Week 3 Globalization and its Effect on Communication

Globalization
 A complex concept that has no single meaning. The definition varies depending on which
lens one looks.
 According to Mansbach and Rhodes (2013) globalization involves proliferating
connections among societies and peoples, growing porosity of national frontiers,
proliferation of transnational processes, and the growing importance of authoritative
actors other than national governments, such as transnational corporations, social
networks, and international organizations.

What are some of the drivers of globalization?

Colonization
- Marked the beginning of globalization.
- Because of the influence of colonization, our way of living was directly affected. Influence
in areas such as our culture, tradition, education, and most especially in terms of language.

Diaspora
- Diaspora, according to Oxford dictionary is closely related to the dispersion of the Jews
beyond Israel.
- In relation to the definition in Oxford dictionary, this is related to the movement of
people. Such as migration. These people will become immigrants.
- Immigration provides us with fluidity among peoples from different races where new
networks of economy and cultures are established.

Technologies
- Technologies have immensely facilitated globalization.
- With internet, people have become knowledgeable of the events happening outside their
location (country). People become exposed to various political, economic and social
systems through global news, current events, and other media publicities have
considerably educated people, hence on a macro level, possibly influencing a nation’s
perspective towards its governance, economic trading, environmental care activities,
social dealings, health activities and education system.
- Communication technologies (smart phones, tablets, computers) nations have become
more fluid in their interactions (video chats, phone conversation), allowing instantaneous
feedback and negotiations.

How does globalization affect communication?

- A need for a common language to achieve international intelligibility is significant.

- English has bee acknowledged as the current global language and learned by many due to
globalization, patterns of interactions (greetings, gestures, business dealings, etc.) may not
essentially be universalized.
- Nationalities, ethnic groups, religious communities, gender groups, generations and other
subcultures agree to replace their distinctive manners of communicating with a newly
acquired one from another culture.

Local and Global Communication in a Multicultural Setting

Culture

 A learned system of meanings that fosters particular sense of shared identity-hood and
community-hood among its group members.
 A complex frame of reference that consists of a pattern of traditions, beliefs, values,
norms, symbols, and meaning that are shared to varying degrees by interacting members
of an identity group (Ting-Toomey & Takay, 2006, p.691 in Oetzel, 2009).

Globalization

 As defined by the business dictionary is the worldwide movement toward economic,

financial, trade, and communications integration. This movement resulted to the
formation of the global village.
 Global village is the described by McLuhan as the shrinking of the world into a village by
electronic technology and the speedy movement of information from different places.

Communication and Globalization

 In communication, globalization would mean the increase in the social connectedness or

the expansion of one’s social community and the mutual reliance or dependence of
people’s and nations; the evolution of a language that could be understood by most
countries; the development of the global communication skills or the ability to send
messages across cultures through the four macro skills (speaking, listening, reading and
writing) and the use of non-verbal communication. Developing one’s global
communication skills can lead to cultural diversity.

Cultural Diversity

 Refers to people from different cultures or nations respecting each other’s differences.

Communication Style
  The way you use your verbal and non-verbal skills in communicating your message to
your recipient.

High Context Communication Low Context Communication

It is used predominantly in collectivistic It is used predominantly in individualistic
cultures and reflects a holistic thinking style, cultures and reflects an analytical thinking
where the larger context is taken into style, where most of the attention is given to
consideration when evaluating an action or specific focal objects independent of the
event. surrounding environment.
Most of the information is either in the Most of the meaning is conveyed in the
physical context or internalized in the person, explicit verbal code.
with every little information given in the
coded, explicit, transmitted part of the
message.

 Communication styles can also be direct or indirect; self-enhancing or self-effacing; and

elaborate or understated.
o Direct or indirect – direct if the messages reveal the speaker’s true intention and
indirect if the messages camouflages the intention.
o Self-enhancing or Self-effacing – self-enhancing if it promotes positive aspects of
self and self-effacing if it deemphasizes aspects of self.
o Elaborated or Understated – elaborated if there is a use of rich expressions and
understated if there is an extensive use of silence, pauses, and understatements.

Communicating in a Multi-Cultural Setting

 Multi-cultural setting is a reality in most industries at present that we have to accept.

 Cross-cultural communication cannot be evaded anymore, most especially in work
settings. You should look for similarities and differences in the way people from different
cultures communicate.
 You must focus on facts and not entertain biases for you to avoid conflict because of
misinterpreting and being misinterpreted.

