Chapter 1

Introduction to Intercultural competence

The purpose of The purpose of this book is to provide conceptual tools for understanding
this book how cultural differences can affect your interpersonal communications. It
will help us learn how to communicate with people from many cultures,
because competent intercultural communication has become essential; since
every day experiences involve interactions with people from different
backgrounds and believes. This book also provides suggestions concerning
the adjustments necessary to achieve competence when dealing with these
cultural differences. Provide a conceptual framework for intercultural
communication.
The five  The demographic: cultural diversity is a nationwide phenomenon,
imperatives for which means that various cultures are present in every country. The
intercultural United States is now a multicultural society due to immigrant groups
competence of people that come to the country. Over 20 percent of the people in
the United States-or one in five- speak a language other than
English.
 The technological: there is a world wide web of interconnections
that technology has created that allows people all over the world to
communicate with one another from long distances. Intercultural
links are reinforced by the ease with which people can now travel to
other places. Technology facilitates human interactions across the
 globe and in real time.
 The economic: globalization-the integration of capital, technology
and information across national borders- is creating a global
marketplace. International tourism, international education,
corporation movements, and the US workplace.
 The peace: live peacefully in pluralistic societies is a big concern,
there are high indices of hate crimes related to race, culture, religion,
and social group memberships. “Culture is the single most important
global communication issue”
 The interpersonal: the creation of intercultural relationships is what
helps maintain peace and creates successful communication
connections.

Communication “Communication is a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual

process in which people create shared meanings”

Application Types of communication

 There is an actional view of communication that goes in only one
 direction, the sender’s goal is to persuade the receiver; sender is not
interested in understand others (telling and selling). Teachers that
use traditional styles have a much institutionalized classroom
environment where students sit, listen and take notes; there is no
feedback or message expected from them and the teachers is the
only one that does the talking.
 The interactional view of communication where the goal is to
influence and control the receiver; receiver provides ongoing
responses called feedback, the sender needs to adjust perceptions to
continue influencing the receiver. Sales people usually communicate
in this form, they try to sell you something you provide your
feedback and they adjust their response to try to convince you.
 The transactional view goal is to improve one’s knowledge, to seek
understanding, to develop agreements, and to negotiate shared
meanings. There are not pure senders or receivers, rather all parts
simultaneously interpret multiple messages at all moments.
Transactional communication occurs when teachers that practices
constructivism they try to engage students into their learning
practices and they allow them to share their ideas with one another
in order to develop critical thinking skills.

Biblical Link Ephesians 4:29. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only
 such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to
those who hear.
When communication is not process effectively misinterpretations can occur
it is very important that the message is transmitted clearly in order to
achieve a desire understanding.
Chapter 2
Culture and Intercultural Communication

What is Culture? Culture is a learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, norms,
and social practices, which affect the behaviors of a relatively large group of
people.

Why culture There are six forces that help generate cultural differences:
differs and why ● History: unique experiences that have become part of a culture’s
those differences collective wisdom. Historical events significantly influence cultures,
continue to exist? people and their lives in every generation.
● Ecology: the external environment in which the culture lives, overall
climate, changing weather patterns, prevailing land, and water
formations. Also, availability of resources.
● Technology: inventions that a culture has created or borrowed such
as tools, microchips, navigational aids, weapons, etc.
 ● Biology: the inherited characteristics that cultural members share as a
result of biology, as people with common ancestry have similar
genetic compositions.
● Institutional networks: the formal organizations in societies that
structure activities for large numbers of people; for example,
education, government, work, professional associations, and social
organizations.
● Interpersonal communication patterns: the face-to-face verbal and
nonverbal coding systems that cultures develop to convey meanings
and interactions; these patterns include links among parents, siblings,
peers, teachers, relatives, neighbors, employers, authority figures, and
other social contacts.

What is Interactions with people from different cultures that exchange cultural
Intercultural differences through language, non verbal gestures and social relationships.
Communication? It occurs when large and important cultural differences create dissimilar
interpretations and expectations about how to communicate competently.
Intercultural Communication video
Examples Example 1
● When they first begin their studies in the US, is the communication
between Dele and Anibal intercultural communication?
● When they complete their studies in the US, is the communication
between Dele and Anibal intercultural communication?
The fact that they have gone through several learning experiences
(shared set of experiences) together doesn’t mean that they belong to
the same culture; they still have a different cultural background that
makes their communication intercultural.
● After they return to their countries, is the communication between
each man and the agricultural business managers with whom they
work intercultural communication?
Yes, because even when they shared the same culture the way in
which they used to communicate have changed and they have a
different level of education that introduces innovative ideas to the
native community.
Example 2
● Is the culture of Massachusetts sufficiently different from that of
Colorado to characterize Janet’s communication with her fellow
students as intercultural?
It is not dramatically different, but it has certain ideologies that differ
from the beliefs that Janet was raised with.
 ● Would Janet have had the same kinds of feelings and reactions if she
had moved into a coeducational dormitory at a public university in
Massachusetts? I don’t think that she would have felt the same way;
because she could have being surrounded by people that share the
same believes.
Example 3
● Is Hamid’s communication with his parents intercultural, either
because Hamid is very U.S. American and his parents are Persian or
because parents and children have different cultures?
They have the same culture, but Hamid has being exposed to the
American culture and it significantly differs from his parent’s culture.
Example 4
● Is Jane’s communication with South Koreans intercultural, or does
working for the same corporation mean that Jane and her South
Korean counterparts share a common culture?
It is intercultural, because they do not share the same culture and do
not speak the same language.
● Is Jane’s age and gender a factor in communication with her Korean
counterparts?
Probably, Koreans’ culture can be very different and the role of
females could be diminished. Also, the elder people are the ones that
make the final decisions and I do not think that taking suggestions or
 orders from somebody younger could be accepted.
● Would you answer the previous questions any differently if Jane’s
company were sending her to the branch office in England rather than
to the one in South Korea?
Probably, England’s culture is different, but Jane would have the
advantage of the language and that the role of females is recognized.
Example 5
● How accurate is Jody’s assessment that she understands Indian
culture from her reading and extensive exposure to Indian films?
It is not accurate, because what a films show is only certain
characteristics of the culture it doesn’t give you a deep understanding.
● Can intercultural communication take place even when people do not
share a common language? Yes, because people need to make
interpretations to communicate with each other.
● Will Jody’s communication with her Indian host family be less
intercultural because of her familiarity with Indian films?
No, because in the Indian host family has different beliefs and
lifestyle that cannot be understood just by watching films.
Example 6
● Is John’s communication with his boss intercultural communication?
No, because culture is not what makes their communication hard to
achieve instead it is the way in which they work.
 Example 7
● Is Jorge correct that Mexican and Chilean cultures are sufficiently
different to make his communication with Chileans intercultural?
Yes, even though the language is very similar there are words that do
not have the same meaning and the culture and beliefs are different.
● How important is it to know how to speak a language in intercultural
communication?
It is helpful, because people can have conversations to try to
understand each other.

