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Intercultural Communication Skills summary: Module 4-7
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Intercultural Communication Skills summary: Module 4-7 content for test 2
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ICS summary test 2Module 4: Verbal communication
Definition: verbal communication is communication expressed through words both written
and spoken.
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis: The language we speak defines how we think about the
world and how we act in it. (=linguistic determinism)
- Language has the power of tying people together but can also divide people. For
example, presence of many different native languages in (small) geographic areas
(ex: Belgium)
- Although English is an international language, it is not the same everywhere. (It can
differ in spelling, meanings, vocabulary, pronunciation, prepositions, and
punctuation)
Some pointers for proper use of English:
Titles always capitalized e.g. HR Manager, Finance Department
etc. not … to indicate more options
No spaces between words and a colon e.g. including:
Greetings and closing in emails – Br. Eng. no commas, Am. Eng. commas after
both e.g. Dear Sam & Best regards (BR) Dear Sam, & Best regards, (Am)
Space between paragraphs – no half paragraphs
Do not put letters on number in a complete date e.g. 12 August 2018 or August
12, 2018 (not the 12th of August 2018 or August 12th 2018)
The dollar symbol always goes in front of the amount e.g. $12.00
Key factors of misunderstanding in intercultural communication
-Participants in this type of communication are often second language speakers.
-Can be caused by: Cultural differences, mishearing, limited language proficiency
1. Mispronunciations
Some speakers cannot hear the distinction of sounds
o Using long or short syllables to distinguish in meaning (Dutch, Thai)
Some speakers haven’t learned to make the sound
o Letters with accents (ô, ñ, ü, ç, å, ø)
o Rolling ‘r’ (French, Spanish)
o Click of tongue (Zulu)
, Native language impacts pronunciation – vowels or consonants pronounced
differently or native language pronunciation interferes with new pronunciation
o Order of vowels makes a difference
o Consonant clusters: groups of several consonants may be
unpronounceable in some cultures e.g. Dnepropetrovsk (city in
Ukraine) is difficult to pronounce for Western Europeans; the
word spring is nearly unpronounceable for some Asians (because of
the three initial consonants)
o No distinction between 'R' and 'L' by speakers of e.g. Japanese as this
is not a feature to distinguish in meaning.
o 'E' in front of ‘SP’ by Spanish speakers as this if a common thing to do
in the Spanish language. Think of words
as espectáculo (spectacle), espaguetis (spaghetti) or España.
o Dropping the ‘H’ by the French as this letter is not pronounced in the
French language.
o The sound [ü] as in French tu or German Brücke, does not exist in
many languages (e.g. English, Italian, Spanish, etc.)
2. Informal and alternative language
Outside of the mainstream of standard, formal language there are many informal and
alternative languages spoken widely. Many of these variants are spoken by particular groups
of people, and may therefore not be understood by the general public.
Informal and Alternative language
Colloquialisms: informal words or phrases, more suitable for speech than in writing
(regional)
Acronyms: formed with initial letters / groups of letters of words in a phrase, pronounced as
one word
Euphemisms: inoffensive expressions, e.g. with taboo words
Jargon: technical language of an occupational subgroup (e.g. doctors, lawyers, etc.)
Cant: specialized vocabulary of created or adopted words used by any nonprofessional subgroup
(undesirable cocultures)
Argot: jargon or cant that is primarily used as secret language among members of the subgroup only
(nonprofessional, noncriminal)
Slang: vocabulary of subgroups that has become known and sometimes accepted by the general
public
3. Translation problems
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