Language of Culture in Communication Essay - 865 Words

Language of Culture in Communication Culture and its worldview reflects and impacts language in so many ways. The foundation is not necessarily the language a culture speaks, but how a culture thinks. How a particular culture thinks, acts, and its perception greatly influences and affects communication. A culture helps describes a particular situation or experience, in its own unique way it perceives the world, by this language is the means of communication. Sometimes we forgot just how diverse we are, and there is an infinite variety of cultures in our world that we interact with everyday. There are some crucial skills we must learn to effectively communicate, which I learned about in, Communication Tools for Understanding†¦show more content†¦There are two main tools this article talks about, the first is individualist and communitarian. This is basically the two main concepts of thinking or the system of expressions. Since all of these tools are used in the service of und erstanding culture, a working definition of culture is useful. (LeBaron, 2003 p.2) Individualist or independent thinkers, usually have the mentally of affecting only themselves, personal accomplishments, self-directed, and personal growth. Communitarians or collectivist, usually have the mentally of contacting the affecting a group, or the communities, putting the group before themselves. Communication is the transporter of all of our feelings, ideas, thoughts, experiences, and beliefs. As we communicate using different cultural habits and meaning systems, both conflict and harmony are possible outcomes of any interaction. (LeBaron, 2003 p.3) The second important tool is high-context settings and low-context setting. In low-context settings, the screens direct attention more to the literal meanings of words and less to the context surrounding the words. (LeBaron, 2003 p.3) The way they go about thinking, and communicating, is by conveying a straightforward direct message, and meaning what they say, leaving little to question. This is low-context communication. In high-context settings, the screens are designed to let in implied meanings arising from the physical setting, relationalShow MoreRelatedThe Role of Language in Communication and Culture923 Words   |  4 PagesThe notion of culture has been regarded and investigated by researchers who are interested in the study human communication. A large number of studies has been piloted to reveal how people from different cultural background differ in their ways, traditions and behaviors of speaking. However, while cultural diversity is oddly being embraced and highlighted by the academic community in general, a chorus of criticism has been directed against the theory of culture as being facing hard periods of timeRead MoreCommunication Breakdown Overcoming Culture and Language Barriers2431 Words   |  10 PagesCommunication Breakdown OVERCOMING CULTURAL AND LANGUAGE BARRIERS IN THE GLOBAL GEAR MARKET Matthew Jaster, Associate Editor If you’ve read any business publications lately, chances are you’ve seen an article or two covering language and cultural barriers in the global marketplace. Buzzwords like â€Å"globalization† and â€Å"global supply chain† frequently come up in discussions on training, networking and economic growth. At least once a week, a headline triumphantly declares a company â€Å"lost in translation†Read MorePersonal Space And Body Language : Nonverbal Communication Across Cultures Essay1142 Words   |  5 PagesPersonal Space and Body Language: Nonverbal Communication Across Cultures Leah Breiss and Brieana Valdez Clark University Author Note This paper was prepared for Management 170 Managerial Communication during the Fall Term 2016 Personal Space and Body Language: Nonverbal Communication Across Cultures Introduction Nonverbal communication is a major factor in every conversation. Eye contact, posture, and personal space determine how verbal communication is interpreted. Learning to use andRead MoreNon Verbal Communication : Thai Language, Culture, Customs, And Etiquette1346 Words   |  6 Pagesexperiencing a language barrier. However, she soon learned how important non-verbal communication is to Thai culture. Local residents taught her a â€Å"wai† which is a customary greeting that follows a â€Å"strict form† and is a sign of respect (â€Å"Thailand: Thai language, culture, customs, and etiquette†, 2014). To perform the greeting, one raises both hands, joins the palms together in a prayer like fashion, and then brings them down, lightly touching the body (Thailand: Thai language, culture, customs, andRead MoreReading Between the Text Message Lines: How a Culture Becomes Dependent on Electronic Communication and Changes Language Skills Forever.1902 Words   |  8 Pages David G. Fisher Professor Hallawell English 249 (Linguistics) 25 October 2011 Reading between the text message lines: How a culture becomes dependent on electronic communication and changes language skills forever. They are everywhere, in schoolyards, high school halls, businesses and even our own