CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
Objectives :
1. To improve students awarness of the knowledge and skills that are needed, for successfull communication.
2. To improve students cultural and communicative competence.
3. To help students understand and appreciate the importance of cultural differences and diversity.
4. To help students identify ways to avoid misinterpretation in their own interactions with Americans and people from other cultures.
Characteristics of culture
1. Culture is learned, it can also be taught or required.
2. Cultures and cultural patterns change.
3. Culture is a universal fact of human life.
4. Culture provide sets of unique and interrelated, selected blueprints for living and accompanying sets of value and beliefs to support these blueprints.
5. Language and culture are closely related and interactive.
6. Culture function as a filtering device between its bearers and the great range of stimuli presented by the environment.
General Goals of cross Cultural Gearning
· To expand cultural awarness of both the students native culture and the target culture.
· To increase tolerance and acceptance of the existance of different values, attitudes, and belief systems as part of target culture.
· To encourage a seeking to understand the new and different culture patterns.
· To develop intelectural communications skills in areas in which cross cultural similarities occurs.
· To develop a persfective of cross cultural awarness that recognize cultural differences and fosters (promote development) understanding of the strength found in diversity.
· To develop an attitude of acceptance toward change and personal adjustment.
a. Second language learning–that is learning within culture of that second language (Indonesian learn English in the USA)
b. Second language learning within one’s own native culture where the second language is an accepted lingua franca used for education, government, or bussiness. (India, Philippines)
c. Foreign language learning-that is learning a foreign language in one’s own culture with few immediate and widespread opportunities to use language within the environment of one’s own culture (learning English in Indonesian).
In learning a foreign second language, there are three interrelated competencies that are essential to the learness in order to be able to communicate effectively; communicative competence, linguistic competence, and cultural competence (Hammerly 1982).
Cultural competence is the knowledge about his culture and civilization that the average educated native speaker has plus the ability to be have as he behaves. Hammerly divides culture into three types : informational (factual), behavioral and achievement or accoplishment culture.
1. Informational culture refers to average educated native knows about his or her society, the geography and history of his/her country, its heroes and villains, and so on.
2. Behavioral culture refers to the sunm of daily life. This includes basic human needs, tradition and customs, and achievement.
3. Achievement culture is the artistic and literary accoplishments of a society (letter, arts, music).
Linguistic competence involves the accurate and fluent use of four components of language – phonology, grammar, lexion (sets of words and idioms), and semantics – and its four intralingual skills, listening, reading, speaking, and writing plus discourse.
Communicative competence has to do with the ability of a speaker to generate apprepriate and effective message, that is situationally relevant and appropriate for a variety of communication acts. Speech acts can be classified according to many criteria, among them functions, situations, roles, topics, modalities, formality level, domain and level of communication.
Robert Williams (1970) has identified is value orientations, the foundation of American belief, behavior, defenition of social goals and life expectations.
1. Achievement and success.
2. Activity and work.
3. Moral orientation.
4. Humanitarian mores.
5. Effeciency and practicality.
6. Progress.
7. Material comfort.
8. Equity.
9. Freedom.
10. External comformity.
11. Science and rationality.
12. Nationalism.
13. Democracy.
14. Individualism.
15. Racim and group-superiorrity themes.
DO’S and TABOOS around the world
EROUPE
General protocol
· Not taking photograph in museum and military instalation : Czeck, Rep. Hungary.
· No tipping for taxi, in restaurant, in hotels : Denmark, Nederland, Finland, Iceland.
· Visitors offer to pay when using phones : Ireland.
· Avoid wearing stripe ties : England, Scotland, Wales.
Names / Greetings
· Cheek kissing : Belgium, Russia (Among friends).
· Handshake : Belgium, Czech Rep, Denmark, Finland, Hungary.
· Use title and first names : Romania, Portugal (first name only).
· Embrance : Portugal, man hug and slap ; women kiss on cheek.
Appointment / punctuality
· Appointment in advance necessary and being punctual : Ireland, Austria, Belgium.
· Appointment not necessary : Greece, iceland.
· Punctuality not a must : Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Spain (except for a bullfight is a must).
AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST
· TIPPING (NOT COMPULSORY) : Ivory coast (N), Kenya (Y).
· Remove shoes when entering home mosque : Marocco.
Appointment : Algeria, Marocco, Nigeria, Jordan, Syria. And punctuality : Ivory Coast, Ghana, Libya, Senegal, South Africa, Uruguay.
Hospitality / Giving Gift
Small gift as taken of frienship.
Tanzania (not compulsory and not flowers), Egypt (invited to dinner : flower chocolate and presented both or righ hand), Kenya (cookies/candy not flowers-on condolences), Saudi Arabia, Senegal (never eat food with left hand- offensive).
Handshaking : Algeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Marocco, Senegal, Tanzania< Gulft states, Iran, Saudi Arabia (Assalam Alai).