Intercultural Communication

 The sharing of meaning with and receiving and interpreting of ideas from people whose
cultural background is different from yours.

Variations of Intercultural Communication

1. Interracial Communication – interaction among people of different races. Examples:

 a. A tourist guide conducting a tour for a group of people with different
nationalities.
b. An owner of an international company having a teleconference with his managers
from different countries.
2. Inter-ethnic Communication – interaction among people who have different ethnic
groups. Example:
a. An international correspondent interviewing the aborigines of Australia for a
television documentary.
b. A group of social workers educating the members of the tribes from Baguio about
the benefits that the government allotted to them.
3. International Communication – The interaction between people representing different
political structures. Example:
a. The president of a parliamentary government meeting the president of a
democratic country.
b. The queen of England talking to the president if the Philippines.
4. Intra-Cultural Communication – the interaction that includes all forms of communication
among members of the same racial, ethnic, and subculture groups. Example:
a. The head of the Mambo tribe meeting his constituents.
b. Members of the same organization having an acquaintance party.

Varieties and Registers of Spoken and Written Language

Language Registers
 Pertains to the level and style of your writing or speaking.
 May be frozen, formal, consultative, informal, or neutral.
 The way and manner of usage of the different language register will determine the
vocabulary and structure of your language.
 Both register and style are related to specific situations and the vocabulary and structure
used in those particular situations, but style includes grammatical variation.
 In oral communication, it is easier to construe what the speaker means in his message by
paying attention to his/her facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice.
 In written communication, the sender needs to use certain features of discourse to make
the receiver understand or interpret correctly what the message is. The receiver must be
able to identify the level of formality and the tone of the writing.

Frozen Register
 This is the most formal register.
 The language used is fixed or constant. It does not change in time.
 The nature of the language does not require any feedback.
 Examples: Formal ceremonies, prose or poetry, National Anthem, School Creeds, The
Lord’s Prayer, Pledge of Allegiance to country, Preamble of the Constitution, Religious
Services.
Formal Register
 The language used requires formal English because it is used in official and ceremonial
settings.
 The language used is of a standard variety and has an agreed upon vocabulary that is
well-documented.
 Language is written without emotion.
 Examples: Professional writing, business correspondence, essays, reports, official
speeches, announcements, court proceedings, business meeting, swearing in ceremony,
an interview.

Consultative Register
 The language used is specifically for the purpose of soliciting aid, support, or
intervention.
 In the setting, one person is deemed an expert and the other person is the receiver of such
expertise.
 Examples: Superior and subordinate conversation, Client and doctor consultation, Client
and lawyer consultation, Teacher and student conversation, Employer and employee
conversation.

Informal Register (Casual)

 The language is laidback and conversational.
 The language is focused on gaining information.
 The language uses slang, jargon, and contractions.
 Examples: Writing to friends, family conversations, chat with people you know very
well, personal e-mails, phone texts, short notes, friendly letters, most blogs, diaries and
journals.

Informal Register (Intimate)

 The language used is casual and personal.
 The language uses terms of endearment, slang, and/or terms understandable only to the
persons.
 The setting between persons who share close relationships or bonds.
 Examples: lovers, mothers giving pet names to their children based on some character
traits, best friend formulating slangs based on some shared experiences.

Neutral Register
 The language used is not necessarily formal or informal nor is it usually positive or
negative.
 The language sticks to facts.
 The language deals with non-emotional topics and information.
 Examples: Technical Writing, reviews, articles, some letters, some essays.

Here are some rules of formal writing for your guidance.

1. Avoid using contractions. Words should always be spelled out except if youare directly
quoting somebody.

a. Use cannot instead of can't

b. Use does not instead of doesn't
c. Use will not instead of won't
d. "Half of the class were not able to attend the field trip," the teacher said.

2. Spell out numbers less than one hundred.

a. Eighty-six students were chosen to perform for the president.

b. It was reported that sixteen pieces of jewelry were missing yesterday.
c. Three of the packages delivered were spoiled.
d. Only one of the twins returned home last week.

3. Write in third person point of view. In writing a qualitative study, you may write using the
first person point of view.

a. Use: The researchers used questionnaires in gathering the data.

Do not use: We used questionnaires in gathering the data.

b. Use: They deserve the award.

Do not use: I think they deserve the award.

c. Use: The furniture that the company delivered was damaged.

Do not use: The furniture that you delivered was damaged.

4. Use the active voice (subject as doer of the action) as much as possible instead of the passive
voice (subject as receiver of the action)

a. Use: The students did the research.