homes and they are having an effect on our culture at this very minute. You may even be reading this on one right now. They are cell phones and more and more they are being used for more thanRead MoreCross Cultural Communication : A Universal Standards For Business Communication871 Words   |  4 PagesCross-Cultural Communication Does the world have a universal standards for business communication? With business being a crucial part in how countries interact and exchange goods it almost seems as if the answer is yes, but as business continues to grow and become internationally engaged many see the answer is more complicated. Across the world countries have created standards for communication that differ from other countries, therefore, creating the urge to understand how to communicate acrossRead MoreBenefits And Limitations Of Intercultural Communication1307 Words   |  6 PagesExplore the benefits and limitations of Intercultural communication Today we live in a ‘global community’ connected to the whole world by ties of culture, latest communication and travel technologies, politics, economics and a shared environment. We now live in a multicultural society where we interact with people of different colours, nationalities, cultures and languages. With the benefit of modern technology, it has also enabled us to interact and communicate with people for personal and businessRead MoreEssay English: A Friend or Foe?666 Words   |  3 PagesToday English is the language of international law, international politics, business and diplomacy. Day by day more minor languages disappear, and English becomes more commonly used and global. Scholars argue about how globalization of English and bilingualism around the world would affect other languages and cultures. Most of my friends think that bilingualism and globalization of English will improve the lives of people around the world; however, the situation will only encour age competition andRead MoreCommunication Is The Basic Of Human Existence1163 Words   |  5 PagesThere is no doubt that, communication plays a very important role in our daily life, some people consider that it’s the basic of human existence (Nà ©meth, 2015). But what is communication and why it is so important for us? Today I will talk about â€Å"communication† and discuss its importance. Long time ago , ancestors of human beings were living in caves, picked fruits in the trees as food, ate raw meat. And at that time, communication has been a necessary survival skill of them. Just think about thatRead MoreThe Role Of Non Verbal Communication On Intercultural Communication1411 Words   |  6 Pagescultural organisation,the intercultural communication has become more ligual and more significant than ever before (Wang, 2007). As an international language, English has played an prominent role in making the communication easy between two people with different cultural backgrounds. As a result, the EFL education has concluded the communicative sufficiency as one of the important goals of English as Foreign Language teaching. It seems that intercultural communication will be a successful, as long as the

Taking a Look at the Death Penalty - 1195 Words

Death Penalty Many criminals who commit murder are sentenced to death for the crimes they have committed. The death penalty is a highly controversial practice and the question that must be raised is: Should society continue to use the death penalty as a punishment for heinous crimes? Currently, this turbulent topic continues to be argued. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there are already eighteen states that have abolished this archaic form of justice. Our society is moving towards a time and place where the death penalty is no longer an acceptable form of punishment. The use of the death sentence should be abolished from the justice system. The death sentence is an ineffective form of punishment that is morally wrong, potentially causes unnecessary deaths of innocent people, is costly, and does not accomplish the task that it has been instated to fulfill which is the prevention of crime. From a moral perspective, the clear answer is to abolish the death penalty. J ust this week in Oklahoma there was a horrifying accident while the lethal injection method was being preformed on an inmate. Clayton Locket, the inmate, was given the injection that should have paralyzed and sedated him, but when locket’s vain erupted it went terribly wrong. â€Å"Witnesses described the man convulsing and writhing on the gurney, as well as struggling to speak, before officials blocked the witnesses view.