verbal and non verbal

Culture and Verbal
Communication

谢持恒

Session 4

2024-03-28

CONTENTS

•I. Introduction

•II. Understanding Culture

•III. Verbal Communication

•IV. Cultural Variations in Verbal Communication

•V. Cultural Context in Verbal Communication

•VI. Challenges and Misunderstandings

•VII. Strategies for Effective Intercultural Communication

•VIII. Case Studies and Examples

•IX. Conclusion

01
I. Introduction

I. Introduction

- Definition of culture

culture

- Importance of verbal

verbal communication

communication within

within cultural contexts

contexts

- Overview of how

culture influences

verbal communication

02
II. Understanding Culture

II. Understanding
Culture

- Definition of culture and its components

components (values, beliefs, norms, etc.)

- Cultural diversity and its significance

- Impact of globalization on cultural interactions

Language

🞛 Language is a set of codes and symbols,

along with the rules for combining them
together.

🞛 Different groups of people speak and write

different languages, and have different
codes, symbols and roles to facilitate their
communication.

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

Language and Culture

🞛
Language helps in communication with
people from different backgrounds.

Language

Cultur
e

●Cultural literacy is necessary in order

to understand the language being used.

Language

Culture

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

1.1 Language as a reflection of the

environment

Camel

English

• “falling snow”

“fallen snow”

• “flaky snow”
• “crusty snow”

“snow packed into
ice”

English

• Dromedary
• Bactrian

Arabic

• More than 400 words

Snow

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

1.2 Language as a reflection of

values

Women’s subordination

Follow the man you marry, be he a fool or a crook.

——嫁鸡随鸡，嫁

狗随狗

The husband sings, the wife accompanies.

——夫唱妇随

Chinese kinshipTerms

English

Chinese

Grandmother

Brothe

r

外祖母

祖母

哥哥

弟弟

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

1.3 Language Affects People’s Way

of Thinking

Language

shapes

people’s

thinking,

beliefs,

and

attitudes,

and

itdetermines

the

way

people see the world and thus their culture.

——Sapir-Whorf

hypothesis

Language Determinism

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

Cultural Impact on Verbal

Communication

Phonemic Level

Lexical
Level

Syntactical
Level

Discourse
Level

Discourse

Level

Phonemic Level

Syntactical Level

Lexical Level

Discourse Level

Pragmatics

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

03

III. Verbal Communication
Communication

III. Verbal Communication

- Definition and components of verbal

verbal communication (language, tone,

tone, context, etc.)

- Role of verbal communication in

expressing cultural identity

- Importance of language choice in

intercultural communication

Culture-loaded Words

🞛 At lexical evel

Sender

Receiver

Symbol

✔ Meanings

of

words

are

not

in

words

themselves but in the minds of the sender

and the receiver.

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

Same denotational and connotational

meanings

Animal Words

Color Words

Numbers

和平鸽

Dove/鸽子

像狐狸一样狡猾

Fox/狐
狸

✔ Some

words

have

the

same

denotational

and

connotational meanings in the two languages.

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

Same denotational but different

connotational meanings

✔ There are many words with the same denotational

meaning but different connotational meanings.

Owl
A symbol of wisdom
•As wise as an owl

猫头鹰

A symbol of bad luck

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

Different denotational and

connotational meanings

✔ Both denotational and connotational meanings are

different in many other words.

Dragon

Afire-spitting

mythical

animal,

signifying

fierceness

•He is a bit of a dragon here.

long
(龙)

A symbol of the emperor in feudal China
•Descendants of the dragon (龙的传人)

Chinese
Dragon

Dragon

Loong

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

04

IV. Cultural Variations in
in Verbal Communication
Communication

IV. Cultural Variations in Verbal Communication

- Language differences

differences across

cultures (idioms,

dialects, accents)

- Politeness norms and

and speech acts in

different cultures

- Cultural differences in

in nonverbal cues

accompanying verbal

verbal communication

communication

(gestures, facial

expressions)

05

V. Cultural Context in
Verbal Communication
Communication

V. Cultural Context in Verbal Communication

- High-context vs. low-context cultures

cultures and their implications for

for verbal communication

- Power distance and its impact on

communication styles

- Individualism vs. collectivism and its

influence on verbal expression

pragmatic rules

✔ Pragmatics is the study of the effect of language on

human language.

✔ Speech

behavior

must

beinconformity

with

rules of

speaking.

✔ The use of rules of speaking from one’s own native

speech community when interacting with members of the

host

speech

community

orsimply

when

speaking

ina

second language is known as pragmatic transfer.

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

3.1. Addressing

The forms of address in every language reflect

social

status

of

the

speaker,

of

the

addressee,

orofthe

relationship

between

them.

People

here

call

meLao

Wai

(old foreigner).
At first I was quite upset. I
looked

at

myself

in

the

mirror,

and

Iwasn’t

old:

I’m only in my forties.
Later,

Ifound

they

also

called

foreign

children

Xiao

Lao

Wai,

Irealized

it’s

a

general

term

for

any

foreigner.

Chinese

Address System
3 Differences

English

Address System

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

06

VI. Challenges and
Misunderstandings

VI. Challenges and Misunderstandings

- Stereotypes and cultural

cultural biases affecting

affecting verbal

communication

- Language barriers and

and strategies for

overcoming them

- Cultural

misunderstandings in

cross-cultural

communication

3.2 Greeting and Leave-taking

Englis

h

•Comment

on

weather

Chinese

•去哪儿呀？
•吃过了吗？

✔ Greeting

is

realized

differently

in

various

languages.

