A Reflection on Cross—cultural Communication

（西南財經大學經貿外語學院，四川 成都 611130）

【Abstract】：This paper aims to analyze the cultural phenomena， especially the cultural conflicts reflected in the video Mind Your Language. It combines theories and some previous researches related to cross-cultural communication， hoping to remind people of cultural awareness and mindful communication in multicultural environments.

【Key words】： cultural phenomena， conflicts， cultural awareness，

Introduction

Different countries have different cultures， thus conflicts appear during the process of cross-cultural communication. Intercultural awareness becomes a prerequisite for successful intercultural communication. This paper focuses on analyzing some cultural phenomena that tend to cause misunderstandings and conflicts during the communication process based on the video Mind Your Language.

1. Theoretical Underpinnings

In this paper， the writer attempts to use the following theories.

1.1. Culture

Culture is a complex frame of reference that consists of patterns of traditions， beliefs， values， and norms that are shared by members of a community. Cultural attributes is culturally shared traditions， beliefs， values， and norms， which deeply shape the communication process. Cross-cultural communication is a symbolic exchange process between people from different cultures.

1.2. Identity Negotiation Theory （INT）

Identity is reflective self-images constructed， experienced， and communicated by individuals within a culture and in a particular situation. INT emphasizes identity is the explanatory mechanism for intercultural communication.

1.3. Stereotype and Ethnocentrism

Stereotype is an over-generalization to an identity group without any attempt to perceive individual variations. Ethnocentrism judges another culture solely by the values and standards of their own.

2. Literature Review

In intercultural communication， the emerging situated discourse and its third-culture effects are not only determined by the composition of cultural backgrounds and linguistic behavior of the co-participants， but by their （mis）interpretation and attributions of linguistic action. People can’t rely entirely on their own cultural norms but adapt to some foreign cultural norms and actions. Stereotype is one of the most widely acknowledged obstacles to intercultural communication. It’s a belief of people in a social category and represents cultural ideological statement.

The writer finds most researches focused solely on the theoretical analysis of cross-cultural communication. Therefore， for a better understanding of the intercultural communication process， the writer employs a specific case for further interpretation.

3. Case analysis

The writer resorts to discourse analysis. Mind Your Language， a British comedy television series， was set in an adult education college in London and focused on English as a Foreign Language taught by Mr. Brown， who dealt with many foreign students. This analysis focuses on the beginning of the series. When people from different cultures gathered together， misunderstandings and conflicts happened.

3.1. Cultural Attributes

In this video， the Japanese bowed to the teacher before speaking. Japanese people think bow is a way to show respect， so they always do so when they talk to others. People from southern Europe， like the Italian and the Athenian， were excited when speaking. They had many body languages. However， people from other places， such as Mr. Brown， misunderstood it. Moreover， the Pakistani student shocked his head a lot. In Pakistan， the meaning of shaking and nodding one’s head means “OK”. Unluckily， the principal didn’t know the cultural difference. She misunderstood him.

3.2. Identity Conflicts

Two India students hated each other， because of different religions. This is ethnic identity which is linked closely with shared beliefs of a group of people. It is a subjective allegiance to a group. The German woman was proud of her country. While the Japanese refuted her with that Japanese were much more efficient. Meanwhile， the Chinese woman thought Chairman Mao was the greatest person and felt proud of being a Chinese. Therefore， we can find the ethnocentric tendencies. The stereotype appears after the German woman introduced herself. Mr. Brown said it is the usual German efficiency. The word “usual” shown his stereotype to the German.

3.3. Language

Influenced by their mother tongue and ways of speaking， different people speak English in different ways. We can see this from their pronunciation. In this video， the Chinese woman tended to pronounce /r/ to /l/. She read “l(fā)ost” like “rost”. Japanese are confused by the sound of /r/ and /l/ too and he pronounced “television” as “terevision”. Besides， due to the habit of Japanese pronunciation， they are used to add a sound like /?u/ to the end of some words， such as learningo（ learning）. The Italian student added a sound like /da/ to many words， like cookada（ cook）. What’s more， the Pakistan student pronounced “enroll” as “unroll”. The Athenian pronounced “ship” as “sheep”， which caused misunderstanding.

Conclusion

Globalization has made cross-cultural communication a necessity. The mobility of people and the contact between countries have greatly increased cross-cultural communication. When we conduct communication with people from different cultures， we should pay much attention to the misunderstandings and conflicts which will be caused easily and try to be mindful.

Reference

[1] Yu weihua， Readings in Intercultural Studies， Wuhan： Wuhan University， 2006. Print.

[2]Zhouna， “A Dynamic Study of Cultural Stereotype in Intercultural Communication”， Beijing： China University of Petroleum， 2009. Print.

[3] Ou yapeng， “Intercultural Conflicts and Dialogue from the Perspective of Multicultural Discourse”， Harbin： Harbin Institute of Technology， 2012. Print.