† (Ford, McLaughlin,Levitt) The final cause of death was a heart attack.Show MoreRelatedTaking a Look at the Death Penalty1013 Words   |  4 Pages Death Penalty should be allowed under circumstances also known as capital punishment, where congress or any state legislature recommend the death penalty for murder and other capital crimes. Majority of the states are favor in death penalty, roughly around 32 states are favor and 18 states are against death penalty. In most cases, many argue that death penalty has violated the 8th amendment, where it bans cruel and unusual punishment. Therefore, they would go against death penalty. However, withoutRead MoreTaking a Look at the Death Penalty694 Words   |  3 Pagesgenerations to come. This is where the death penalty comes into place. What type of feelings would you encounter knowing your children were in danger on a daily basis? We are capable of putting certain people away for our safety. The death penalty may be expensive, but it should stand nationwide on the grounds that it lowers crime rates and it is justified. The death penalty is too expensive to enact. Every case having to do with the penalty of death costs an extra chunk load of money, trialsRead MoreTaking a Look at the Death Penalty1168 Words   |  5 PagesDeath Penalty To have a loved one taken away in such a cruel manner to have a memory that haunts you every living moment. The death penalty would not merely add up for what has happened to you or family. The death penalty should be illegal for many reasons such it is immoral, it doesn’t ensure closure for the victim or the victim’s family, and although some people think that the death penalty will deter crime it really is ineffective overall. Many people think it is right to kill someone forRead MoreTaking a Look at the Death Penalty659 Words   |  3 PagesThe death penalty occurs when someone kills another human being for money, ether intention, knowing or even recklessly. â€Å"The death penalty violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the right to be free from cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.† (The Ultimate Denial of Human Rights) in this world, no one has the right to take another human being’s life, every human being is entitled to life. According to Reggio, the death penalty startedRead MoreTaking a Look at the Death Penalty918 Words   |  4 PagesThe death penalty is one of the oldest punishments in the world. It has many kinds and always appeared with blood and fright in the history. As the world developing, we got stuck in a problem, that whether we should abolish the death penalty. We have many arguments about the death penalty at present. There are more than 140 countries abolished it. Also the 58 nations with 65 percent population still used it, like China, America, Japan. Many lawyers, judges, politics and scholars also have their ownRead MoreTaking a Look at the Death Penalty1029 Words   |  4 Pages The death penalty has been around for decades, and since the beginning it has been a major topic of discussion. It’s been very controversial because there are religious issues and moral issues in some people’s minds. The death penalty is a topic that has always had moral principl es and ethical issues. There’s really no in between with what people believe, they are either fully for the death penalty, or completely against it. However, both sides have completely ethical reasons as to why they believeRead MoreTaking a Look at the Death Penalty614 Words   |  2 Pages Capital punishment or the death penalty is a legal process where a person is put to death as a punishment for a crime that person has committed. Forms of Capital punishment has been around for hundreds of years. Execution of criminals have been used by almost every society that has ever existed. People were executed for all types of crimes from being accused of witch craft to lying. In some cases a vast amount of people were put to death with capital punishment. In the 20th century tens of millionsRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is The Punishment Of Execution1247 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is the death penalty? The death penalty is the punishment of execution, administered to someone legal ly convicted of a capital crime. In the reading selection â€Å"The DEATH PENALTY in AMERICA† Bedau says that â€Å"The history of the death penalty in America can be useful if roughly divided into six epochs of very uneven duration and importance (3)†.The author is saying that the history of the death penalty can be usefully if it is separate into different time period. The author says â€Å"first, from theRead MoreThe Ethics of Capital Punishment Essay1608 Words   |  7 PagesCapital punishment is known to some people one of the cruelest punishment to humanity. Some people believe giving a person the death penalty does not solve anything. While others believe it is payback to the criminal for the crime they have committed. There have been 13,000 people executed since the colonial times, among 1900 and 1985 there were 139 innocent people sentence to death only 23 were executed. In 1967 lack of support and legal challenges cut the execution rate to zero bringing the practiceRead MoreCessation of Life: Who are we to choose?- A look into the Death Penalty686 Words   |  3 Pagescrime, sometimes the only justice seems to be an eye for an eye. And most of the time those victims look to our court systems to provide that justice. But is death the answer? I believe that with human fallibility and the fallibility of our court system as variables, that a sentence that cannot be overturned should not be passed down in any case, especially when that sentence is as irreversible as death. In an editorial from USA Today found on deathpenaltyinfo.org, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is