Continuum of It is the degree of interculturalness among intercultural interactions, from

interculturalness most intercultural to least intercultural or vice versa, depending in the
situation you can place these interaction is certain level.

Applications Communication in Mexico can be very affectionate, people tend to hug, kiss,
pad on the back, or shake hands to greet others; in the other hand, for
example, people in the US shake hands and make eye contact, having people
to close can create an uncomfortable environment that can be interpret as
harassment. When people carry out a conversation, attention is not giving by
making eye contact, people know they are being listen to as long as they
keep interacting in the conversation, eye contact can make people feel
uncomfortable; in contrast the US people feel disrespected if eye contact is
 not made when having a conversation.

Biblical Link 2 Peter 1:20-21. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a
matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act
of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
People from different cultures can interpret the same message differently, not
every message is understood by only knowing the language, it is necessary to
use intercultural communication to discover the truly meaning of the
message.

Chapter 3
Intercultural Communication Competence

Competent It results in behaviors that are regarded as appropriate, which means that the
Intercultural actions of the communicators fit the expectations and demands of the
Communication situations.

Components of ● Context: Intercultural competence is contextual, because is an

Intercultural impression or judgment that a person makes to both a specific
Competence relational context and a particular situational context.
● Appropriateness and effectiveness: appropriate means those
behaviors that are regarded as proper and suitable given the
expectations generated by a culture, the constraints of the specific
 situation, and the nature of the relationship between the interacts;
effective means those behaviors that lead to the achievement of
desired outcomes.
● Knowledge, motivation and skills:
○ Knowledge refers to the cognitive information you need to
have about the people, the context, and the norms of
appropriateness that operate in a specific culture.
■ Culture-general Information: provides insights into
the intercultural communication process abstractly
and can therefore be a very powerful tool in making
sense of cultural practices, regardless of the cultures
involved.
■ Culture-specific information: it is used to understand
a particular culture, includes information about the
forces that maintain the cultures uniqueness and facts
about the cultural patterns that predominate.
○ Motivation:
■ Motivations include people’s overall set of emotional
associations as they anticipate and actually
communicate interculturally
■ Feelings refer to the emotional or affective states that
you experience when communicating with someone
 from a different culture.
■ Intentions are what guide your choices in a particular
intercultural interaction (goals, plans, objective, and
desires).
○ Skills refer to the actual performance of those behaviors that
are regarded as appropriate and effective.
Basics of  Display of respect: respect is shown through both verbal and
intercultural nonverbal symbols. What constitutes respect in one culture could not
competence as you be necessarily regarded in another culture. Language than can be
prepare to go to interpreted as expressing concern, interest, and an understanding of
your country other will often convey respect, as will formality in language,
including the use of titles, the absence of jar- showing, and an
increase attention to politeness rituals.
 Orientation to knowledge: it refers to the terms people use to
explain themselves and the world around them.
 Empathy: is the ability of individuals to communicate an awareness
of another person’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and such
individuals are regarded as more competent in intercultural
interactions.
 Interaction management: is the skill of starting or ending
interactions among participants and taking turns to maintain a
discussion. These skills are important because, through them, all
 participants in an interaction are able to speak and contribute
appropriately.
 Task role behavior: are those behaviors that contribute to the
group’s problem-solving activities-for example initiating new ideas,
requesting further information or facts, seeking clarification of group
tasks, evaluating the suggestions of others, and keeping a group on
task.
 Relational role behavior: concerns effort to build or maintain
personal relationships with others. Verbal or nonverbal messages
that demonstrate support for other and that help solidify feelings of
participation.
 Tolerance for ambiguity: concerns a person’s responses to new,
uncertain, and unpredictable intercultural encounters.
 Interaction posture: refers to the ability to respond to others in a
way that is descriptive, non evaluative, and non judgmental.

Application of BASICS to the Mexican culture

Display of respect Some ways to show respect in Mexico are the following:
 Refer to older people and people that have higher education status
with formality.
 Being attentive to titles.
  Being sure to greet all people that are present.

Orientation to People in Mexico have ineffective orientation to knowledge. They usually

knowledge make guesses over other situations and experiences. However, when they do
have a real experience about something they will share deep details about it.

Empathy People show empathy by being compassionate and smiling to others.

