PURCOM – CBA 05

CHAPTER 3 – LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATION IN MULTICULTURAL SETTINGS

INTRODUCTION
Our multiple cultures make communication complicated, but if we expose ourselves to
varied cultures and learn to recognize and respect cultural differences, we can lessen our
communication difficulties, and life in a multicultural society will become much easier to deal
with.

CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE TERMS, EXPRESSIONS, AND IMAGES

In her book The Journey’s Echo: Selections from Freya Stark (Ecco Travels), Freya
Stark says, “Every country has its way of saying things. The important thing is that which
lies behind people’s words.”

Cultural differences result in misunderstanding, and “language, more than

anything else, is the heart of culture” (Stevenson, as cited in Lee, 2017).

This means that being proficient in English, for instance, does not guarantee a full
understanding of what another speaker of English is trying to communicate unless we
become fully aware of how that speaker uses English based on his own culture.

Two major varieties or dialects of English are American English (AmE) and British
English (BrE).

In AmE, the first floor is equivalent to the BrE ground floor, and the American
second floor is the British first floor.

AmE – Elevator, apartment, eggplant, hood, trunk (of a car), drugstore, garbage
can, and parking lot.

BrE – Lift, flat, aubergine, bonnet and boot (of a car), chemist’s, dustbin, and car
park.

But vocabulary is just one aspect of the differences. Most of us Filipinos cannot
understand how the British speak, too. Another difference between the two varieties
then lies in speaking, particularly in pronunciation – using different vowel sounds and
stressing the word in different places.

One more difference between the two English varieties is found in spelling.

Chapter: 3-5 | Purposive Communication

 British English speaking usually keeps the spelling of words it absorbs from another
language, like French, but American English adapts the spelling to reflect the way the
words sound when they are spoken.

Here are the spelling differences:

Vocabulary differences:

Grammar differences:

Aside from spelling and vocabulary, there are certain grammar differences
between British and American English.

For instance, in American English, collective nouns are considered singular (e.g.
The band is playing).

In contrast, collective nouns can be either singular or plural in British English,

although the plural form is most often used (e.g. The band are playing).

The British are also more likely to use formal speech, such as ‘shall’, whereas
Americans favour the more informal ‘will’ or ‘should’.

Americans, however, continue to use ‘gotten’ as the past participle of ‘get’, which
the British have long since dropped in favour of ‘got’.

Chapter: 3-5 | Purposive Communication

 ‘Needn’t’, which is commonly used in British English, is rarely, if at all used in
American English. In its place is ‘don’t need to’.

In British English, ‘at’ is the preposition in relation to time and place. However, in
American English, ‘on’ is used instead of the former and ‘in’ for the latter.

WORLD ENGLISHES AND ENGLISH AS INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE

In the present era of high technology, the issue of culture and the use of English
has become more complicated than it seems because of the emergence of the now-
recognized “World Englishes.” These varieties of English are used by three identified
“concentric circles” of societies.

Inner Circle

It covers the native English-speaking countries (e.g., England, USA, Canada,

Australia, and New Zealand).

Outer Circle

It comprises the former colonies or the ESL (English as Second Language). In the
countries of India, Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Expanding Circle

This circle consists of countries that are affected by the widespread use of English
as a global language – an important language in business, science, technology, and
education in the countries of China, Japan, Germany, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Saudi
Arabia, Korea, and Taiwan.

Pidgins

Are used as a lingua franca for trade or any other practical interaction (Mooney
& Evans, 2015).

- A pidgin uses words from the languages of both communicators to

understand each other, but it is not the language of either communicator.

Lexifier

The language providing vocabulary is called the lexifier.

Substrate

The language that provides the syntactic structure.

LINGUISTIC PREFERENCES AND NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR

Variations in the way different cultures use language – like linguistic preferences
and nonverbal behavior – also cause miscommunication.

Nuances in linguistic preferences provide hints about behavior, manners, and

thinking as a cultural group.

For instance, Spaniards and Italians, who prefer eloquence and expressiveness to
exactness, tend to be flowery with their language.

Chapter: 3-5 | Purposive Communication

 In contrast, the English, who are very polite, use understatement to avoid
confrontation, so they sometimes end up being ambiguous.

Ambiguous ( /amˈbiɡyəwəs/ adjective)– (of language) open to more than one interpretation; having a
double meaning.

Nonverbal behaviors, which Edward T. Hall called “silent language.” Are

expressive human attributes that impart feelings, attitudes, reactions, and judgments
that need to be given continued attention because they are acquired mainly through
acculturation (adopting the traits of another cultural group).