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

Greeting and Leave-taking

✔ The guest has to decide how long it is appropriate to

stay, and having decided to leave, needs to know what

to say.

Chinese

West

•I’m leaving now.

•I’m

sorry

to

have

taken

upso

much

of

your

time.

•Find

reasons

to

leave related to
themselves
rather

than

to

their hosts.

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

3.4 Offer and Thanks

✔ Offer-makings

are

different

between

English

and

Chinese.

Englis

h

Interrogative
sentences

China

Command

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

Explicit / Implicit Communication

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

Low context/ Implicit Communication

Association of speaking with negative
consequences:
一言既出，驷马难追;
祸从口出;
言多必失;
Inadequacy of spoken words :
言不尽意;
言外之意;
只可意会，不可言传;

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

5 key aspects of Chinese verbal

style

🞛 Han xu or implicit communication （含蓄）

🞛 ting hua or listening centeredness （听话）

🞛 ke qi or politeness （客气）

🞛 zi ji ren or a focus on insiders （自己人）

🞛 mian zi or face-directed communication

strategies （面子）

🞛 -----Ge Gao and Stella Ting-Toomey (1998)

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

8 Chinese and North Americans clash

in everyday interactions:

🞛 1. What is not said vs. What is said

🞛 2. The use of We vs. I

🞛 3. Polite vs. Impolite talk

🞛 4. Indirect vs. Direct talk

🞛 5. Hesitant vs. Assertive speech

🞛 6. Self-effacing vs. Self-enhancing talk

🞛 7. Private vs. Public personal questions

🞛 8. Reticent vs. Expressive speech

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Dou Weilin: Introduction to ICC

07

VII. Strategies for Effective
Effective Intercultural
Communication

VII. Strategies for Effective Intercultural Communication

•- Developing cultural sensitivity and awareness

•- Active listening and empathy in intercultural interactions

•- Adaptation and flexibility in communication styles

08

VIII. Case Studies and
Examples

VIII. Case Studies and Examples

•- Real-life examples of successful intercultural communication

•- Instances of cultural misunderstandings and their resolutions

•- Analysis of cross-cultural communication in various contexts (business,

diplomacy, social interactions)

09
IX. Conclusion

IX. Conclusion

•- Recap of key points regarding culture and verbal communication

•- Importance of understanding cultural nuances for effective communication

•- Call to action for promoting cultural awareness and sensitivity in communication

practices

THE END

THANKS

Introduction to Verbal and Non-Verbal
Communication

• Verbal communication involves the use of
words and language.
• Non-verbal communication includes
gestures, facial expressions, and body
language.

• Both forms of communication work
together to convey messages and meaning.

• Verbal and non-verbal cues can
complement or contradict each other.

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Types of Verbal Communication

• Oral communication includes spoken
words and vocal tone.

• Written communication involves written or
printed words.

• Formal communication follows predefined
rules and structures.

• Informal communication is casual and
spontaneous.

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​Salutation

​以下称呼是否正确或得体？如何称呼是礼貌的方式？

Poll

在校园里对一位大学教师称呼“师傅”

• 得体

• 不得体

Poll

在大街上对一位中年女教师称呼“女士”

• 得体

• 不得体

Poll

对来自美国的70多岁的旅游者称呼“爷爷”

• 得体

• 不得体

Poll

对一位美国教师称呼“Teacher Smith"

• 得体

• 不得体

Poll

中国学生称呼他的英语教授为 “Dr. Eric Shepherd"

• 得体

• 不得体

Importance of Non-Verbal Communication

• Non-verbal cues can convey emotions,
attitudes, and intentions.

• Facial expressions can communicate
happiness, anger, sadness, and more.

• Body language and posture can indicate
confidence or nervousness.

• Non-verbal signals can be universal or
culturally specific.

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Open Ended

你认为我们是单时制文化还是多时制文化？为什么？

Multiple Choice

Communication without words is called

• 
  Silent speaking

• Nonverbal communication

• Verbal communication

• Interpersonal communication

Multiple Choice

What type of nonverbal communication do you see being violated?

• 
  Space

• Tone of voice

• Eye contact 

• Smiles

Multiple Choice

The image above can mean:

• 
  I agree

• I do not agree

• I don't know

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

Using your face to communicate a feeling is called

• facial expression

• gestures

• impression

Multiple Choice

Which of the following gesture means "Hello?"

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a form of non-verbal communication?

• A. Gestures

• B. Posture

• C. Email

• D. Eye contact

Multiple Choice

The way people dress and their physical appearance doesn't convey any non-verbal cues.

• True

• False

The Power of Body Language

• Body language can reinforce or contradict
verbal messages.

• Gestures and postures can influence
perceptions and interpretations.

• Eye contact and hand movements play
crucial roles in communication.

• Understanding body language can
enhance interpersonal relationships.

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Cultural Influences on Communication

• Culture shapes communication norms and
expectations.

• Non-verbal cues may vary across different
cultures.

• Language barriers can impact intercultural
communication.

• Cultural awareness and sensitivity are
essential for effective communication.

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Improving Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication
Skills

• Active listening enhances understanding
and empathy.

• Practicing good posture and maintaining
eye contact demonstrate engagement.

• Using clear and concise language
improves clarity.

• Cultural competence and empathy foster
effective cross-cultural communication.

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