Interaction People in Mexico usually wait until a person finishes talking in order to share
management a comment (they respect each other’s turns to talk).

Task role behavior Brainstorm ideas and collaborative work is done to solve group problems and
create new ideas. Sometimes individual roles are assigned to each member of
the group to achieve common tasks. It is usual to see as well that one person
completes the entire tasks by himself and the whole group get acknowledge
for it.
Relational role Praise, constant communication, friendly messages are commonly use in
behavior Mexico to maintain personal relationships with group members.

Tolerance for Mexican population is not so adjustable to change, their first response is
ambiguity usually resistant, but once a better understanding is gained and purposes are
clarified nervousness, frustration and hostility disappears. Silence is the most
common response to unpredictable intercultural encounters. More positive
situations can occur as well when Mexican people welcome very nicely
people from other cultures.

Interaction posture Mexican culture is very traditional. Their values and expectations are
founded in the beliefs of their elders. They can be very judgmental to
situation like single parenting, female behavior that can look inappropriate,
economic status, and educational status.

Biblical link Hebrews 11:3. “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at
God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

Sometimes our culture might only allows to see the world from one type of
lenses, in order to competently communicate interculturally we need to open
 our eyes to what we can’t see and understand and respect our differences as
well as to apply the BASICs in every social interaction.

Chapter 4
Cultural patterns and Communication: Foundations

Cultural patterns Cultural patterns are shared beliefs, values, norms, and social practices, that
are stable over time and that lead to roughly similar behaviors across similar
situations.

Four components Beliefs: an idea that people assume to be true about the world (learned
of cultural patterns interpretations, what is or not logical and correct)
Values: involve what a culture regards as good or bad, right or wrong,
appropriate or inappropriate, among others.
Norms: social shared expectations of appropriate behaviors.
Social practices: predictable behavior patterns that members of a culture
typically follow.

Five major Activity orientation: defines how people of a culture see human actions and
elements in the expression of self through activities.
Kluckhohn and Relationships orientation: describe how the people in a culture organize
Strodtbeck’s view themselves and relate to one another.
of cultural patterns Self-orientation: describes how people identities are formed whether the
culture views the self as changeable, what motivates individual actions, and
 the kind of people who are value and respected.
World-orientation: how to locate themselves in relation to the spiritual
world, nature and other living things. It focuses in questions like are humans
intrinsically good or evil? Are humans different from other animals and
plants?
Time orientation: how people conceptualize time. It provides answers to
questions like, how should time be valued and understood. Is time a scarce
resource, or is unlimited? Is time linear or cyclical?

List own cultural patterns and analyze them in relationship to the culture you have selected. Note areas of possible conflict.

Orientations Host culture My culture

Activity orientation -People collaborate with each other to solve -It is important to be part of activities in order to be
problems and society expects that type of support a good member of my culture.
when something happens. -People should change the circumstances of their life
Work is more important than play. in order to live a more enjoyable life.
-The way in which you demonstrate respect to -Work is very different from play, but if you enjoy
others defines a lot about yourself. what you do at work you can experience the same
-Life is a series of problems to be solved. joy.
-In my culture work is more important, because it
what provides the basic needs of a household.
-Life is a collection of events to be experienced.
Self Relations -The economic status will determine the area in -Some people feel superior that others in my culture,
Orientation which you live and socialize. but that don’t necessarily mean that they truly are.
-Men have a level of superiority over females in They educational level or socioeconomic status
the family structure. might give people that impression.
-People with higher education receive distinctions -That feeling of social superiority can be gained
 over those un educated. through education or political status.
-People have social superiority if they are born in -There is no formal ritualized interaction sequences
a wealthy family expected.
-The way in which you communicate with adults -Language requires us to make social distinctions to
and older people has to demonstrate respect. educated people and adults.
-No ritualized interaction sequences are expected.
Self-Orientation -People believe that they have their own unique -People are unique and have unique identities.
identities that separate them from others. -The self resides in the individual.
-The self resides in the groups to which the -People only have responsibilities to their family
individual belong, so the person behaves members.
according to those groups. -The environment and the culture motivate people to
-Mexican people have affiliations to relational behave the way they do.
solidarity. -It is not possible to respect a person that is “bad” in
-Adults, elders and educated people are usually one part of his life but successful in other parts when
approach with respect. you talk about their behaviors. Because someone
-The culture believes that people can change and that can be bad to others is not honest when is good
become “better”. to the rest.
World Orientation -People are not intrinsically good or evil they can -Human beings are not intrinsically good or evil the
become good or evil. circumstances of their life make them become good
-Human are different from animals, because they or evil.
are intelligent creatures that can make decisions -The only difference between human, animals and
to alter their life. plants is the level of intelligence, other than that they
-Spirits from the dead inhabit and affect the are all living organisms.
human world, they are around the population and -Spirits of the dead do not inhabit and affect the
if they are evil spirits they can cause harm. human world.
Time Orientation -Time should be value because one it passes it -Time is something valuable that one it is lost it
cannot be recovered. cannot be recovered. People need to manage time in
-Time is scarce resource. order to fulfill their daily necessities.
-Time is linear. -Time is a scarce resource.
 -The pace of life is fast. Time is linear.

Application Based on the diverse cultures in the educational environment the

meaningfulness of things can be interpreted in different ways. The culture
could determine the way in which students behave, manage time, values and
beliefs.

