the Summary of Intercultural Communication (2)

Intercultural competence

&&&&&
Q: What is intercultural competence ?
A: A complex of abilities needed to perform effectively and appropriately when interacting with others who are linguistically and culturally different from oneself.

&&&&&
Q: How to discuss and describe intercultural competence by terms ?
A:

• intercultural communicative competence (ICC)
• transcultural communication
• crosscultural adaptation
• intercultural sensitivity
• … …

Q: What are all of these terms attempt to account for ?
A: The ability to step beyond one’s own culture and function with other individuals from linguisitically and culturally diverse backgrounds.

Cultural Symbols

&&&&&
Q: What is cultural symbols ?
A: A physical manifestation that signifies the ideology of a particular culture or that merely has meaning within culture.

&&&&&
Q: What is culture ?
A: An accumulation of the beliefs, traditions, language and values of a particular group of people.

• THE V SIGN
• USA : A harmless backwards sign for peace.
• Australia, UK, Ireland, NZ : Seen as rude and frequently used to signify contempt of defiance towards authority.

Examples of Cultural Symbols

Q: What can cultural symbols represent ?
A:

• nationalism
• belief systems
• traditions
• language
• values

Symbols Conveying Nationalism to a Country

The Bald Eagle


Q: What dose the bald eagle symbolizes in the US (America) ?
A: Freedom, strength and power.

Swastika


Q: What does the swastika symbolized ?
A: The Nazi party in Germany in the 1930s and 40s. The Holocaust was a murderously industrialized genocide.

Q: If the symbol rotate 45 degrees, what does it means in some Asian, non-Aryan religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism ?
A: In Hinduism, it has Sanskrit roots that ultimately mean, making of goodness, and is sort of seen as a sign of good fortune and prosperity.

Symbols Conveying Religious Beliefs of a Culture

The Hamsa


Q: What does the Hamsa mean in the Jewish culture ?
A: The hand of god is protecting you.

Culture is dynamic, shared patterns of socially transmitted, norms, values, beliefs, and symbols.

Course Notes


Oral presentation
Be …

• brave
• confident
• organized
• cooperative
• a team-player
• aware of time

Some Chinese Cultural Symbols

• elephant trunk peak
• Chariot
• Temple of Heaven
• the lunar year of horse
• Spring Festival Gala
• … …

A physical manifestation

• Buildings
• Flowers
• Arts
• Customs and traditions
• Clothes
• Music
• Language
• Religion
• Food
• Sports
• National flag
• Currency
• Animals
• Literature
• … …

Ideology

• Nationalism
• Religious beliefs
• Values and beliefs
• Norms

Culture

• not fixed
• dynamic – not static
• shared patterns

---

Next Lecture