Lecture 1: A theoretical approach to intercultural

Lecture 1: A theoretical approach to intercultural

communication

When does communication become intercultural communication? What

distinguishes  intercultural communication from communication that is

not  intercultural?  What  does  it  mean  to  be  a  competent  intercultural

communicator?  I  believe  that  intercultural  communication  can  be

understood via the same basic variables and processes used to  describe

other  forms  of  communication.  All  communication  occurs  between

people who  have varying degree of familiarity with each other. The key

factor  of  understanding  intercultural  communication  is  the  concept  of

the  stranger.  Different  cultures  (and  subcultures)  may  have  different

rules  and  norms  in  accordance  to  which  I  would  point  out  that

understanding  the  other’s  culture  facilitates  cross-cultural

communication.  Attention  is  to  be  focused  on  the  components  and

characteristics  of  intercultural  communication  competence  as  well  as

boundaries and common understandings about  this central idea are to

be established.

Understanding communication

Strangeness  and  familiarity  make  up  a  continuum.  As  for  William

Gudykunst and  Young Yun Kim the term “stranger” is to refer to those

people at the most unfamiliar  end of continuum.1 Thus anyone could be

considered  a  stranger,  given  a  sufficiently  foreign  context.  A  stranger

has  limited  knowledge  of  their  new  environment  –  of  its  norms  and

values. And in turn, the locals have little knowledge of the stranger –  of

their  beliefs,  interests  and  habits.  Generally  speaking,  communication

with another involves  predicting or anticipating their responses. When

communicating with someone familiar  we are usually confident in our

anticipation,  and  may  not  even  notice  that  we  are  making  such

predictions.  In  contrast,  when  we  communicate  with  strangers  we  are

more  aware  of  the  range  of  their  possible  responses,  and  of  the

uncertainty of our predictions.  Communicative predictions are based on

data  from  three  levels.  First  is  the  cultural  level.  This  level  involves

information about the other’s culture, its dominant values and

norms.  This  level  involves  information  available  when  communicating

with a stranger. Even so, a better understanding of the stranger’s culture

yields better predictions.



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