Biblical Links Proverbs 16:16 How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get
understanding is to be chosen above silver
Based on your cultural patterns you determine what is important in your life
and the different ways in which you interact with other cultures.
 Chapter 5
Cultural Patterns and Communication Taxonomies

Hull’s High and High and low-context cultures are based on the idea that some cultures have
Low Context a preponderance of messages that are high context, others have messages that
Taxonomy are low context, and yet others have a mixture of both. Other characteristics
reveal the beliefs, values, norms, and social practices of the cultural system;
these characteristics include the use of direct or indirect messages, the
importance of in groups and out groups, and the cultures’ orientation to time.
Hull organizes cultures by the amount of information implied by the setting
or context of the communication itself, regardless of the specific words that
are spoken. Every human being is faced with so many perceptual stimuli-
sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and a bodily sensation- the functions of culture
is to provide a screen between the person and all those stimuli to indicate
what perceptions to notice and how to interpret them.
High-context cultures: prefer to use high context messages, in which most
of the meaning is either implied by the physical setting or is presumed to be
part of the individual’s internalized beliefs, values, norms, and social
practices; very little is provided in the coded, explicit, transmitted part of the
message. For example, Japanese, African American, Mexican, and Latino.
Low context-cultures: prefer to use low context messages, in which the
majority of the information is vested in the explicit code. For example,
German, Swedish, European, American, and English.
Hofstede’s Cultural This taxonomy is based on the assertion that people carry mental programs,
Taxonomy or “software of the mind”, that are developed during childhood and are
reinforced by their culture. These mental programs contain the ideas of a
culture and are expressed through its dominant values. It has five dimensions:
power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism versus collectivism,
masculinity versus femininity, and time orientation. There is another
dimension recently added: indulgence versus restraint. This taxonomy gives a
synthesis of the relationships between cultural values and social behaviors.
Power distance: refers to the degree to which the culture believes that
institutional and organizational power should be distributed unequally and
the decisions of the power holders should be challenge or accepted.
Uncertainty avoidance: the extent to which the culture feels threatened by
ambiguous, uncertain situations and tries to avoid them by establishing more
structure.
Individualism-collectivism: the degree to which a culture relies on and has
allegiance to the self or the group. Masculinity-femininity: gender
expectation and the extent to which people prefer achievement and
assertiveness or nurturance and social support. This dimension indicates

Schwartz’s Cultural All cultures face common problems for which they should find a solution.
Taxonomy There are three problems or issues that all groups must resolve. The first
problem is concerned with a cultural preference for the kinds of relationships
and boundaries that ought to exist between individuals and the larger group;
this dimension is call autonomy versus embeddedness. Expressions of
autonomy can occur in two ways, leading to two types of cultural autonomy:
intellectual autonomy and affective autonomy. Cultures that value
intellectual autonomy support people’s independent pursuit of thoughts,
ideas, and knowledge; curiosity, creativity, and a broad minded view of the
world are all encouraged. Cultures that value affective autonomy encourage
 and reinforce each individual’s pursuit of pleasurable emotional states,
enjoyable feelings, varied experiences, and an exciting life. Embeddedness
view people as nested within a collective social network. Identification with
the group is a central concern, and maintenance of harmony in social
relationships is paramount.
The second problem is that people must organize and coordinate their
activities in a way that preserves and fulfills the needs and goals of the social
group, this dimension is call egalitarianism versus hierarchy. Hierarchy
cultures, which see the unequal distribution of social, political, and economic
power as legitimate and desirable. People in hierarchy cultures are taught to
defer to those with higher status and to value authority, humility, and social
power.
The third cultural problem is harmony versus mastery and it deals with
people’s orientations to social and natural resources. Harmony cultures
encourage acceptance and blending into the natural and social worlds, as
humans are seen as an integral part of nature. The view of this cultural
orientation to fit in rather than to exploit, and to limit rather than to control.
Mastery cultures encourage their members to direct and control the natural
and social worlds. One’s goals can be achieved most effectively by changing
and adapting the social and natural environments. The view of this cultural
orientation is that one should be self-sufficient, self-assertive, daring,
ambitious, and, ultimately, successful.

Globe Cultural Nine dimensions are use to describe the dominant patterns of a culture:
Taxonomy power distance, uncertainty avoidance, in-group collectivism, institutional
collectivism, gender elitarianism, assertiveness, performance orientation,
future orientation, and human orientation. The first six GLOBE dimensions
are based on the work of Hofstede.
Analysis of Mexican culture with one of the cultural taxonomies. Link the taxonomy elements to the culture and explain how each
applies to the culture
Schwartz’s Cultural Taxonomy Host Culture

Autonomy versus embeddedness. The Mexican culture values intellectual autonomy, it supports people’s independent pursuit
of thoughts, ideas, and knowledge; curiosity, creativity, and a broad minded view of the
world are all encouraged. The maintenance of harmony in social relationships is important.

Egalitarianism versus hierarchy The Mexican culture is a hierarchy culture, because they see the unequal distribution of
social, political, and economic power as legitimate and desirable. People are taught to defer
to those with higher status and to value authority, humility, and social power.

Harmony versus mastery The Mexican culture looks up for mastery, because they encourage their members to direct
and control the natural and social worlds. They believe that people should be self-sufficient,
self-assertive, daring, ambitious, and, ultimately, successful.

Applications Cultures faced common problems that need to be confronted and balance in order to
successfully collaborate with each other. For example, in a multicultural classroom
where some students come from a culture where harmony among social groups is
very important can have a difficult time interacting with students that mastery is
essential; these two groups are looking for different things and finding a way to
balance the issue will determine the effectiveness of the learning environment.