Moreover, they are unspoken and largely unconscious, so the implied meanings
are more felt than understood (as cited in burlein, 2017).

(please refer to the book pages 50-53 for reference)

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION

1. Simplify your message by using less complex sentence structures and

vocabulary;

2. Avoid shouting to be understood;

3. Define the meaning of critical technical words and acronyms;

4. Avoid nonstandard abbreviations, such as “U R” for “you are”;

5. Be patient and try to follow the other communicator’s ideas and logic, which
may be different from yours.

6. Ask him to repeat once, maybe twice, or to say his ideas differently (if you do
not understand him);

7. Give the benefit of the doubt – remain cool and composed even when you
have made a mistake that results in embarrassment for you or feeling embarrassed by
others (in most cases, they did not mean to embarrass you);

8. Clarify the meanings and intentions of something said or done by someone

who comes from a culturally different background before you become angry or express
the strong emotions that you feel;

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LANGUAGE REGISTERS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Language varies according to either the user or its use. Variations according to
use, on the other hand, are called registers.

A register, therefore, is characterized by “differences in the type of language selected

as appropriate to different types of the situation”

The term “register” refers to particular varieties or styles of speaking and writing, which
vary in their degrees of formality depending on the topic (what), purpose (why), context
(where), and audience (who).

Registers can be recognized in their specialized vocabulary and their particular uses of
grammar, which are categorized into five varieties: very formal, formal, neutral, informal,
consultative, casual, and intimate styles.

Very Formal Neutral Informal Very

Formal Informal
How do Hello! Hello! Hi! What’s
you do? up? Or
Hey!

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 1. VERY FORMAL, FROZEN, OR STATIC REGISTER

- This register is “frozen” in time and content because it rarely or never changes.

Examples are poetry, The Lord’s Prayer, Laws, marriage vows, insurance policies,
leases, and wills.

2. FORMAL OR REGULATED REGISTER

- This is formal and impersonal language, which is one-way in nature and used in
formal situations.

Examples are books, news reports, magazines or journal articles, business letters,
official speeches, and sermons.

3. NEUTRAL, PROFESSIONAL, OR CONSULTATIVE REGISTER

- This is the normal style of speaking between communicators who use mutually
accepted language that conforms to societal standards.

Examples are the types of communication between strangers, teacher and

student, superior and subordinate, doctor and patient, and lawyer and client.

4. INFORMAL, GROUP, OR CASUAL REGISTER

- This is the informal language between friends and peers, which uses slang,
vulgarities, and colloquialisms (used in an ordinary or familiar interaction).

Examples are conversations, chats and emails, blogs, tweets, and personal letters.

5. VERY INFORMAL, PERSONAL, OR INTIMATE REGISTER.

- This is the private, intimate language reserved for family members or intimate
people.

Examples are the kinds of interactions between husband and wife, boyfriend and
girlfriend, siblings, and parent and child.

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CHAPTER 4 – EVALUATING MESSAGES AND/OR IMAGES

Language change is inevitable; as culture changes, so does language.

(Note: Language changes as culture changes but it doesn’t mean language changes
constantly, it varies and is in progress, little but surely something that changes in the aspect of
language.)

Many things that seemed inconceivable in the past have become reality. For example,
agendas used to be a big no-no, but at present, it is the plural of agenda, “a thing to be done”.

Another unexpected change concerns the use of the “generic” he, his, him, and himself
as the only allowed referents of a singular indefinite pronoun or an unspecified person whose
gender is unknown, such as everybody, anybody, a classmate, or a friend.

But when this practice became controversial as being sexist in the 20th century, three
options were suggested for a “singular gender-neutral pronoun”

First, use either he or she alternately, and trust the reader not to be confused.

Second, to have both he and she as he or she, him or her, his or her, himself or herself.

Third, to go against the traditional plural-only for they, them, their, and themselves and
treat them as “singular gender-neutral pronouns”

INCORRECT VERSUS CORRECT LANGUAGE USE

Dictionaries do not judge nor say whether the way the words are used is “correct” or
“incorrect”; their main concern is to produce meanings that are mutually understood.

Prescriptivists – people who set down rules for correct language use. Prescriptivists, as
well as educated speakers of the majority of English dialects or varieties, believe that Standard
English is synonymous with correct English.

They equate correctness to strict observance of the rules of grammar.

They are the educated members of society who have the power sanction for not
following language rules. They are the teachers, managers, supervisors, or persons of authority
who can give failing grades in school, etc.

THE TEXT OR MESSAGE

Generally, message is the information conveyed in the communication process. It

comprises verbal and/or nonverbal content, which may be spoken, written, or manual (sign
language).