Black Working Poor vs. Black Middle Class Free Essays

The article examines the relationships between the black working poor and the black middle class. The black middle class is defined as being fragmented, comprised of an array of incomes, professions, and educational levels. The article also states that black middle class experiences economic shifts that move back and forth between blue-collar and white-collar income levels and occupations. We will write a custom essay sample on Black Working Poor vs. Black Middle Class or any similar topic only for you Order Now (Shawn A. Ginwright 2002) The black middle class experienced dramatic growth in the post civil-rights era. This growth raised questions about how social and cultural capital among the black middle class has helped the conditions of the black working poor. The author demonstrates through materialist and culturalist frames of the community how black middle class members of a small organization frame community failed to address the needs of the working poor. Materialist frames are rooted in day-to-day material conditions. They are informed by the lived reality of low wages, high rents, and or poor quality schools and focus on immediate change of concrete conditions. (Shawn A. Ginwright 2002) Culturalist frames challenge ideas and values, rather than power and people. Through a shared set of ideas and values, culturalist frames focus on symbolic meaning and abstract theories of the social world and attempt to change social meaning and personal identity. They promote specialized ideas about community and social issues and encourage expert-based social change through highly skilled, educated professionals. (Shawn A. Ginwright 2002) His argument is that the middle class use their skills, and other forms of human capitol to define community issues, while overlooking the interests of the working poor. Then Ginwright used a case study to affirm his theory. The case study was of a middle class community’s use Afrocentric ideology to ameliorate a working class neighborhood high school; the middle class misdiagnosed an obvious problem through culturalist framing resulting in no significant improvement in the high school. Afrocentric ideology is a modern concept in response to racist and attitudes about black people. It is a black inspired ideology that affirms blacks in a white dominated society. In the efforts to improve McClymonds High School in Oakland California a group of community advocates, The Black Front For Educational Reform (BUFFER), started coalition with working class parents and concerned citizens to transform the high school. Then BUFFER grew in size from roughly 30 local community individuals to 125 individuals from professors to attorneys. With the original BUFFERS the plan was simple, improve specific issues related to the day-to-day experiences of students, what the school lacked, but also what students at the school needed to survive. First, although many of its members shared the same ideology about the need to improve the conditions for black students at McClymonds High School, there was conflict about which strategy would best serve the needs of the students. (Shawn A. Ginwright 2002) The original working class members of BUFFER wanted to address the material issues such as textbook, facility structure, college prep courses, etc†¦ The new BUFFERS convinced that the problem was from lack of positive ethnic identity and racial pride. They wanted to address educational inequality by implementing an Afrocentric curriculum. This gave the idea of self-esteem issues. The Afrocentric curriculum did get approved and was implemented in the curriculum. For many students the new subject was not understood and Afrocentrism did not have any relevance to their day to day life experiences. The emphasis they placed on Afrocentric education diverted valuable resources to what could have been an effort to redress the pervasive inequality at the High. (Shawn A. Ginwright 2002) In reading the article it disclosed a serious gap in understanding of society needs between the middle class and the working poor class. Since the article was based on one case study, the results were skewed in favor of the author’s theory. The reading does not provide the benefits obtained by the high school from incorporating an Afrocentric curriculum or another case study that shows similar results. The author made an argument and used only one case study to verify his theory. The reading did provide some insight into the relationship between the two but it only provides inferred reasoning as to why there is a difference between the two. With two different social classes within the same organization, communication was really the necessity that was lacking to have a better outcome in the transformation of the high school. I would definitely recommend this read to a classmate How to cite Black Working Poor vs. Black Middle Class, Essay examples

