Concepts Week 10

Question 1

3 components of human communication

Answer 1

sender, message, receiver

Question 2

What is the function of communication?

Answer 2

To build and maintain social relationships

Question 3

Examples of classic phatic rituals in UK

Answer 3

Small talk, weather talk, smiling

Question 4

What does phatic communication do?

Answer 4

Keeps the channel between sender and receiver open and emphasises their interpersonal relationship

Question 5

What is non-referential phatic communication?

Answer 5

Referring to nothing outside of language, eg. Intonation

Question 6

Front stage vs Backstage

Answer 6

Goffman 1959 how you behave depending on whether or not you have an audience

Question 7

What affects levels of politeness?

Answer 7

Context (front vs back stage), Participants, power differences and social distance

Question 8

Power and social distance

Answer 8

Difference between speakers influences politeness, Brown and Levinson 1986

Question 9

Examples of face-threatening acts

Answer 9

Requests, commands, disapprovals, criticism and warnings

Question 10

What is the cost of imposition?

Answer 10

The seriousness of a face threatening act

Question 11

What is the purpose of politeness?

Answer 11

To avoid disturbances within a social situation

Question 12

How do we fine tune our politeness?

Answer 12

By measuring power, social distance and cost of imposition of a face-threatening act

Question 13

Sociolinguistic transfer

Answer 13

The rules of speaking and behaviour of one’s own culture being applied to interactions with members of another culture

Question 14

Intercultural communication research

Answer 14

Tries to understand what happens in multicultural communications and tries to overcome misunderstandings

Question 15

What are the 4 dimensions that people attend to in terms of norms?

Answer 15

• Power distance
• Individualism/collectivism
• Masculinity/Femininity
• Uncertainty avoidance

Question 16

Uncertainty avoiding cultures

Answer 16

• feel uncomfortable in unstructured situations

- strict laws, rules and regulations

Question 17

Uncertainty accepting cultures

Answer 17

• more tolerant of different opinions
• fewer rules
• less expected to express emotions openly

Question 18

Hofstede’s study

Answer 18

• Looked at IBM employees
• Power distance, individualism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance
• Comparing Arab world and UK

Question 19

Issues with Hofstede’s study

Answer 19

• Only IBM employees
• Mostly male
• Working in the same sector
• Danger of essentialism

Question 20

Big-C culture examples

Answer 20

British culture, Japanese culture, American culture

Question 21

Essentialism viewpoint

Answer 21

• Takes for granted construction of big-C cultures
• Each culture homogenous (the same)
• Culture associated with a nation/language
• Culture is a noun

Question 22

Constructivism viewpoint

Answer 22

• Critiques big-C cultures
• Cultures can flow and mingle
• Culture is a verb
• People can belong to many cultures

Question 23

Small culture examples

Answer 23

• Colleagues in an office
• Students on a module
• Netball team
• Commuters on a train

Question 24

Holliday 1999 Large cultures

Answer 24

Large cultures are consequences of stereotyping and essentialism

Question 25

Cultural norms about silence

Answer 25

• Speak only whenever possible; silence uncomfortable
• Speak whenever you want to speak
• Only speak when you have something pressing to say
• Only speak when called upon

Question 26

Turn taking

Answer 26

Britain:
- a good conversation has little gaps between speech and few overlaps/interruptions

Other cultures:
- Japan, Greece silence or interruption can be a marker of politeness, respect and understanding

Question 27

What are Jakobson’s 6 functions of language?

Answer 27

• Referential
• Conative
• Emotive
• Phatic
• Metalingual
• Poetic

Question 28

Individualist methods for more successful intercultural communications

Answer 28

• Indirect and tactful speech
• Maintain face and avoid public embarrassment
• Be tentative and avoid conflict, let it go

Question 29

Collectivist methods for more successful intercultural communications

Answer 29

• Be direct and assertive
• Provide verbal feedback
• State your opinions