Embracing and kissing : Syria (men embracing, women kissing).
Conversation to avoid : Politics (P), Religion (R), Money (M), Algeria (P), Egypt (P-mid E), Kenya (P-local), Libya (P,R), Senegal (P R Gov, Leaders), Nigeria (R), Tanzania ( P), Zambia (P), Saudi Arabia (P-mid E, Oil).
PACIFIC AND ASIA
General protokol :
· Direct and difficult to impress : Australian.
· No tipping : Rep of China, New Zealand.
· South Korean : women cover mouth when laughing, women help men with their coat, blowing nose in front of others is bad manner.
· Remove shoes when entering home : Tahiti, Thailand (never touch one’s head), Malaysia (also sun glasses), singapura (not always).
Names / Greetings
Firm handshake : Australia, Bangladesh (men wait women), Rep. of China (with tittle), India (men not shake hand with women), Malaysia (men only with slight bow), Philippines (no pat on the back of men), Singapore (slight bow), South Korea (both or right hand, women not shake hand) in Japan (long bow-no handshake), in Thailand, no handshake, bow slightly and place hands on chest.
Appointment (A) / Punctuality (P)
In Australia, Bangladesh, Rep of China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Philippine appointment is necessary or required. In Malaysia (A,P), South Korea (A,P not important), Canada : follow the host’s lead, more conservatives than USA, shaking hands when parting and meeting, punctuality is expected. When entertaint at home send flowers to the hostess, avoid sending lilies-assoe with funerals. Conversation to avoid : separation into separate states between French and English speaking.
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
General protocol :
· Stand close during conversation, tipping varies according to countries,
· Tipping varies according to country, shakehands are common on arrival and departure.
· Latin Americans enjoy entertaining, and it is customary to give gifts, perfume for women, accessories for men (ties).
· Suitable gifts are flowers, or good wine. Toast are common, let the host say this first.
Greetings
· Argentina : men hug, women kiss on cheeks and shake with both hands. Gift- avoid personal item like ties or shirt : send candy or flower after being entertained, a guest should wait for the host to sit down before sitting.
· Brazil : men and women shake hands on leaving and meeting, women exchange kissed by placing their cheeks together and kissing the air.
· Paraguay : people stand very close when conversing, men embrance, women kiss each other on cheeks, close friends may walk arm in arm.
Gift Giving
USA – Allow gift that coast not more than 25 bucks (rules of IRS); open immediately.
Japan – a neccesarity for friendship, graduate and respect.
1. Never surprise the receiver-alert first.
2. Wrap the gift but not with white paper (assoc, death)
3. Give and receive gifts with both hands.
4. Never give four of things (assoc, with death)
China :
1. Never present a clock (symbol of puneral)
2. White, blue, or black gifts associate with funeral
3. Red, pink, yellow are joyful
4. Don’t use red ink (severing friendship)
5. Sharp object (knifes, Scissors) symbolize cutting off frienship
6. Handkerchiefs are sign of sadness
7. Don’t give out green cap (advertised his daughter for propose romance)
8. Present gifts that come in pairs (pens, shoes)
Korea- Impolite to open give in the presence of the giver. Gift should not be refuse unless smells a bribe.
Latin America – if invited to someone’s home, first visit or not, don’t go empty handed
Australia- when visiting or hosting Australians, exchange gifts is not expected.
United Kingdom – when going to a very grand house, it is not correct to take a gift.
CULTURE SHOCK
Culture shock is a common experience for a person learning a second language in a second culture. Culture shock refers to phenomena ranging from mild irritability to deep psychological panic and crisis. Generally culture shock will be experienced only in learning a second language within the culture of that second language.
Peter Alder (1972 : 8) describe culture shock in more technical psychologycal.
Terms : “ culture shock, then, is though to be a form of anxiety that result from the loss of commonly perceive and understood signs and symbols of social intercrouse.
The individual understanding culture shock reflects his anixiety and nervousness with cultural diffrences throug any number of defense menhanism, repression, regiression, isolation and rejection.
The antropologist George M. Foster (1962 : 87) describe culture shock as a mental illness. The victim actually does not know he is offected. He finds that he is irritable, defressed, and probably annoyed by the lack of attention shown him.
H. Douglas Brown (1986 : 36) states that it is feasible to think of culture shock as one four successive stage of acculturation :
The first stage is the period of excitement and euphoria ever the newness of the surroundings.
The second stage-culture shock emerges as the individual feels the intrusion of more and more cultural differences into hid own image of self and society.
The third stage is one of gradual, and at first tentative and vacillating, recovery. This stage is typified by what Larson and Smalley (!(&@) cail problem continue for some time.
The forth stage more represents near or full recovery, either assimilation or adaptation, acceptance of the new culture and self-confidence in the “new” person that is developed in this culture.