Faludi, single gender situation free essay sample

The Citadel, as described in Susan Faludi’s work â€Å"The naked Citadel†, is a place of arcane traditions, contradictions, and hidden motives. Not surprisingly for a traditionally all-male institution, many of these mysteries revolve around the role of gender. Describing it as a bastion of masculinity, while not entirely false, would be an oversimplification, as would thinking of it as a backwards institution full of hypocrisy. As is inevitable in an insulated institution attended only by males, the Citadel is a place where â€Å"the rules of gender [can] be bent or escaped†. (Faludi 282) Cadets, as Citadel students are known, hold contradictory or even hypocritical views about the various genders. Freshmen joined the school to be made into the Citadel’s vision of a â€Å"whole man†, but are bullied and beaten by upperclassmen like women in abusive households. Furthermore, they still hold the upperclassmen in high regard after such incidents. There are required courses on respect for women, yet many cadets disrespect their â€Å"dates†, at times turning to violence. Perhaps strangest of all for this culturally conservative institution is the fact that it is not unknown for a cadet to date a drag queen from the local bar. There are two explanations for these oddities. The first is that cadets don’t care if their ideas on gender are sensible; they are just blindly following tradition. The second, and much more interesting, option is to explore these contradictions in terms of the hidden and public transcripts from James C Scott’s â€Å"Behind the Official Story†. Sexism, the line between â€Å"making men† and homosexuality, and the relations between upperclassmen and freshmen can all be explained in terms of hidden transcripts, and Scott’s more generalized ideas on power relations. The hypocrisy between what is taught and what is practiced regarding treatment of women is hardly unique to the Citadel. The idea that women â€Å"must be sheltered and protected not only from the elements and physical harm but also from embarrassment, crudity, and coarseness of any sort,† has a hidden and public transcript in and of itself. (Scott 266) Publicly this idea shows an admiration for women, men should go out of their way to make women’s lives better. The hidden transcript, however, is that women are inferior to men and cannot deal with problems. Also, it moves women farther from humanity and more into the realm of something aesthetic. The dehumanization combined with domination leads to domestic violence. A woman, to one who thinks of them in these terms, is a perfect outlet for anger. Faludi speaks of several of these incidents, such as, â€Å"one party incident in which two cadets held down a young woman while a third drunken cadet leaned over and vomited on her†(267). One can assume that worse things happen in private. As Faludi says, â€Å"[The citadel’s guide to women] is silent on the subject of proper etiquiet toward women who require neither deference nor rescue†(267). In the end, those who learn the Citadel’s â€Å"Art of good taste† and proceed to a violent relationship are not really being hypocritical; they are simply taking the ideas that inspired the guidebook to a dangerous extreme. Faludi’s interviews with Citadel alumni, however, show that some cadets settle down with strong, opinionated women and have normal relationships. This is an example of even the gender roles taught at The Citadel being escaped. These cadets took the public transcript of the above quote to the extreme of overall respect for women. Unlike the violent extreme, this is a very good message to take from the Citadel’s teachings on gentlemanliness. While cadets’ views of the opposite sex are easy to quantify using Scott’s ideas, their views on their own gender are more complicated. Who are the dominant and the subordinate? The answer is that the dominant here is the Citadel itself, its culture and traditions, with its public transcript of an atmosphere of male intimacy within the bounds of heterosexuality. The subordinates are the individual cadets, who, while agreeing with the system to some degree, have their own ideas. These ideas range from misogynistic domestic violence against dates to homosexuality. It is impossible to know how many cadets keep their true sexuality hidden, but those that do enact this particular transcript complicate the study of gender roles in the Citadel greatly. Theirs is perhaps the truest example of a hidden transcript, and of escaping gender roles. It is assumed in mainstream society that the role of men is to be attracted to women, but the Citadel, like the rest of the world, has its exceptions. Faludi speaks of the Citadel as â€Å"a campus where every second epithet was ‘faggot’† (280). They truly have reason to fear when enacting their transcript, much like Aggy the slave in Scott’s work. Also like Aggy, their â€Å"hidden transcript is at complete odds with [their] public transcript† (Scott 556). Cadets commit hate crimes against African