Intercultural Communication Key Terms

Question 1

Customs

Answer 1

It is something that a person or group of people do that makes it their own

Eg. My family and I open a Christmas present on Christmas Eve every year

Question 2

Acculturaion

Answer 2

Contacts between different cultures, either directly or through the media, provide us with the reason why it is important to learn how to communicate successfully

Question 3

Cultural relativism

Answer 3

It means that we understand that one culture can not be judged randomly according to the standards of another. One persons behaviour can only be understood in terms of the values, beliefs and norms of their culture

Question 4

Cultural diversity

Answer 4

Each culture has a rich tradition that distinguishes it from other cultures. Acknowledgement and celebration of this fact can only mean better intercultural communication

Question 5

Continuity

Answer 5

The values, beliefs and traditions of culture that give society stability

Question 6

Change

Answer 6

An alteration in the way people behave or how their society is structured, can result from acculturation

Question 7

Cultural transmission

Answer 7

Generally means that some aspects of one groups culture are absorbed by another group

Question 8

Stereotypes

Answer 8

Generalised views of how we expect a person of a certain background to behave which leads to potentially misleading assumptions being made about a whole group. It is not that those characteristics don’t exist, rather than the individual difference have not been allowed for

Question 9

Cultural heritage

Answer 9

The shared understanding that give each society its distinctive way of life are passed on from generation to generation. Cultural heritages helps form a persons identity. The norms and values that underpin behaviour need to be understood if intercultural communication is to be effective

Question 10

Values

Answer 10

Important understandings that form the basis of the shared behaviour of a cultural group need to be discovered and appreciated by others

Question 11

Identity

Answer 11

Our sense of who we are comes through socialisation, which is when we learn about the norms and values of our society and develop our unique personalities. Our understanding of self is strongly influenced by the culture and society to which we belong

Question 12

Communication

Answer 12

The successful exchange of messages and ideas is the central theme

Question 13

Socialisation

Answer 13

Individuals learn about the social roles associated with membership of society via agents such as family, peers, community groups and media