Biblical Link/ Romans 12:2 ESV “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
World view link renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what
is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Cultural patterns and the issues that every culture can confront are identified using
different taxonomies, instead of conformed to the problematic situations people need
to transform the problem into solutions.
 Chapter 6
Cultural Identity and Cultural Biases

Cultural Identity. Cultural identity refers to one’s sense of belonging to a particular culture or
Various nature or ethnic group.
types of identity. Social identity develops as a consequence of memberships in particular
Apply the groups within one’s culture.
components of Personal identity is based on people’s unique characteristics, which may
cultural identity to differ from those of others in their cultural and social groups.
yourself. The following describes the application of cultural identity components to
myself:
My cultural identity is Mexican/American. My parents are Mexican so my
cultural roots are very strong I was raised with their beliefs system and
traditions. However as I engage with the American community I adopted
some of their culture as well.
My social identity is formed by the particular groups that I belong to, for
example I am Catholic because my parents’ culture brought me to that
religion. I belong to an educational community in an upper graduate level.
My personal identity is very diverse and respectful to others. I have a
Hispanic traditions strongly engrained in my beliefs system; however I
respect other cultures and can socialize in diverse cultural environments.
How is cultural Cultural identity is formed in a process that results from membership in a
identity formed? particular culture and it involves learning about and accepting the traditions,
heritage, language, religion, ancestry, aesthetics, thinking patterns, and
social structures of a culture. Cultural identities often develop through a
process involving three stages: unexamined cultural identity, cultural
identity search, and cultural identity achievement.
Unexamined cultural identity: One’s cultural characteristics are taking for
granted, and consequently there is little interest in exploring cultural issues.
Cultural identity search: involves a process of exploration and questioning
about one’s culture in order to learn more about it and to understand the
implications of membership in that culture. By exploring the culture,
individuals can learn about its strengths and may come to a point of
acceptance both for their culture and themselves.
Cultural identity achievement: is characterized by a clear, confident
acceptance of oneself and an internalization of one’s cultural identity.

Elements or  Cultural identities are central, dynamic and multifaceted components

characteristics of of one’s self-concept.
cultural identity  Cultural identity is central to a person’s self of sense just like the
gender and race.
 Cultural identities can be activated by direct experiences.
 Cultural identities are dynamic; it exists within a changing social
context.
 Cultural identities are also multifaceted.
Explain your own Cultural identity map
cultural identity in
each category.

Application Every student is different and they have different backgrounds that make
them unique. Using a cultural identity map at the beginning of the school
year could become a resource that can help the teacher learn about the
personal, social and cultural identity of the students.

Biblical Links Romans 15:7. Accept one another then, just as Christ accepted you, in order
to bring praise to God.
Every person is different, people have different identities that might or might
not coordinate with your own; no matter the type of culture they come from,
it is important to accept them as they are.
 Chapter 7
Verbal Intercultural Communication

Verbal Codes Verbal codes are a set of rules about the use of words in the creation of
messages. Words can either be spoken or written.

Rule system in Phonology: the rules for combining phonemes constitute the phonology of
verbal codes the language.
Morphology: phonemes combine to form morphemes, which are the
smallest units of meaning.
Semantics: Study of meaning of words
Syntactics: relationship of words to one another (rules that govern the
sequence of words)
Pragmatics: the study of how language is actually used and the effect that
language has on human perceptions and behavior.

Linguistic relativity It is the theory that people from different language communities perceive the
world differently. Components of language create habitual response patterns
to the people, events and messages that surround you.
Linguistic Linguistic grammars show reciprocal relationship among language,
grammars and thought, and culture can be found in the grammatical rules of different
examples languages.
Cultural conceptions of time the grammar of the language is related to the
perceptions of its users. The English language refers to time as a specific
point that exists on a linear plane divided into past, present, and future.
Showing respect and social hierarchy language allow, and to certain
extent force, speakers to display respect for others. For instance, it is much
easier to show respect in Spanish than it is in English.
Pronouns and cultural characteristics English is the only language that
capitalizes the pronoun I in writing. English does not, however, capitalize
the written form of the pronoun you. Is there a relationship between the
individualism that characterizes most of the English-speaking countries and
this feature of the English language?

Connections  Learning foreign language teaches us about that culture

between verbal  Learn to appreciate those who struggle to communicate in second
codes and language
intercultural  Language learning important link between competence and verbal
competence codes

Application In my experience, when I work with newcomer student that speak different
languages other than English, I try to learn at least the basic words that can
help me communicate with them, so they can feel motivated to learn
English, because I am making an effort to learn their language just as they
make the effort to learn English.

Biblical Links 1 Corinthians 14:10 There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in
the world, and no kind is without meaning.
 It is important to acknowledge the meaning of the different languages that
are use among cultures. In order to attained intercultural competence we
need to make an effort to verbally communicate with others.

Chapter 8
Nonverbal Intercultural Communication
Explain non Nonverbal codes encompass the ways that people communicate without words, and
verbal codes they include all forms of communication other than linguistic ones. Nonverbal
behaviors can become part of the communication process when someone intentionally
tries to convey a message or when someone attributes meaning to the nonverbal
behaviors of another, whether the person intended to communicate a particular
meaning. Nonverbal codes are multi channeled and multifunctional, they are typically
enacted spontaneously and subconsciously; sometimes they convey their meanings in
subtle and covert way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKhsavlvuao&t=7s
List and explain
The shoulder shrug
cultural
universals in
nonverbal
communication
Territoriality

Facial expressions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G6ZR5lJgTI
Characteristics of nonverbal communication that are universal for all cultures:
 The same body parts are used for nonverbal expressions
 Nonverbal channels are used to convey similar information, emotions,
values, norms, and self-disclosing messages.
 Nonverbal messages accompany verbal communication and are used in
art and ritual
 Motives for using the nonverbal channel, such as when speech is
impossible, are similar across cultures.
 Nonverbal messages are used to coordinate and control a range of
contexts and relationships that are similar across cultures.
Provide
examples of Mexican cultural nonverbal expression for “thank you”
nonverbal
messages in
intercultural
communication

In Mexican culture, men will shake other men’s hands as a greeting or when
they are leaving; it is considered to be respectful. However, a man will wait for
a woman to offer her hand to him; he will not offer his first.

