What is communication

Дәріс тақырыптарының тезистері.

1. Culture is considered the core concept in intercultural communication. One characteristic of culture is that it functions largely at a subconscious level. Its complexity indicates the many ways in which it influences intercultural communication. Culture is more than just a part of the practice of intercultural communication. Any one definition is too restrictive. A dialectal approach suggests that different definitions offer more flexibility in approaching the topic. A more recent definition reflects Geertz’s influence:1) that set of capacities which distinguishes Homo sapiens as a species and which is fundamental to its mode of adaptation; 2) the learned, cumulative product of all social life; 3) the distinctive patterns of thought, action, and value that characterize the members of a society or social group. (Winthrop, 1991, p.50) Psychological definition: Geert Hofstede, a noted social psychologist, defined culture as the “programming of the mind” and as the “interactive aggregate of common characteristics that influence a human group’s response to its environment” (Hofstede, 1997, p.4) Ethnography definition: culture refers to a socially constructed and historically transmitted pattern of symbols, meaning, premises, and rules.

Problems in communication begin when we automatically judge someone who is different from us. When we see different as bad we are being ethnocentric. Ethnocentrism and stereotyping contribute to misunderstanding.

2. Ethnocentrism means making judgment based on one’s own standards and applying those standards to others who may be from different cultures (Brislin, 1986, p. 262). One problem with this way is that it generates narrow-minded ideas. Ethnocentrism occurs in all cultures. Another problem with ethnocentric perceptions is stereotypes. Stereotypes are negative (or positive) labels we place on people to explain why they are different.

The tool which can help us is empathy. It means to be able to see the world from the other person’s perspectives.

3. The defining characteristic of communication is meaning, and we could say that communication occurs whenever someone attributes meaning to another person’s words or actions. Communication may be understood as a “symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired and transformed” (Carey, 1989, p.23). This definition involves several ideas.

First, communication is symbolic. This means that the words we speak or the gestures we make have no inherent meaning. Rather, they gain their significance from an agreed-upon meaning. When we use symbols to communicate, we assume that the other person shares our symbol system. These symbolic meanings are conveyed verbally and nonverbally.