GECS05 - Overcoming Communication Barriers in Multicultural Settings

Terms

Language

Is embedded in culture so it is culture and not the language code itself that dictates what is appropriate to say and do in every communication situation.

Lingua Franca

Refers to a language that is used among people who speak various languages.

Inner Circle

Is composed of the English-speaking nations (US, Britain, etc.).

Outer Circle

Includes countries in which English has become a formal language (Singapore, India, etc.) and therefore is considered a second language (ESL).

Expanding Circle

Consists of countries in which English is taught as a foreign language for various reasons (China, Russia, Vietnam, etc.).

Signs, Symbols, and Gestures

__ , __ , and __ can be a potential barrier in communication because they also differ from culture to culture.

Stereotype

Refers to cognitive bias.

Prejudice

Refers to emotional bias.

Taboo

Is a social custom to avoid doing that activity or talking about that subject because people find it embarrassing or offensive.

Food Taboo

Is a type of food that is prohibited because of the cultural and social background of one’s individual.

Cultural Taboos

Are practices prescribed by a particular society as being improper or acceptable in their culture

Ethnocentrism

Is measuring or judging one's own culture against another culture and can lead to judging someone else's culture negatively.

Ethnocentrism

Is also the belief that one's own cultural rules are the best and often better than another culture's rules.

Cultural Relativism

Is the ability to understand a culture on its own terms and not to make judgments using the standards of one's own culture.

Cultural Relativism

The goal of this is to promote understanding of cultural practices that are not typically part of one's own culture.

Cultural Relativism

Using the perspective of __ leads to the view that no one culture is superior to another culture when compared to systems of morality, law, politics, etc.

Cultural Differences

Are variations in cultural traits between cultures, including different music, different languages, different religions, different cultural mores, and so forth.