Crosscultural Communication1Crosscultural Communication2Videos: ‘Crosstalk’• Crosstalk, first broadcast on BBC television May 1, 1979, was a pioneering effort in applied sociolinguistics by John Gumperz. It was one of a series of ten programs entitled Multi-Racial Britain.• Crosstalk confronted the issue of workplace miscommunication that comes from racial and ethnic stratification. 3Videos: ‘Gatekeepers’• Gatekeepers: The job interview, was produced by the University of Alaska Center for Instructional Telecommunications.• Introduced by Alaska poet laureate, Richard Dauenhauer, and featuring some of the people in Crosstalk, the Gatekeepers video shows how the challenges of crosscultural communication identified in Crosstalk apply to job interviews for Alaskan native peoples.Crosscultural Communication24Crosscultural miscommunication• People from different cultural backgrounds may . . .1. Have direct or indirect conversational styles2. Tell different stories in different narrative styles3. Indicate their stance or attitude in different ways5Direct or indirect style• Conversational style includes . . .– how fast you talk– how loud you talk– the pitch of your voice– your intonation– and many other ways of speaking. . . at a certain point in interaction.6Direct or indirect style• People react negatively to others whose degree of directness differs markedly from their own. For example, . . .Crosscultural Communication37Direct or indirect style• “I think that showing consideration for the other means to speak directly and sincerely with people. I think that going round and round shows lack of consideration. I feel hurt and cheated when I feel somebody close is trying to tell me something but does not say it. I think that to talk sincerely, directly is more civilized, more true. For example I’m always slightly annoyed with my wife when as she always does, she asks me if I would mind picking up the baby.” – An Israeli husband• “But that’s a nice way to ask. I don’t force him. I soften the request. I leave him the chance to agree or disagree.” – His French wife8Direct or indirect style• Politeness Theory explains . . .– The use of politeness to mitigate face-threatening acts.• A face-threatening act is . . .– Any threat to a person’s right or desire to be left to do as they wish.• Examples of face-threatening acts include . . .– Requests, directives, and information-seeking acts.9Direct or indirect style• Direct threats– Give me a ride home after the lesson.– Pay me the money you owe me.– Why don’t you have children?– How much do you earn?– How old are you?• Mitigated threats– I wonder if you would mind giving me a ride home.– I sure could use that cash right now.– Don’t you think that kids are great?–Say nothing.– You look so young!Crosscultural Communication410Direct or indirect style• The degree to which face-threatening acts are mitigated depends on three things . . .D: Participants’ perception of the social distancebetween themP: The relative powerof participantsR: The rank of impositionof the act11Direct or indirect styleD People’s perceptions of social distance, power, and rank of imposition vary from culture to culture.• Compare the social distance between . . .– You and your grandfather– You and your kid sister– You and your roommate– You and your professor12Direct or indirect styleP Compare the power differential between . . .– You and your employer– You and your TA– You and your mom– You and the soldiers under your commandCrosscultural Communication513Direct or indirect styleR Compare the rank of imposition of these acts . . .– You want a classmate to lend you their notes.– You want to move in with your partner.– You want your roommate to clean up the kitchen.– You want your dad to give you some money to buy textbooks.14Crosscultural miscommunication• People from different cultural backgrounds may . . .1. Have direct or indirect conversational styles2. Tell different stories in different narrative styles3. Indicate their stance or attitude in different ways15NarrativesWhat is a ‘narrative’?• An oral story told to serve personal and relational purposes other than giving information and entertaining.• Oral stories are not the same as written stories.• Oral stories are co-constructed by conversational partners . . . by invitations and by response tokens.Crosscultural Communication616NarrativesThree characteristics of narratives . . .1. The talk concerns a particular time when the narrator experienced an event.2. The narrator believes the event being told about to be newsworthy.3. The narrator conveys an evaluation of the event.17Narratives• Consider one of Mr. Aziz’snarratives in his conversation with the social worker.1. What time did the event take place?2. Why is the event newsworthy?3. How does Mr. Aziz evaluate the event?18Narratives• What purposes do narratives serve?1. To make an argument – to support a particular point of view2. To perform a face-threatening speech act3. To present the self in a particular light4. To altercast the conversational partner as a particular type of person5. To position the narrator in an ongoing conflict6. To express a morally questionable or devalued opinionCrosscultural Communication719Mr. Aziz’s narratives• Consider one of Mr. Aziz’snarratives in his conversation with the social worker.– What is the function of Mr. Aziz’snarrative?20Cultural differences in narratives• Story content: People from different cultural backgrounds believe that certain topics make appropriate narratives, but certain others do not.• What topics do you believe make appropriate or inappropriate narratives?21Cultural differences in narratives• Narrative style: People from different cultural backgrounds believe that certain ways of telling a story are more appropriate than others.• Remember Holden Caulfield in J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye?Crosscultural Communication822J.D.Salinger on narrative style• Holden Caulfield describes a course he flunked on ‘Oral Expression.’ If a student gave a speech and strayed from the point, the teacher insisted that the other boys yell “Digression!” at him.• The interruptions especially intimidated a shy, nervous student named Richard Kinsella, who was giving a speech about his father’s farm in Vermont. Richard did digress, telling about his uncle who