INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

1. INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION - INTRODUCTION - ANNA SIEWIERSKA-CHMAJ

2. WHY WE HAVE TO LEARN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION? THE WORLD TODAY IS MULTICULTURAL AND IS CHARACTERIZED BY AN EVER GROWING NUMBER OF CONTACTS RESULTING IN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT LINGUISTIC, RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS.

3. THE REASONS • THIS COMMUNICATION TAKES PLACEBECAUSE OF: • BUSINESS, • MILITARY COOPERATION, • SCIENCEAND EDUCATION, • MASSMEDIA, • ENTERTAINMENT, • TOURISM, • AND ALSO BECAUSE OF: • -LABOR MIGRATION, • -POLITICAL CONFLICTS.

4. THE SUBJECT THE STUDY OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION HAS TRIED TO ANSWER THE VERY FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION: HOW DO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER WHEN THEY NOT SHARE A COMMON CULTURAL EXPERIENCE? OR WHAT MAY HAPPEN, WHAT SORT OF CONFLICTS MAY OCCUR WHEN THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER?

5. DEFINITION OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION OR CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION IT IS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT CULTURE, WITH DIFFERENT VALUES AND BELIEFS.

6. OBJECTIVE CULTURE • OBJECTIVE CULTURE OF A COUNTRY: • HISTORY, • LITERATURE, • POLITICAL STRUCTURE, • ARTS, • LANGUAGE, ETC. VALUABLE INFORMATION BUT LIMITED IN ITS UTILITY TO THE FACE-TO-FACE CONCERNS OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION. ONE CAN KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF A CULTURE AND STILL NOT BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH AN ACTUAL PERSON FROM THAT CULTURE!!!

7. SUBJECTIVE CULTURE A GOOD WORKING DEFINITION OF A SUBJECTIVE CULTURE IS : THE LEARNED AND SHARED PATTERNS OF BELIEFS, BEHAVIOURS AND VALUES OF GROUPS OF INTERACTING PEOPLE. UNDERSTANDING SUBJECTIVE CULTURE – ONE’S OWN AND OTHERS’ – IS MORE LIKELY TO LEAD TO INTECULTURAL COMMUNICATION.

8. MONOCULTURAL COMMUNICATION MONOCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IS BASED ON SIMILARITY. COMMON LANGUAGE, BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS AND VALUES FORM THE BASE ON WHICH MEMBERS OF THE CULTURE EXCHANGE MEANING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN CONDUCTING THEIR DAILY AFFAIRS.

9. MONOCULTURAL COMMUNICATION SIMILARITIES GENERALLY ALLOW PEOPLE TO PREDICT THE RESPONSES OF OTHERS TO CERTAIN KINDS OF MESSAGES. IN MONOCULTURAL COMMUNICATION DIFFERENCE REPRESENTS THE POTENCIAL FOR MISUNDERSTANDING AND FRICTION, SO SOCIAL DIFFERENCE OF ALL KINDS IS DISCOURAGED.

10. LANGUAGE IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION PROCESS LANGUAGE IS A COMMUNICATION TOOL – A NATURAL METHOD HUMANS USE TO INDICATE THE OBJECTS AND IDEAS OF THEIR PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL WORLD. LANGUAGE AS A SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATION – IT ORGANIZES OUR REALITY AND CLASSIFY THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OF OBJECTS. THEREFORE PEOPLE FROM VARIOUS CULTURES MAY PERCEIVE DIFFERENT SOUNDS, COLOURS, EMOTIONS – THE LANGUAGE „CREATES OUR WORLD”!

11. MULTICULTURAL SOCIETES Changes and Challenges THERE ARE VARIOUS METHODS OF INCORPORATING NEW MEMBERS (WHOSE CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS MIGHT BE VERY DIFFERENT) INTO THE WELL-PERFORMING SOCIETY. SOME OF THESE METHODS HAVE TURNED OUT TO BE EFFICIENT, BUT NEED TO BE MODIFIED OR TRANSFORMED NOWADAYS WHILE OTHERS HAVE NEVER WORKED PROPERLY.

12. MULTICULTURAL SOCIETES THE MELTING POTIS AN ANALOGY FOR THE WAY IN WHICH HOMOGENEOUS SOCIETIES DEVELOP, IN WHICH THE INGREDIENTS IN THE POT (PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT CULTURES, RACES AND RELIGIONS) ARE COMBINED SO AS TO DEVELOP A MULTI-ETHNIC SOCIETY. PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT NATIONS, LANGUAGES, CULTURES GET MIXED IN ONE COUNTRY. AFTER SOME TIME THEY ARE ABLE TO CREATE ONE MULTICULTURAL NATION THAT SHARES MANY BASIK, FUNDAMENTAL VALUES.

13. MULTICULTURAL SOCIETES THE SALAD BOWL CONCEPT SUGGESTS THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT NATIONS, LANGUAGES, CULTURES GET MIXED IN ONE COUNTRY, BUT THEY HARDLY EVER TRY TO CREATE THEIR COMMON „CODE OF VALUES”, THEY PREFER TO STICK TO THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THEIR OWN ORIGINAL CULTURE. IN THE SALAD BOWL MODEL, VARIOUS CULTURES ARE JUXTAPOSED — LIKE SALAD INGREDIENTS — BUT DO NOT MERGE TOGETHER INTO A SINGLE HOMOGENEOUS CULTURE.