Do not use: The research was done by the students.

b. Use: Two men stole the jewelry.

Do not use: The jewelry was stolen by two men.

c. Use: Tess won the crown.

Do not use: The crown was won by Tess.

5. Do not use slangs, idioms, exaggerations, and cliches. Slang refers to the very informal
language you use with your friends. These are street words that a particular group understands.
Examples of slang:
a. Country slang
Younguns means young people. Uppity means snobby.

b. Urban slang
Dawg is an expression used to address a close friend.
Awesome sauce means awesome than awesome.

c. Gay slang
Miss Congeniality refers to someone very friendly. Zhoosh means style.

d. Common slang
Kudos is another word for respect or recognition. Blimey is an exclamation of surprise.

6. Avoid abbreviations and acronyms. If you use abbreviations or acronyms, spell the entire
name out the first time it appears, followed by the acronym. From then on you can use the
acronym itself.

a. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

b. Philippine Astronomical Geophysical Atmospheric Space Administration (PAGASA)
Tablespoon = tbsp.
Cup = c

Note: Do not use slang abbreviations or symbols that you would use in friendly emails and texts.
Ttyl (talk to you later)
w/ (with)
& (and)

7. Do not start sentences with words like and, so, but, also. You may use: nevertheless,
additionally, however, as a result of, although, or in addition.

8. Always write in complete sentence.

9. Write longer, more complex sentences

There are no strict rules to informal writing but you may include the following when you write
informally:

1. Figurative language
2. Slang and clichés
3. Symbols and abbreviations
4. Acronyms
5. Incomplete sentences
6. Short sentences
7. First person, second person, and third person 8. Paragraphs or no paragraphs
9. Jokes
10. Personal opinions
11. Extra punctuation (Hi, men!!!!)
12. Passive and active voice

Factors that may Affect Intercultural Communication

The non-verbals used by people from different countries and by people from different
cultures may vary. The following factors can help you understand better these variations:

1. Cultural Identity
Cultural identity refers to what you have absorbed from your surroundings from
childhood up to the present. This includes your attitude, values, and beliefs.

Examples:
Filipinos in general value the importance of close family ties while Westerners strongly
believe in individuality.

In China, gift-giving is a norm or something that is expected. When somebody visits you,
it is expected that the person will be bringing gifts. There are things that you have to consider
when giving gifts though. Do not wrap your gift in white, black, or blue wrapping for this means
bad luck in Chinese culture. It is also not good to give a clock as gift. If the person is refusing
your gift, keep on offering it because in the Chinese culture recipients usually refuse three times
before accepting the gift.

A firm handshake in most Western countries is acceptable when greeting a stranger or

doing business. In France, however, what is acceptable is to kiss the person on both cheeks when
you greet him/her. In Asia, the head is considered the most sacred part of the body so it is not
appropriate to touch it especially if you are not close to the person. In the United States of
America, touching the head is common and acceptable.

In the Middle East, it is a common knowledge that people use their left hand in handling
bodily hygiene. It is therefore not acceptable to offer this hand when you greet a person, when
you give or accept gifts, or when you shake hands with them. There are things that you should be
very careful about when communicating with people from different cultures. These things are
considered walls that could block the communication process.

a) Ethnocentrism
b) Discrimination
c) Stereotyping
d) Cultural blindness
 e) Cultural imposition f. Tone differences

2. Racial Identity
Racial identity refers to the place or country where the person was born or the race that
has a greater influence on his personality. Examples:

 Latinos or people who originated from Latin America are considered minority in
America. A Filipino may be born in America but his parents raised him with Filipino
values so his influence is still Filipino.

3. Social Class
Social class refers to the status hierarchy of the person in the society.

Examples:
The Queen of England
The richest man in the Philippines
The scavengers

4. Gender and Role Identity

Gender refers to your perception of the roles of men and women in the society. Role
identity, on the other hand, refers to the part or character you play in society.

Examples:
You were born male but you perceive yourself as a female. (gender identity)
You are the third child in your family. (role identity)
You are a woman and you perceive yourself as an equal of man. (gender identity) You
are a mother of three, and an employee of a bank. (role identity)

5. Age
Age refers to the age group where you belong. It also includes the gaps created by the
difference in age.

Examples:
Western children can openly speak up their minds to their parents while most Asian
children will keep their thoughts to themselves in order to show respect for the parents.

Most of the Southeast Asian countries pay great respect to their elders and listen to their
opinion.