Conversations take place at a close distance, if a person steps back it is consider

unfriendly.

If you withdraw when someone touches you for example on the arm or
shoulder, it is considered to be insulting.

People do not tend to look at people in the eyes for a long period of time
because it is disrespectful when a person stares at another.
Describe/explain Touch is probably the most basic component of human communication. Touch
cultural is often used to indicate affect, the expression of positive and negative feelings
meanings of and emotions. The Mexican culture usually touches each other in social
touch, time, and conversations. Cultures differ in the overall amount of touching they prefer and
voice where people can be touched.
Voice
Nonverbal messages are often used to accent or underscore the verbal message
by adding emphasis to particular words of phrases. Vocalics include many non
speech sounds, such as belching, laughing, and crying, and vocal “filler” suds
such as uh, er, um, and uh-huh.
Time
Chronemics are the study of time how people use it, structure it, interpret and
understand it

Time orientation refers to the value or importance the members of a culture

place on the passage of time.
Past oriented cultures regard previous experiences and events as most
important. Primary emphasis on tradition and the wisdom passed down from
older generations.
Present Oriented: view current experiences most important, major emphasis
on spontaneity, and immediacy. They believe that unseen and even unknown
outside forces, such as fate or luck, control their lives.
Future Oriented cultures believe that tomorrow or other moment is more
 important
Time systems are the implicit cultural rules that are used to arrange sets of
experiences in some meaningful way 3 types:
 Technical time systems are the precise, scientific measurements of time
that are calculated in such units as nanoseconds
 Formal time systems refer to the ways in which the members of a
culture describe and compare units of time.
 Informal time systems refer to the assumptions that cultures make about
how time should be used or experienced.
 Polychronic: several things are happening at the same time
 Monochromic: things should be done one at the time, and time is
segmented into precise, small units.
Application Non verbal codes are use through cultures to send messages without using
words. It is important to know the meaning of common gestures to make sure
we are not being disrespectful to others when we use gestures to communicate.
Also, in the classroom non verbal codes could tell us more about a student then
what he verbally expresses.
Biblical Links
Proverbs 15:30 ESV The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news
refreshes the bones.
Different nonverbal expression can have various meanings among cultures.
What could be appropriate in Mexico like looking at a person and smile could
be seen wrong in Arabia and you could be prosecuted for it. It is important that
we are aware of those codes so intercultural communication is competent.
 Chapter 9
The Effects of Code Usage in Intercultural Communication
Explain cultural
Persuasion involves the use of symbols to influence others. Persuasion can
variations in
occur in formal, public settings, such as when a candidate for political office
persuasion
tries to win votes through speeches and advertisements.
The effective use of verbal and nonverbal codes to persuade another varies
greatly from culture to culture. Persuasion is inevitably an intercultural
experience as we interact with people from different cultures.
Persuasive style refers to a cultures differences in what cultures consider to
be acceptable evidence, in who can be regarded as an authority, in how
evidence is used to create persuasive arguments, and in when ideas are
accepted as reasonable. The word logical is often used to describe the
preferred persuasive style of a culture. Logic and rationality seem to be
invoked as though there were some firm “truth” somewhere that simply to be
discovered and used in order to be convincing.
Ethno-logics or alternative logics refer to the idea that logic has cultural
aspects; an understanding of social life requires an understanding of how
people think in their own cultural context. What people call “rationality”
varies from culture to culture and from time to time. The differences in the
ways people prefer to arrange the evidence, assumptions, and claims
constitute the culture’s persuasive style.
Different persuasive styles include:
  Quasilogical style: Typically employed in Western cultures. In this
style, the preference is to use objective statistics and testimony from
expert witnesses as evidence. The evidence is then connected to the
conclusion in a way that resembles formal logic.
 Presentational style emphasizes and appeals to the emotional
aspects of persuasion. People, rather than the idea itself, are what
make an idea persuasive. The language of this style of persuasion is
filled with sensory words that induce the listener to look, see, hear,
feel, and ultimately believe.
 Analogical style seeks to establish an idea (a conclusion) and to
persuade the listener by providing an analogy, a story, or a parable in
which there is either an implicit or explicit lesson to be learned. In
this style, skill in persuasion is associated with the discovery and
narration of the appropriate story-a story that captures the essence of
what the persuader wants the listeners to know.
Variations in persuasive style video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrGYnFEaqY4
Explain value of
The value of talk and silence and rules for conversations varies greatly
talk and silence
from one culture to the next.
and rules for
 Direct style utilizes verbal messages that are explicit meaning they
conversations
reveal the speaker’s intentions; this style is preferred by European
 Americans.
 Indirect style is characterized by the speaker not revealing their
intentions but rather cloaking them in ambiguous statements, such as
in Africa, Korea, and Japan.
 Elaborate style employs language that is grand and rich with
metaphors, proverbs, and other types of figurative language. They
elaborate their language, like in the Latino and Arab cultures.
 Succinct style provides just the precise amount of information
necessary for the conversation. there is no elaboration but rather only
provision of the base details when necessary, this is mostly view in
Japanese American, Native American, and Chinese American
cultures.
 Personal style emphasizes conversations in which the individual, as
a unique human being, is the center of action. This style is also
characterized by more informality and less status-oriented talk.
 Contextual style emphasizes social roles that people have in
relationships with others. The style is very formal and heightens
awareness of status differences by accentuating them (Japanese,
Chinese, and Indian).
 Instrumental style views communication as goal-oriented and
depends on explicit verbal messages.
 Affective styles are more emotional and require sensitivity to the underlying
meanings in both the verbal and nonverbal code systems.
Application
All cultures are different which is what makes them unique. Every culture
has a different way to persuade people. For example in Mexico, political
parties persuade the community to vote for them by giving them gifts like,
appliances, food, clothing or money. In a family setting, Mexican children
try to persuade their parents to get them to do something by doing chores
around the house or helping others.
The following is a persuasive speech about Mexico’s tax reform:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J94G4MhQwRY
Article about multicultural persuasion in Mexico:
http://literalmagazine.com/multicultural-persuasion-in-mexico-and-the-
united-states/
Biblical Links
1 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV And we also thank God constantly for this, that
when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted
it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at
work in you believers.
Cultures have different ways to persuade and talk to their community; they
support themselves sometimes with logical statements, the truth, or evidence.
This information can also be presented with clear meaning, emotional
connections, or stories.
 Chapter 10
Intercultural Competence in Interpersonal Relationship