American peers and females attempting to join the corps. Although Faludi does not elaborate on the subject, it is reasonable to think that gays would be even worse off. The Citadel operates on the cutting edge of heterosexual behavior. Cadets are encouraged to kiss, hug, and shower with other men. The presence of a true homosexual could reasonably cause a great deal of unrest amongst the other cadets. Some would be disgusted by the thought of a homosexual in their intimate society, and those who keep a homosexual transcript hidden would likely be driven to prove their manliness. In this situation, and with the crowd being fellow cadets, there would be few better ways to do that then to commit a hate crime against the offender. Another topic, branching off the discussion of gender roles, is the more general relationship between upperclassmen and freshmen. This relationship can be perfectly described in terms of transcripts. It is interesting that the freshmen, the subordinates, do not necessarily have a hidden transcript. Publicly, they take the hazing without a lot of whining, and still admire the upperclassmen for having gone through it all already. This is another topic that Faludi does not expand on, but since most stay for a sophomore year, it is reasonable to assume that the hidden transcript is not much different. The upperclassmen, however, have an image to maintain. Publicly, they are angry and merciless with the freshmen, subjecting them to hazings that at times resemble domestic violence. Their hidden transcript, however, is one of sympathy for the knobs. They cannot act out this hidden transcript because â€Å"knobs would lose respect for upperclassmen†. (Faludi 259) This is very similar to George Orwell’s Burmese experience, used by Scott. Scott writes that, â€Å"Domination seems to require a credible performance of haughtiness and mastery. †(561) Much as a parent cannot show fault in front of a child without hurting their domination, the upperclassmen cannot show softness in front of freshmen, lest the Citadels power structure come crashing down. Power relations are restrictive for both the dominant and the subordinate, as is reflected in the disparity between the public and hidden  transcripts of each. Michael Lake, a knob who quit before the end of his first year, made observations about the citadel that form the basis for Faludi’s work, and this Essay. Faludi summarizes his observations: â€Å"If [the upperclassmen] couldn’t re-create a male-dominant society in the real world, they could restage the drama by casting male knobs in all the subservient female roles. †(Faludi 263) Although the Citadel is indeed a very sexist institution, the implication of this statement, that cadets are given these roles because they are generally reserved for females, is not entirely accurate. They are given these roles because they are subordinate. The dominant female roles of society are whole-heartedly embraced by the upperclassmen. The most obvious of these, of course, is the role of mother. Much like mothers instructing their children, knobs are taught a new way of life by the upperclassmen. â€Å"As a ‘knob’, every aspect of life is taught, a new way to walk†¦ Knobs are told how, where, and when to walk. † (Faludi 278) The upperclassmen are simply fulfilling all the dominant roles found in normal society. Even when the knobs are recognized as equals on recognition day, Faludi describes their relationship with upperclassmen as though they were of a different gender; â€Å"The relationship between knobs and upperclassmen following recognition day [†¦] shifts from maternal to matrimonial†(279). In terms of Scott, this is another example of a dominant, the institution of the Citadel being forced around by the subordinate, its cadets. In order to embrace all the oddities of the intuition, cadets are infused with the idea that women are subordinate, knobs are like women, and thus they are subordinate. In reality, however, these oddities are caused by the idea of having a society populated entirely by men, with men serving all the dominant and subordinate roles. For anyone, particularly the type of person drawn to the Citadel, this idea could be very disturbing indeed. Thus the public transcript of a misogynistic institution is needed. Scott describes this phenomenon in more general terms, â€Å"The necessary posing of the dominant derives not from weaknesses but from the ideas behind their rule, the kinds of claims they make to legitimacy† (561). The Citadel’s claim to legitimacy is as an institution of male superiority, in reality it is a monument to the versatility of genders. Although Scott uses extreme examples of master/slave, landlord/tenant, and ruler/subject in his work, his ideas can be generalized to fit almost any situation, including the oddity that is the Citadel. Describing it as a bastion of masculinity, while not entirely false, would be an oversimplification, as would thinking of it as a backwards institution full of hypocrisy and contradictions. It is, whether by design or evolution, a peculiar experiment in a single-gender society.