Making the best of cross-cultural misunderstanding

1. Making the best of cross-cultural misunderstanding by Wayne T. Schams May 21, 2008

2. Communicative competence: Primary goal of language teaching in U.S. Aspects of communicative competence: • Making yourself understood as clearly as possible using your language abilities • Avoiding confusion while communicating (due to incorrect pronunciation, grammar, vocab., etc.) • Avoiding offending others due to socially or culturally inappropriate language & style • Using strategies to recognize and repair communication breakdown

3. Four components of communicative competence (Canale & Swain, 1980): • Grammatical (or linguistic) competence: Involves knowing how to use the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of a language Q: What words do I use? How do I put them into phrases and sentences?

4. Authentic examples of incorrect English seen in Taiwan On motorcycles: • For your nice scene • The friendly scooter on earth • With fashionable feeling • The scooter of wind called 125 • Kymco brings out the genius in your choice

5. On housing advertisements: • Lifestyles of health and sustainability • If I loed compared to others far, is because I stand on giant’s shoulder

6. In a wedding photo album: • Make me thy lyre even as the forest is what if my leaves are falling like its own the tumult of thy mighty harmonies • If you were the all to sorrow and I were page to joy we’d play for lives and seasons with loving looks and treasons and tears of maid and boy

7. On signs: • Please follow campus parking regulations. Violating motorcycles will be detained. • All vehicles are advised to slow down on campus. • Pet bottles

8. Components of communicative competence (Cont’d) • Discourse competence: Involves interpreting the larger context and knowing how to construct language so the parts make up a coherent whole Q: How are words, phrases and sentences put together to create conversations, speeches, email messages, articles, etc.?

9. Components of communicative competence (Cont’d) • Sociolinguistic competence: Involves knowing how to use language appropriately, given the topic, setting and relationship among speakers Q: How can I express a specific attitude (courtesy, friendliness, respect, etc.) when I need to? How do I know what attitude the other speaker is expressing?

10. Components of communicative competence (Cont’d) • Strategic competence: Involves knowing how to recognize and repair breakdowns in communication Q: How do I know when misunderstanding takes place? What do I say then? How can I express my ideas if I don’t know the name of something or the correct verb form to use?

11. Four stages in the process of developing cross cultural understanding: (according to the language and culture specialists at U.K.-based Kwintessential Ltd.)

12. Four levels of appreciation of cultural differences: • Cross Cultural Knowledge • Cross Cultural Awareness • Cross Cultural Sensitivity • Cross Cultural Competence

13. Cross Cultural Knowledge: • Critical to basic cross cultural understanding • Cross cultural understanding cannot take place without it • Refers to a surface level familiarization with cultural characteristics, values, beliefs and behaviors

14. Cross Cultural Awareness: • Develops from cross cultural knowledge • Learner understands and appreciates a culture internally • May be accompanied by changes in the learner’s behavior and attitudes (e.g. greater flexibility and openness)

15. Cross Cultural Sensitivity: • A natural by-product of cultural awareness • Refers to the ability to see deeply into situations, contexts and behaviors that are culturally rooted and respond appropriately • Appropriate responses reveal that the learner’s cultural biases no longer are a factor

16. Cross Cultural Competence: • Ultimate goal and final stage in cross cultural understanding • Refers to the learner’s ability to work or interact effectively across cultures • Involves the integration and transformation of all the skills & information learned through cross cultural knowledge, awareness and sensitivity applied in a way to create synergy in the workplace

17. Learning through laughter:Humor can play a major role in achieving cross-cultural understanding and be used successfully in language & cultural training in the classroom

18. According to Peter Medgyers (2000), humor is able to: • create an enjoyable classroom • release tension • enhance motivation • bring students closer together • harness students’ personal knowledge and experiences • develop creativity

19. Humor’s benefits (Cont’d): • provide students with memorable chunks of language • practice language items in genuine contexts • reinforce previously learnt items • provide authentic cultural information • build bridges between cultures