Describe In interpersonal relationships you are connected to others by virtue of your

interpersonal shared experiences, interpretations, perceptions and goals. Communication is
relationships in interpersonal as long as it involves a small number of participants who can
various cultures
interact directly with one another and who therefore have the ability to adapt
their messages specifically for one another.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzOZeJCGDbE
Types of interpersonal relationships:
 Strangers: is someone whom you do not know and who is therefore
unfamiliar to you.
 Acquaintances: an acquaintance is someone you know, but only
casually. Therefore interactions tend to be on a superficial level.
 Friends: friend is a common expression that refers to many different
types of relationships. Generally speaking, a friend is someone you
know well, someone you like. And someone with whom you feel a
close personal bond.
 Romantic partners will be established and also behave differently
depending on the culture. In the American and Mexican culture
dating occurs that may or may not lead to engagement and marriage.
Whereas in India marriage partners are chosen by parents and elders
with no dating.
  Family is also defined differently from one culture to the next. In
America family mainly consists of the immediate family. In other
cultures family includes extended family members as well. The
importance and power of the family will also differ from culture to
culture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF7m1fFr2eQ
Explain these Face is the favorable social impression that a person wants others to
terms: face, have of him or her. Face therefore involves a claim for respect and dignity
facework and from others. Face is social. Face is an impression, which may or may not be
maintenance of face
shared by all, that may differ from a person’s self-image. Face refers only to
the favorable social attributes that people want others to acknowledge.
Facework refers to the actions people take to deal with their own and others’
face needs. Everyday actions that impose on another, such as requests,
warnings, compliments, criticisms, apologies, and even praise, may
jeopardize the face of one or more participants in a communicative act.
Maintenance of face involves an expectation that people will act as though
others are appreciated and admired. To maintain face, people want others to
act toward them with respect, regardless of their “real” thoughts and
impressions. It requires mediation of face threats. Face threats may arise as a
result of control dimension of interpersonal communication, when people are
not on the same level in terms of authority. Face threats may also arise
within a social context as people who have a less interpersonal relationship
 are more likely to threaten face. Face may also be threatened by culture as
cultures will make the assessments of what actions are inherently face
threatening.
Explain the Competent interpersonal relationships among people from different cultures
connection between occur as a result of the knowledge and perceptions people have about one
interpersonal another, their motivation to engage in meaningful interactions, and their
relationships and
ability to communicate in ways that are regarded as appropriate and
intercultural
effective. In order to improve relationships with people among cultures, it is
competence
necessary to learn about and thereby reduce anxiety and uncertainty about
people from other cultures, to share oneself with those people, and to handle
the inevitable differences in perceptions and expectations that will occur.
Intercultural competence in interpersonal relationships requires knowledge,
motivation, and skill in using verbal and nonverbal codes, it requires
behaviors that are appropriate and effective for the different types and
dimensions of interpersonal relationships. Competence in intercultural
relationships requires that you understand the meaning attributed to
particular types of interpersonal relationships.
Application Willingness to understand the face needs of people from other cultures and
to behave appropriately to preserve and enhance their sense of face is critical
for intercultural competence. There are different facial expressions among
cultures that people want you to acknowledge and in order to be competent
and have positive relationships with other cultures you need to reduce the
 uncertainty and you need to share yourself in appropriate ways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyHGggA2yb4
Biblical Link Luke 6:31 ESV And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
All cultures have expectations when they establish relationships with other
people. Social interactions among cultures can create certain level of
uncertainty and anxiety, so it is important to remember to treat others and
communicate with others as you wish others will communicate and interact
with you. For example, responding to other people social expectations in a
respectful and positive way.

Chapter 11
Episodes, Contexts, and Intercultural Interactions

Define social Social episodes are experiences that are repeated over and over again and
episodes and have a predictable structure and help make them understandable and
components of predictable, this allows you to anticipate what people may do, what will
social episodes. likely happen, and variations from the expected sequence of events could
mean. What people do throughout their daily routine is made up of social
episodes that are routine, predictable, and structured. These social episodes
may alter their meaning according to cultures.
 Cultural patterns are shared judgments about what the world is and
what it should be, and widely held expectations about how people
should behave.
  A social role is a set of expected behaviors associated with people in
a particular position. Common roles that exist in most cultures include
student, mother, father, brother, sister, boss, friend, service person,
employee, salesclerk, teacher, manager, soldier, woman, man, and
mail carrier.
 Rules of interaction provide a predictable pattern or structure to
social episodes and give relationships a sense of coherence.
 Interaction scenes are made up of the recurring, repetitive topics that
people talk about in social conversations.
 Interaction contexts are the settings or situations within which social
episodes occur.

