6. Summary

Each of the variables discussed in this module – time and space, personal responsibility and fate, face and face-saving, and nonverbal communication – are much more complex than it is possible to convey. Each of them influences the course of communications, and can be responsible for conflict or the escalation of conflict when it leads to miscommunication or misinterpretation. A culturally-fluent approach to conflict means working over time to understand these and other ways communication varies across cultures, and applying these understandings in order to enhance relationships across differences.

Instruction: Is “cross-cultural communication” just another one of those buzzwords to you that’s being used everywhere but nobody really knows what it means? Despite its possible hype, cross-cultural communication is nevertheless a widely recognized and valid concept which every student should be familiar with. Being familiar with cross-cultural communication doesn’t just imply having a vague or rudimentary idea of what the expression “cross-cultural communication” means and how it works. In order to become proficient in ESP, an interculturally effective person, you need to understand the concept of cross-cultural communication with all its components and be able to translate it into action.

After almost every text, the first question you should ask is an overview question about the main idea, main topic, or main purpose of the text. Main idea questions ask you to identify the most important thought in the text, the main idea or topic of a passage.

Sample Questions

• What is the main idea of the passage? Choose the right answer.

(A) Differences of interpretation of communication varables may lead to conflict, or escalate existing conflict.

(B) Nonverbal communication is very important in any interaction with others, because verbal messages are often unclear or ambiguous,.

(C) Understanding of Time and Space; Fate and Personal Responsibility; Face and Face-Saving; arises from our ideas about what is appropriate, normal, and effective as communication in relationships.

(D) Cultures attribute different degrees of importance to verbal and nonverbal behavior.

• Will differences related to nonverbal communication become less important in the 21st century?

• Which line or lines best summarize the author's main idea?

Sample Questions

• What is the main topic of the passage?

(A) The outline and demonstration of cross-cultural communication.

(B) Four non-verbal variables of cross-cultural communication.

• What does the passage mainly discuss? What is the passage primarily concerned with?

(A) Nonverbal cues in crosscultural communication..

(B) The impact of different systems of understanding.

Main purpose questions ask why the author wrote a passage. The answer choices for these questions usually begin with infinitives.

Sample Questions

• What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?

• What is the author's main purpose in the passage?

• What is the main point of this passage?

• Why did the author write the passage?

Sample Answer Choices

To define_____

To relate_____

To discuss_____

To propose_____

To illustrate_____

To support the idea that_____

To distinguish between _____and______

To compare ____and_____

Main detail questions ask about the most significant information of the passage. To answer such a question you should point out a line or two in the text.

Sample Questions

• What factors are emphasized in the passage?

• In what lines is the most significant information given?

Caution: Don't answer the overview questions about a passage until you have skim-read all paragraphs. The process of answering the detail questions may give you a clearer understanding of the main idea, topic, or purpose of the passage.

The answers for main idea, main topic, and main purpose questions summarize the main points of the passage; they must be more general than any of the supporting ideas or details, but not so general that they include ideas outside the scope of the passages.

Unit 2-8. APPROACHES TO INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Guidelines for extensive reading of ESP texts

A READER by American scholars Larry A. Samovar, Richard E. Porter, Edwin R. McDaniel is based on the idea that successful intercultural communication is a matter of highest importance if humankind and society are to survive. This text is theoretical and practical so that the issues associated with intercultural communication can be first understood and then acted upon. This broad-based, highly engaging reader, compiled by the authors who defined the course, includes a balance of articles – some commissioned solely for this text – that discuss the classic ideas that laid the groundwork for this field, as well as those that investigate the field's latest research and ideas. Material is presented in context, which allows students to read, understand and then apply the concepts to their lives to ensure that they are effective, culturally aware communicators.

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Text 2-8. APPROACHES TO INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION.

( Based on Intercultural Communication: A Reader by Larry A. Samovar, Richard E. Porter, Edwin R. McDaniel)