Transcript The Role of Advanced Network in Intercultural Communication

THE ROLE OF ADVANCED
NETWORK IN INTERCULTURAL
COMMMUNICATION:
ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
Faridah Noor Mohd. Noor, PhD (Assoc. Prof.)
Deputy Director
Centre for Civilisational Dialogue
University of Malaya
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
[email protected]
19th APAN MEETINGS
Bangkok, Thailand
OBJECTIVES
Objective One
 Explore issues and possible research areas
related to intercultural communication on
advanced network
Objective Two
 Forecast possible challenges on the study of
intercultural communication and culture (ethno
linguistics and ethnopragmatics)
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CULTURE
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Tylor (1958) - culture as an integrated
system made up of parts acquired through
our interaction with those around us.
Geertz argues that culture is "public
because meaning is the collective
property of a group.
One is born into a culture
No culture is privileged over another
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Connection between language and culture
Three aspects language and culture:
 Language expresses cultural reality (Kramsch, 1998)
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Language embodies reality
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Words used to refer to our experience and our daily lives
reflect the language user’s attitudes, opinions, and beliefs.
Language users not only describe but also create experience
through language.
They create meaning through the medium they choose to
communicate (spoken/written/signaled – facial, hand and
body)
Language symbolizes cultural reality
Language is used to signal one’s identity (ethnicity, social
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status, age, gender,
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Culture and communication
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In our daily interaction, culture comes
into play and is inseparable from
communication.
Culture not only dictates who talks what,
to whom, how, and why, but also helps to
determine how communication proceeds
and messages are encoded to transmit the
intended meanings.
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Intercultural communication
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Relatively new area of research in the
communication discipline.
Cross-cultural communication—the
comparison of communication across culture
Intercultural communication—the
communication between people from different
cultures.
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Research on language and culture
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Language, Thought and Culture (Sapir and
Whorf )
Discourse strategies (Gumperz)
“Face” (Goffman)
Cooperative principle (Grice )
Politeness strategies (Brown and Levinson)
Genre Analysis (Swales)
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Data for Research on Language
(and Culture)
“Traditional” form of data
 Print (Newspapers, Magazines, Journal
articles, Budget reports, etc)
 Radio (DJ talk and call ins, jingles and
advertisements, lyrics, etc)
 Television (Advertisements, song videos,
sitcoms, talk shows, translation of subtitles,
etc)
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“New” additions
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SMS
Emoticons
MMS
Internet
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Net advertising
Emails
Chats
Blogs
Video Conferencing
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Research on Advanced Network
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The exchange of messages via emails, chats and
blogs provides an avenue for dialogue with different
cultural perspectives:
 Advertisements on the Net (= Print?, Interactive
versions)
 Emails (Letters?)
 On-line Chats (Conversations?)
 Blogs (Chats? Forums? Intellectual input?
Monitoring – hinders/promote open discussion)
 Video Conferencing (Face 2 Face interaction?)
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ISSUES: Different levels of Research Possible
on Intercultural Communication on Advanced
Network
Level One (Basic communication)
 The sender encodes a message.
 The message is decoded by the receiver.
How much of an intended message is
fully transmitted and interpreted as
intended by the sender?
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ISSUES: (cont.)
Level Two (Add in culture)
When an intercultural discourse takes place,
one’s culture may influence one’s perception.
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What sort of negotiations takes place
when one is aware of the other person’s
culture?
How flexible is one when encountering
another from another culture?
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ISSUES: (cont.)
Level Three (Using a Different Set of Data)
Advanced network now enables video
conferencing, a more “active” form of
communication.
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Is communication via video conferencing
similar to face-to-face interaction?
Do speakers use the same strategies as in
face-to-face interaction?
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Challenges
Possible areas to consider when researching
on intercultural communication on
advanced network
How to conduct Multi-level Analysis
and interpret the findings for E Culture
research
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Sociolinguistic Factors
Factors that may influence communication:
First layer:
 Elements of culture (religion, customs,
worldviews and beliefs)
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Second layer
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Ethnicity
Nationality
Age
Status/Social class
Gender
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Third Layer
The choice of language for advanced network is
English. It cuts across the cultural distance between
different cultures.
 What is the impact of using a common medium for
intercultural communication when all the other
factors come into play (Gender, age,etc) – Does it
“nuetralize” the situation? If yes, what changes have
taken place? If not, which factors are more salient in
intercultural communication?
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OTHER POSSIBLE RESEARCH
(ECulture)
Preservation of Indigenous Language and
Culture
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Mah Meri Community (currently ongoing)
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Dying culture – immersion of younger generation into
the main stream of Malaysian society
Language, Culture and Heritage
No writing system
Intercommunication with the other groups
Ethnopragmatics
Ethnolinguistics
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Use of Findings
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The possible role of advanced network in
promoting inter-culture awareness and
dialogue
Need to chart maps to navigate through the
world of intercultural communication and
bring about a safer and more tolerant global
community.
Hopefully this effort can promote greater
participation from researchers in the
humanities and social science areas
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THE WAY FORWARD
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APAN provides an avenue for future research,
both as a communication tool and sharing of
databases
Capitalise on advanced network to capture data
Need for collaboration in research across
cultures and countries
Need for research funding on intercultural
communication and a platform to champion
the cause
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Thank you for listening