Explain contexts Contexts of intercultural communication U.S. Americans are increasingly

of intercultural being asked to participate in social episodes within three specific contexts
communication that we would like to highlight: health care, education, and business. Each
and focus on the provides an important and recurring meeting ground where people from
educational many cultures converge and interact. The US education system requires
context competent intercultural communication skills due to the culturally diverse
population.
 Culture’s Influence on educational content: All participants
included in the educational context bring their own beliefs and values
to the classroom. Differences in cultural backgrounds may produce
 developmental variations in children’s cognitive, physical, and motor
abilities, as well as in their language, social skills, and emotional
maturity. The classroom often reflects the values of the culture it
operates within.
 Role of the Teacher: Cultures differ in the ways they choose to
define activities, social relations, the self, the world, and the passage
of time. Cultures have different views in regard to teacher
responsibility and activities. Teachers operate within a classroom
context that is multicultural, so they have a particular responsibility to
demonstrate intercultural communication competence. The cultures
represented should be understood in order to foster effective
intercultural communication with students.
 Classroom Interaction: Cultures differ on what is acceptable
communication within the classroom. Culture shapes what is consider
to be desirable and undesirable classroom behaviors- culture affects
perceptions of competent classroom interactions.
 Families and the Educational System: The interactions of families
or other family members, with education are essential. It will be
mediated through the culture’s outlook on education. Intercultural
competence is required when conversing with the student's family.
Application Intercultural competence in the educational context is very important. The
cultural diversity that the US education system has requires teachers to
 identify social episodes that are characteristic of the children’s culture. Also,
for teachers identifying cultural differences in the classroom can help them
develop social relationships with students.
Biblical link 1 Corinthians 1:10 ESV I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you,
but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
The multicultural diversity in the classroom should serve as a portal to unite
cultures and create awareness among teachers to become more competent in
how to communicate with students and understand their different social
interactions.

Chapter 12
The potential for Intercultural Competence
Explain the In intercultural communication, the certainty of one’s cultural framework is
outcomes of gone, and there is a great deal of uncertainty about what other code systems
intercultural contact mean. Individual who engage in intercultural contacts for extended period of
time will respond to the stress in different ways either through adaptation,
cultural shock, or both.
Explain culture Adaptation is the process by which people establish and maintain relatively
shock versus stable, helpful, and mutually shared relationships with others upon relocating
adaptation to an unfamiliar cultural setting. Also, it refers to the changes in the way
people react to intercultural contacts. Words such as assimilation,
adjustment, acculturation, and even coping are used to describe how
 individuals respond to their experiences in other cultures. For some people,
assimilation is a negative outcome; to others it is positive. Some consider
adjustment to be “good”, whereas for others it is “bad”. Adaptations include
physical, biological, and social changes. Physical changes because people
are confronted with new physical stimuli.
Culture shock phenomenon that results from the sustained intercultural
contact that requires total immersion in another culture. Culture shock is
precipitated by the anxiety that results from losing all our familiar signs and
symbols of social intercourse.
Explain types of Assimilation occurs when it is deemed relatively unimportant to maintain
adaptation one’s original cultural identity but it is important to establish and maintain
relationships with other cultures. Assimilation means taking on the beliefs,
values, norms, and social practices of the dominant cultural group.
Integration occurs when and individual or group retains its original cultural
identity while seeking to maintain harmonious relationships with other
cultures.
Both integration and assimilation promote harmony and result in an
appropriate fit of individuals and groups to the larger culture.
Separation results when a culture does not want positive relationships with
another culture and it wishes to retain its cultural characteristics.
Segregation occurs because more politically and economically powerful
culture does not want the intercultural contact and this is the result of the
 forced separation.
Seclusion this separation happens when a nondominant group chooses not to
participate in the larger society in order to retain its own way of life.
Marginalization occurs when individuals neither retain their cultural
heritage nor maintain positive contacts with the other cultural groups.

Explain forms of Acculturation is a process in which members of one cultural group adopt
acculturation the beliefs and behaviors of another group.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy8EHKmMMEk

What are ethical Ethical dilemmas:

considerations for 1. Summarize in the adage “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” it
intercultural places the responsibility for change into the newcomer
competence? Are
2. Asks if it is possible to judge a particular belief, value, norm, or
cultural values
social practice as morally reprehensible. When and under what
relative or
circumstances? If all cultures have differing beliefs, values, norms,
universal?
and social practices, does that mean there are no true rights and
wrongs?
3. Consequences of intercultural contacts. Are they necessarily positive
 for individuals and their societies? Should all intercultural contacts be
encouraged?
The intercultural dilemma that intercultural communicators face is the
decision about how far to go in adapting their behaviors to another culture.
Apply to your As a Christian, I am in constant interaction with people from different
personal beliefs. cultures, whether I assimilate or integrate their culture into our social
Apply to Christian interactions I am always very respectful of their beliefs and I try to make
beliefs
sure they feel part of the community and respect when they separate and
remain in their own cultural setting. Good taught us that we were made us in
his image and resemblance, and told us that we are brothers and sister and
we should treat each other as we would like to be treated. As Christians we
should encourage the admission of people from other countries into our
community.
Application As a teacher it is important if students are experiences cultural shock or are
adapting when they belong to different countries.
Biblical link 1 Peter 3:8 ESV Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly
love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
Adapting to a multicultural environment is a positive way to
intercommunicate and relate with other people. One way to be able to
maintain harmonious relationships with other people is important to have a
humble mind and a tender heart free of judgments.