the recall protocols reveals the effect of culture-based schemata on comprehension of the two stories. Implications for health care delivery are discussed.

The Puerto Rican patient: some historical, cultural and psychological aspects.

The Puerto Rican Patient: Some Historical, Cultural and Psychological AspectsVictor J. Teichner, James J. Cadden and Gail W. BerryVictor J. Teichner∗ Send communications to Victor J. Teichner, M. D., 145 East 84th Street, New York, New York 10028.Search for more papers by this author, James J. CaddenSearch for more papers by this author and Gail W. Berry1 Metropolitan Hospital Center, New York, New York and New York Medical College, New York, New York.2 Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, New York and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online::July 2017https://doi.org/10.1521/jaap.1.1981.9.2.277PDFPDF PLUS ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations AboutReferencesAbad V. and Boyce E. (1979), Issues in psychiatric evaluations of Puerto Ricans: A socio-cultural perspective, J. Operational Psychiatry, 10, 28–39. Google ScholarBarron E. and Richardson J. A. (1978), Counseling women for tubal sterilization, Health Social Work, 3. Google ScholarEncyclopedia Britannica (1974), 15th Ed. Google ScholarFernandez-Marina R. (1961), The Puerto Rican syndrome: Its dynamics and cultural determinants, Psychiatry, 24, 79–82. Google ScholarFernandez-Marina R., Maldonado-Sierra E. D., and Trent R. D. (1958), Three basic themes in Mexican and Puerto Rican family values, J. Soc. Psychol., 48, 167–181. Google ScholarFitzpatrick J. P. and Gould R. E. (1968), Mental illness among Puerto Ricans in New York: Cultural conditions or intercultural misunderstandings?, Task Force paper prepared for the Joint Commission on Mental Health for Children, Chevy Chase, Md. Google ScholarGeismar L. L. and Gerhart U. C. (1968), Social class, ethnicity, and family functioning: Exploring some issues raised by the Moynihan Report, J. Marriage Family, 20, 480–487. Google ScholarLauria A. (1964), Respeto, relajo and interpersonal relations in Puerto Rico, Anthropol. Q., 37, 53–67. Google ScholarLewis O. (1965), La Vida, Random House, New York. Google ScholarMaldonado-Sierra E. D., Trent R. D., and Fernandez-Marina R. F. (1960), Neurosis and traditional family beliefs in Puerto Rico, Int. J. Social Psychiatry, 6, 237–246. Google ScholarMeyer G. G. (1977), The professional in the Chicano community, Psychiat. Ann., 7, VI. Google ScholarMinuchin S., Montalvo B., Gerney B. G., Rosman B. L., and Sheimer F. (1967), Families of the Slums, Basic Books, New York p. 238. Google ScholarPadilla A. M. and Ruiz R. A. (1973), Latino Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, Md. Google ScholarRendon M. (1974), Transcultural aspects of Puerto Rican mental illness in New York, Int. J. Soc. Psychiatry, 20, 19. Google ScholarRodriguez C. (1974), Puerto Ricans: Between black and while, N. Y. Affairs, 1, 94. Google ScholarRothenberg A. (1964), Puerto Rico and aggression, Am. J. Psychiatry, 120, 962–970. Google ScholarU. S. Commission on Civil Rights (1976), Puerto Ricans in the Continental United States: An Uncertain Future, Washington D. C. Google ScholarU. S. Department of Commerce, Population Division, Bureau of The Census (1977), Persons of Spanish Origin in the United States, Washington, D. C., No. 310, p. 20. Google Scholar Previous article Next article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Cited byCited by1. Systems Theory: The Case of EsperanzaOnline publication date: 30 November 2020. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar2. Uncommon Strategies for a Common Problem: Addressing Racism in Family TherapyOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar3. Institutional racism: An analysis of the mental health system.Online publication date: 1 January 1993. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar4. Clinical Diagnosis among Diverse Populations: A Multicultural PerspectiveOnline publication date: 31 July 2018. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar5. The Effect of Race on Puerto Rican WagesOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar6. Ataques de nervios in the Puerto Rican diagnostic interview schedule: The impact of cultural categories on psychiatric epidemiologyOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar7. The multiple meanings of ataques de nervios in the Latino communityOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar Volume 9Issue 2Apr 1981 Information© 1981 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.PDF download

The juggernaut metaphor in American rhetoric

In international affairs, as in all other human relationships, cliches are often a troublesome but always a necessary part of communication. An example is the Juggernaut metaphor. Originating in intercultural misunderstanding, it was widely used by Americans in the early nineteenth century and revealed much about their attitudes toward the Orient.