Message or “text”

- Refers to any recorded message (e.g., writing, audio-recording, audio- and

video-recording.

Text

- A text is an “assemblage of signs (such as words, images, sounds, and/or

gestures) constructed and interpreted with reference to the conventions
associated with a genre and in a particular medium of communication.

Medium

- The term “medium” is used in a variety of ways. It may include such broad
categories as speech and writing or print and broadcasting, or relate to
specific technical forms within the;
- Mass media (radio, television, newspapers, magazines, books, photographs,
films, and records) to the;
- Media of interpersonal communication (telephone, letter, fax, email, video-
conferencing, computer-based chat systems).

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 SEMIOTICS AND TEXT ANALYSIS

Semiotics

- Is concerned with “everything that can be taken a sign”

- It involves the “study not only of what we refer to as ‘signs’ in everyday speech,
but of anything which stands for something else; in semiotic sense, signs take
the form of words, images, sounds, gestures, and objects”

Signifiers

- Sounds and images

Signifieds

- Concepts

“The sign is the whole that results from the association of the signifier and the signified”

Signification

- The relationship between the signifier and the signified.

Knowing that “language, more than anything else, is the heart of culture”

It is not surprising that the use of a second language, like English, by different
cultural groups has resulted in funny mistranslations, especially when the translation is
carried out by free or automated translation apps that are available today.

Here is a list of mistranslations seen around the world:

A menu in Vienna: “Fried milk, children sandwiches, roast cattle and boiled sheep”

Airline ticket office, Copenhagen: “We take your bags and send them in all directions”

A sign on a car in Manila, Philippines: “Car and owner for sale”

At a Budapest zoo: “PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. If you have any suitable food,
give it to the guard on duty.”

Athens hotel: “Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9
and 11 A.M. daily”

Hotel elevator, Paris: “Please leave your values at the front desk”

Hotel in Japan: “You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid.”

(for more information, go to page 69-70 of the book)

MASS MEDIA ANF MULTIMODAL TEXTS

Mass Media

- Refers to the type of communication that uses technology to simultaneously

reach a wide audience.
- Five types of mass media: “print, radio, regular broadcast television, cable
television, and telecommunications – such as the Internet or satellite services.”
- Television and the Internet are multimodal in nature.

A text is “multimodal” when it combines two or more of the five semiotic systems:

1. Linguistic or textual system

- comprising aspects, such as vocabulary, generic structure, and the grammar of

oral and written language;

2. Visual system
Chapter: 3-5 | Purposive Communication
 - consisting of aspects, such as color, vectors, and viewpoint in still and moving
images.

3. Audio system

- with aspects, like volume, pitch, and rhythm of music and sound effects.

4. Gestural system

- including aspects, such as movement, speed, and stillness in facial expression

and body language; and

5. Spatial system

- covering aspects, like proximity, direction, position of layout, and organization

of objects in space

Examples of multimodal texts, which can be delivered via different media or

technologies, are:

A PICTURE BOOK

- In which the textual and visual elements are arranged on individual pages
that contribute to an overall set of bound pages;

A WEB PAGE

- In which elements, such as sound effects, oral language, written language,

music, and still or moving images are combined.

A LIVE BALLET PERFORMANCE

- In which gesture, music, and space are the main elements.

Chapter: 3-5 | Purposive Communication

 CHAPTER 5 – COMMUNICATION AIDS AND STRATEGIES USING TOOLS OF TECHNOLOGY

Whatever your field and whatever your job, making meaning and presenting
them to the right audience are things that you need to pull through to succeed as an
individual, a student, a professional, or an entrepreneur.

CREATION AND PRODUCTION OF MULTIMODAL TEXTS

Although multimodal tests are often associated with digital communication

technologies, multimodal texts are not synonymous with digital.

Their creation can be of any medium:

- Paper – such as books, comics, and posters;

- Digital – from slide presentations, e-books, blogs, e-posters, web-pages, and
social media, to animation, film, and video games;
- Live – like a performance or an event;
- Or Transmedia – where the story is narrated using “multiple delivery channels”
by means of a combination of media platforms, for instance, book, comics,
film, web series, and video game mediums all working as part of the same
story.

Transmedia

- A highly contested term, is “what the word parts suggest it might be: a merging
of media platforms, here the digital with the narrative, but with the multiple
platforms a part of the narrative”

According to Henry Jenkins (2011):

Transmedia is more than just multiple media platforms.

It is about the logical relations between these media extensions, which seek to add
something to the story as it moves from one medium to another, not just adaptation or
retelling.