In relation to the above processs. Skills of cultural understanding need to be developed from the beginning through the more advanced level of proficiency. Hanvey (1979) drew a scheme for measuring cultural awarness which consists of four stage as shown in the illustration below :
Level I : Information about the culture may consists of superficial such as isolated facts or streotypes. The individual very likely sees the culture as add, bizarre, and exotic.
Level II : Learners at this stage focus on expanded knowledge about the culture in terms of both significant and subtle traits that contrast with those of their own culture.
Level III : At this stage, the individual begin to accept the culture at an intellectual level, and thus the culture becomes believable because it can be explained. The individual can see things in terms of the target culture’s frame of reference.
Level IV : This level, the level of emphaty, is achieved through living in and through the culture. The individual begins to see the culture from the viewpoint of the insider, and thus is able to know how the culture be are feels.
Hanvey concludes that achieving level IV would be an ideal goal, but level III understanding may be more achievabel. In any case, the levels represent stages of understanding or awarness that can flunctuate quite a bit, and the resultant instability of these levels should be kept in mind by anyone wishing to drive a workable sequence of instruction from them.
CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT
The adjusment stages during prolonged stays may last several months to several years. The following “W” shaped diagram illustrates period of adjusment in a second culture and might apply to a one year stay (approximately). In a foreign culture.
Each stage in the process is characterized by “ symptomps” or outward signs typing certain kinds of behavior :
1. Honeymoon period. Initially many people are fascinated and excited by everything new.
2. Culture shock. The individual is immersed in new problems : housing, transportation, shopping and language.
3. Initial adjusment. Everyday activities such as housing and shopping are no longer major problems.
4. Mental isolation. Individuals have been away from their family and good friends for a long time and may feel lonely. Many still feel they cannot express themselves as well as they can in their native language.
5. Acceptance and integration. A routine (e.g work, business, school) has been established. The visitor has accepted the habits, customs, food, and characteristics of the people in the new culture.
Re-entry Process
A similar process occurs when visitors return to their native countries, although the stages are usually shorter and less intense. Each stage in the Re-entry process characterized by symptoms and feelings.
1. Acceptance and integration.
2. Return anxiety- there may confusion and emotional pain about leaving because of frienship will have to disrupted.
3. Return honeymoon. Immediately upon arrival in one’s own country, there is generally a great deal of excitement.
4. Re-entry shock. Family and friend may not understand or appreciate what the traveler has experienced.
5. Re-Integration. The former traverler becomes fully involved with friends, family and feels once again integrated in the society.
HOW ARE CULTURE ACQUIRED
Empirical perspective
Culture is transmitted and acquired through all perceptual modes, verbally, nonverbally. Culture message are transmitted through language, sounds or rhythm it self, space, time, body movements, touch, taste, smell, and sight.
Emotional attitude : emotional is a powerfull device in learning.
Sound : through language, music, song by men and women.
Space : eating halls, house arrangement, male and female roles (segregation).
Time : time organization, part of the day, part of years, ceremony.
Body movement and dance : greeting while bowing. Shake hand, kissing on cheeks.
Touch : in American school- no touching.
Taste : food and food sharing, fast food.
Strategies for Teaching Culture
The task of the teacher is to nurture changes in attitude towards cultures without trying to shape the student’s values and beliefs. When developing clasroom activities, the following elements should be considered.
· Interest in another culture.
· Sensitivity to non verbal clues.
· Ability to recognize direct and indirect communication styles.
· Sensitivity to cultural stereotypes.
· Ability to articulate elements of one’s own culture awareness of communication relationship between group.
· Criteria for judging “ good “ or “ bad “ communication from another cultures point of view (Pederson 1988).
APPROACHES TO THE TEACHING OF CULTURE
A. Conversational academic approaches
1. Lectures
2. Reading
B. Observational approaches
1. Native informants or long time sojourners from the country of interest can be invited to the classroom.
2. Personal observations carried out by the teacher trainess / students in their own culture or in others.
C. Media approach
1. Film and videotapes can provide vivid illustrations of culture patterns.
2. Other artifacts from particular culture.
D. Experiential approach
1. Role plays which help students find out what it means to act like members of another culture in various context of situations.
2. Simulation games in which participants create artifical cultures.
3. Cross culture exercises in which participants modify various aspects of customary behavior.
E. Cognitive approaches
1. Culture assimilators which consist of a short description of a situation requiring participants to make a choice among potentially reasonable ways of resolving a problematic situation.
2. Culture capsules are short description of a minimal differences between two cultures.
3. Culturegrams are very short descriptions of major aspects of a culture.
4. Culture asides are spontaneous response to cross- cultural items of interest that arise in the classroom.
Lafayette (1988) feels that the most basic issue in cross- cultural education is the degree to which the study of language and culture are integrated. He makes several suggestions for achieving this type of integration :
1. Cultural lessons and activities need to be planned as carefully as language activities and integrated into lesson plans.
2. Make good use of textbook illustrations and photos.