14. APPROACHES TO CULTURAL ADAPTATION CULTURAL ADAPTATION IS NOT OFF/ON PHENOMENON. LIKE MANY OTHER HUMAN ABILITIES IT DEVELOPS THROUGH STAGES. A GOOD FORM OF DEVELOPMENTAL THINKING CAN BE ILLUSTRATED WITH THE CONCEPT OF CULTURAL SHOCK. THIS CONCEPT GAINED COMPLEXITY AS IT WAS DESCRIBEN IN TERMS OF U OR W CURVES EXTANDING THROUGH TIME.

15. CULTURE SHOCK THE TERM CULTURE SHOCK IS USED TO DESCRIBE THE EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT A PERSON SUFFERS WHEN MOVING TO A COMPLETELY NEW ENVIRONMENT. INDIVIDUALS OFTEN EXPERIENCE A LACK OF DIRECTION, A FEELING OF NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO OR HOW TO HANDLE THINGS, HOW TO REACT. CULTURE SHOCK IS A NATURAL AND HUMAN RESPONSE TO NEW CULTURAL EXPERIENCES.

16. CULTURE SHOCK SOMETIMES, DESPITE THEIR PREPARATION, PEOPLE FIND THEMSELVES FEELING HOMESICK, BORED OR WITHDRAWN IN THEIR HOST COUNTRY. THEY MIGHT SPEND ALL THEIR TIME WITH OTHER PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOME COUNTRY, AVOIDING THE HOST NATIONALS. THEY MAY DRINK, EAT OR SLEEP TOO MUCH. THEY MAY GET HEADACHES OR GET ILL MORE OFTEN THAN NORMAL. OTHERS MIGHT FEEL HOSTILE OR CRITICAL OF THE HOST CULTURE, OR EVEN CRY OVER INSIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS.

17. STAGES OF CULTURE SHOCK THE "HONEYMOON PHASE" - DURING THIS PERIOD THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW CULTURE ARE SEEN IN A ROMANTIC LIGHT, WONDERFUL AND NEW. FOR EXAMPLE, IN MOVING TO A NEW COUNTRY, AN INDIVIDUAL MIGHT LOVE THE NEW FOODS, THE PACE OF THE LIFE, THE PEOPLE'S HABITS, THE BUILDINGS AND SO ON.

18. STAGES OF CULTURE SHOCK THE DISTRESS (DISINTEGRATION) STAGE - A LITTLE LATER, DIFFERENCES CREATE AN IMPACT AND YOU MAY FEEL CONFUSED, ISOLATED OR INADEQUATE AS CULTURAL DIFFERENCES INTRUDE AND FAMILIAR SUPPORTS (E.G. FAMILY OR FRIENDS) ARE NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE. ONE MAY LONG FOR FOOD THE WAY IT IS PREPARED IN ONE'S NATIVE COUNTRY, MAY FIND THE PACE OF LIFE TOO FAST OR SLOW, MAY FIND THE PEOPLE'S HABITS ANNOYING, ETC.

19. STAGES OF CULTURE SHOCK RE-INTEGRATION STAGE - NEXT YOU MAY REJECT THE DIFFERENCES YOU ENCOUNTER. YOU MAY FEEL ANGRY OR FRUSTRATED, OR HOSTILE TO THE NEW CULTURE. AT THIS STAGE YOU MAY BE CONSCIOUS MAINLY OF HOW MUCH YOU DISLIKE IT COMPARED TO HOME. DON'T WORRY, AS THIS IS QUITE A HEALTHY REACTION. YOU ARE RECONNECTING WITH WHAT YOU VALUE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR OWN CULTURE.

20. STAGES OF CULTURE SHOCK AUTONOMY STAGE - DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES ARE ACCEPTED. YOU MAY FEEL RELAXED, CONFIDENT, MORE LIKE AN "OLD HAND" AS YOU BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH SITUATIONS AND FEEL WELL ABLE TO COPE WITH NEW SITUATIONS BASED ON YOUR GROWING EXPERIENCE.

21. STAGES OF CULTURE SHOCK INDEPENDENCE-STAGE - DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES ARE VALUED AND IMPORTANT. YOU MAY FEEL FULL OF POTENTIAL AND ABLE TO TRUST YOURSELF IN ALL KINDS OF SITUATIONS. MOST SITUATIONS BECOME ENJOYABLE AND YOU ARE ABLE TO MAKE CHOICES ACCORDING TO YOUR PREFERENCES AND VALUES.

23. QUESTIONS DO YOU THINK YOUR COUNTRY IS MULTICULTURAL? HOW MULTICULTURAL IS IT? IS IT A MULTING POT OR A SALAD BOWL? WHAT ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL VALUES THAT ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF YOUR SOCIETY HAVE TO ACCEPT? HOW CAN SOME OF THESE MEMBERS KEEP THEIR DIFFERENT TRADITIONS?

24. http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=SFbPCj_cajY&feature=related