In the United States, they are less mindful of their elders and it is very rare that they ask
for opinions from them.

6. Individual personality
 Individual personality refers to your distinct personality and self- reverence as molded by
the different contributing factors of your growing up years. This distinct personality will dictate
how you would communicate to people.

7. Proxemics
As discussed in the previous chapter, proxemics refers to the use of space or distance
when you communicate with different people. There are differences of tolerance for physical
distance in a conversational situation.

8. Clothing and Physical Appearance

Clothing and physical appearance refer to how people present themselves and how they
dress up.

Examples:
Arab men wear the Thawb.
Indian women wear the Sari.
Aborigines wear minimal body coverings and a lot of adornments.

The way you dress up and the way you present yourself in public is one way of
conveying messages to people. You are often assessed based on your appearance. So be mindful
of how you dress up and how you present yourself in public.

9. Paralanguage
Paralanguage refers to the factors of speech such as accent, pitch, range, volume, or
articulation that alters the meaning of the message.

Examples:

 Loudness of voice
o Europeans interpret it as an aggressive behavior.
o Filipinos from the Tagalog provinces find it normal.
o Asian people control themselves from shouting as they are taught not to from
childhood.
 Pauses
o Japanese use a lot of pauses when they converse. Arabs and Americans are not
comfortable with silence.
 Vocal characterizations
o Vocal characterizations like crying, whining, yelling, etc. change the meaning of
the message.
o Giggling is taken as a bad gesture in some cultures.
o In England people use volume to project anger.
o In India, people use volume to get attention.
 o Japanese women use high pitch in their voice to distinguish themselves from men.
In America, voice pitch between genders is not an issue.
 Silence can also be considered a type of paralanguage. When in Greece, silence would
mean you are refusing something. When in Egypt, silence is used to mean you are
consenting to something.

10. Facial Expressions and Eye Contact

Facial expressions refer to how we move our facial muscles to send messages.

Examples:

 Eye contact
o In Western countries like Australia, Canada, United States, and Switzerland, it is
appropriate to maintain eye contact during conversations. Westerners interpret eye
contact as confidence, a show of interest, and honesty.
o In Eastern countries like China, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, maintaining eye
contact during conversations is considered disrespectful if people involved in the
conversation are of different positions. When women make eye contact with men,
it is interpreted as showing power or sexual interest.

 Facial Expressions
o Facial expressions refer to the way you pull or contract your face muscles to send
messages. The degree of facial expression you have is determined by your culture.
In the United States, people are not stiff in showing their emotions. In Asian
countries, on the other hand, people are taught to show less facial expression.
o Similar facial expressions may have different meanings from different cultures
but the facial expression for happiness, sadness, anger, and fear are the same all
around the world.
o In Latin America, winking is interpreted as sending a romantic or sexual
invitation. In Yoruba people in Nigeria, winking at their children would signify
that the children need to leave the room. In China, winking is considered
unmannerly.

11. Gestures and Body Stance

Gestures and body stance refer to the body movements you use to send a message. Your
body movements can tell your receiver what your intention is, how you are feeling at the
moment, and what message are you trying to convey Examples:

In America, pointing with the index finger is acceptable while in some Asian countries it
is considered impolite and rude.
 In Western countries, doing the hand shake to say thank you, hello, or goodbye is
acceptable while in some Asian countries, they do not do the handshake but they bow their heads
instead.
In Costa Rica, you should give the drivers the thumbs up if they allowed you to walk by.
In the United States, thumbs up means "okay." In some countries, it is considered vulgar. Sitting
with crossed legs is accepted in the Philippines but in Ghana and Turkey, it is considered
offensive.
Snapping your fingers to get the attention of a waiter maybe accepted in most cultures but
in some cultures, this is taken as disrespect and is considered offensive.
In Middle Eastern countries, it is considered an offensive act if you show your feet in
public while in Western countries and some Asian countries, showing off your feet is fine.
In most countries, sticking your tongue out is taken as a sign of mockery while in
Polynesia, this gesture is used to greet people.
In Taiwan, slouching when listening to a speaker or in a conversation is considered
disrespectful, while in other countries it may not have the same interpretation.
In the United States, standing with hands on the hips may be interpreted as suggesting
power or being proud but in Argentina, it is interpreted as being angry or inviting a challenge. In
Arab countries, sitting with your foot resting on the opposite knee is not accepted. The bottom of
your shoe is considered dirty. Therefore, showing it to the person you are communicating with is
not correct.