Transmedia enables the further development of the story world through each
new medium; for example, offering a back story, a prequel, additional ‘episodes’, or
further insight into characters and plot elements. It also require a more complex
production process.

Glee is an example of a transmedia narrative in which the audience follows the

characters and situations across media.

But more often, its transmedia strategies focus on the transmedia performance, with the
songs moving through YouTube, iTunes, live performances, and so on. The audience
reads against each other to make sense of the larger Glee Phenomenon.

Patchworking

- You do “patchworking” when you exploit certain threads in the materials you
have gathered from various sources and stitch these together to create your
own “patchwork” and your understanding of the materials (Godhe, 2014).

Plagiarism

- Is the act of stealing and passing off as your own the ideas, words, or any other
intellectual property produced by another person.
- Example, if you use another person’s words in a research paper without citing
your source, you commit an act of plagiarism.

THE ART OF MAKING POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS

PowerPoint presentations are so common that lectures and reporters use them all
the time.
Chapter: 3-5 | Purposive Communication
 “Presentations can be among the most painful experiences in both school and
the working world – and that includes listening to them”

There are only three things that you need to do before starting to make your
PowerPoint presentation (Kangas, 2012):

1. DETERMINE YOUR GOAL

- This is about you and your goal, which should be an achievable challenge.

- Ask yourself what opinion or feeling of the audience you want to change. (For
example, I want them to understand…, I want them to buy…, and so on)

2. CONVERT YOUR GOAL INTO ONE “BIG IDEA”

- This is now about your audience and you’re planting an idea into their hands.

- Make them embrace the idea so that they can act by moving toward their
desired goal. Make them understand how they can benefit from the idea, and lead
them to believe in what you say, not in what you want. It is all about them, not you.

3. CONSOLIDATE YOUR IDEA INTO JUST THREE PARTS

- For the audience to reach the place where you want them to go – to embrace
your idea – go straight to the 1st point, 2nd point, and 3rd point to the point where you
want them to go and embrace it.

FIVE DESIGN PRINCIPLES

- To help you make a clear structure of your slides.

1. OUTLINE FIRST TO CONTROL THE NUMBER OF SLIDES AND TO PROVIDE BALANCE

- allot 2 to 3 minutes per slide (for example, a 30-minute talk may utilize 10-
15 slides).

- Decide only one story to tell or one underlying issue to address. Divide it
into logical, hierarchal questions and sub questions, and make your talk a series
of answers to these questions.

- Zoom-in your introduction; zoom-out your closure.

2. HAVE ONLY ONE MESSAGE PER SLIDE TO ALLOW THE AUDIENCE TO UNDERSTAND
IT MORE

- If you have many sentences on the slide, and you persist in speaking at
the same time, the audience will not be able to remember anything at all, and
your effort will be useless.

- Enhance your presentation material by having just one short text and/or
one image on a slide.

3. PAY ATTENTION TO SIZE

- The most important point of your PowerPoint should be the biggest, so

reduce the size of the title, and make the size of the content bigger since the
content is more important than the title.

Chapter: 3-5 | Purposive Communication

 4. APPLY THE PRINCIPLE OF CONTRAST

- Contrast controls your focus, so use a built-in functionality on the

PowerPoint that dims or darkens the rest of the items and highlights only the item
on the list that is being discussed, one at a time.

- You can do this when presenting a table; use contrast to focus one ach
item being discussed so that the audience can direct their attention to that item
alone and avoid having their eyes all over the place not knowing what to focus
on.

- Change the white background to a dark one, too, so the focus is on the
text alone.

5. LIMIT THE NUMBER OF OBJECTS/ITEMS PER SLIDE.

- The magical number is six.

- You can have less than six but not more. This means having more slides.

- The number of slides for one PowerPoint presentation is never the

problem; it is the number of objects/items per slide that is the problem.

There should not be any limit to the number of slides. If the number of slides
is limited, the result is counterproductive – jamming too many objects/items per
slide.

NOW THAT YOU ARE READY!

Do not make a mess of it by getting your audience bored and putting them to
sleep. PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING:

1. Come prepared.

2. Get the set-up right.

3. Know your audience and adjust the content accordingly.

4. Go easy on fonts.

5. Go easy on logos.

6. Go easy on colors.

7. Make eye contact.

8. Be kind to questioners.

9. Be kind to folks in the back.

10. Design slides for distance.

11. Cell phone off.

12. Do not go crazy with the laser pointer.

13. Do not cram too much on each slide.

14. Do not read from your notes or slides.

15. Do not spew jargon.

16. Do not demean audience members.

17. Do not turn your back.

Chapter: 3-5 | Purposive Communication