Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure in Jordanian Media Discourse

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-358
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Cultural Communication ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
Communication Breakdown ◽  
Pragmatic Failure ◽  
Culture Start ◽  
Arabic And English

Cultural differences are brought to attention basically in cross-cultural communication where members of each culture start to compare and contrast their culture to the cultures of their addressees. While some cultures like Arabic can be described as high context cultures for basically depending on non-verbal communication, other cultures might be low context cultures for relying basically on words. In cross-cultural communication, i.e. communication between speakers from different cultural backgrounds, speakers are not expected to find it difficult to understand their addressees as long as they have the required semantic and pragmatic competence. The present study examines the occurrence of cross-cultural pragmatic failure in a Jordanian social drama focusing on how pragmatic failure might contribute to communication breakdown. It is an attempt to identify aspects and sources of pragmatic failure in both Arabic and English, and to investigate how cultural factors might influence language use of native and non-native speakers. Keywords: Pragmatic failure; cross-cultural communication; politeness; sociolinguistics.

scholarly journals A Contrastive Analysis of Chinese Humor and English Humor in Intercultural Communication

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1595
Author(s):  
Sha Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Communication ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
Transcultural Communication ◽  
Figure Of Speech ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Chinese And English

Humor plays an important role in daily life and also quite useful in interpersonal communication. Nowadays, the cross-cultural communication between the English-speaking countries and China becomes more and more frequent while some humor is difficult to appreciate with diverse cultural backgrounds. Therefore, this paper aims at analyzing the Chinese and English humor from their similarities, like the use of ambiguity and figure of speech, as well as differences, especially in functions, topics and ways of expression. Related causes are further discussed the differences. Hopefully, the findings will help to reduce the obstacles in understanding humor in different culture and promote transcultural communication in a delightful manner.

International public relations and cross-cultural communication

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Author(s):  
Aneta Parkes
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Communication ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
Multicultural Environment ◽  
International Public Relations ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Subject

The article presents the subject of international public relations, which can be defined as a process of communication in which its participants originate from different countries and cultural backgrounds. The differences in cross-cultural communication resulting from the variety of cultures are shown on the grounds of classification of cultures presented by R. Gesteland. Recognition of the basic cultural differences, which determine the process of communication, is a key factor to act efficiently as a Public Relations’ specialist in a multicultural environment.

Paralingustic Means in German as a Guide to Cross-cultural Communication

10.12737/5742 ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 23-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Дубинский ◽  
Vladimir Dubinskiy
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
German Language ◽  
Cultural Communication ◽  
General Knowledge ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
Speech Interaction ◽  
The Way

In this issue we are starting to publish the research paper presented by V.I. Dubinskiy. The author aims at demonstrating non-verbal means of communi- cation in the German language as well as showing the way they are used in everyday life and the specifics of teaching them further cross-cultural communication with Germans. Knowing non-verbal means of communication typical of native speakers means broadening the general knowledge of the student of the language and developing an active communicative approach to speech interaction.

Studying Body Language Through TV Programmes – Deutsche Welle

10.12737/7160 ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 25-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Dubinskiy
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Body Language ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
German Language ◽  
Cultural Communication ◽  
General Knowledge ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
Speech Interaction ◽  
Deutsche Welle

In this issue we are starting to publish the research paper presented by V.I. Dubinskiy. The author aims at demonstrating non-verbal means of communi- cation in the German language as well as showing the way they are used in everyday life and the specifics of teaching them further cross-cultural communication with Germans. Knowing non-verbal means of communication typical of native speakers means broadening the general knowledge of the student of the language and developing an active communicative approach to speech interaction.

scholarly journals Cultural Diversity in Native and Non-Native Speakers of English Communication

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (43) ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Iman Khalaf Jasim ◽  
◽  
Sabah S. Mustafa
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Grammatical Competence ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
Pragmatic Failure ◽  
On Line ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Communication Breakdowns

With the advancement of technology ,the study of cross-cultural communication via on line has become an important and researchable topic in linguistic theory and its applications.The aims of this study are two- fold (a) exploring the influence of cultural diversity on on-line interaction between American native speakers (NSs) and Iraqi non-native speakers (NNSs) of English which, together with other factors might potentially lead to what Thomas(1983) calls "pragmatic failure" (PF), a main cause of communication breakdowns and (b) specifying which type of PF occurs more frequently between the two groups along with the reasons behind such failures. To achieve these objectives , a number of online chats conducted between (10) American speakers of English and (8) Iraqi graduate students of English were collected and analyzed on the basis of Thomas' (1983) division of PF in an attempt to verify the assumption that pragmatic failure is a result of cultural diversity between the two groups of participants.Results revealed that the cultural differences between the two groups could be a major cause of misunderstanding ie. PF., a finding which can be of value to textbook designers and teachers of English as a foreign language (FL)who are required to improve students' pragmatic ability in classroom by focusing not only on their grammatical competence but also on their pragmatic competence.

scholarly journals PRAGMATICS IN EFL CLASSROOM: AVOIDING PRAGMATIC FAILURE IN CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-91
Author(s):  
Nailul Author Restu Pamungkas ◽  
Lutfina Tarita Wulandari
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Communication ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
Teaching Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Pragmatic Awareness ◽  
Pragmatic Failure ◽  
Cultural Pragmatics

In teaching language along with its culture, teacher should take pragmatic aspects into consideration, since understanding pragmatics will help foreign language learners to avoid false interpretation which will cause misunderstanding in communication between speakers with different culture and social backgrounds. It is called as pragmatic failure which usually takes place in cross-cultural communication. Since pragmatics plays quite important role in communication, it is important for foreign language learners to have sensitivity of cross cultural pragmatics, which is commonly known as cross cultural or intercultural pragmatic awareness. However, teaching language along with culture seems to be problematic, since it is relatively difficult to choose which aspect(s) of culture to teach, what content to include, and to represent cultures implicitly under study which presents differences from the norm of students’ local culture. Therefore, this paper tries to explore the essential issues of spoken discourse, pragmatics, cross cultural pragmatics, pragmatic failure, pragmatic awareness, and its implication to pedagogy.

scholarly journals Teaching culture: is it possible to avoid pragmatic failure?

2008 ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucía Fernández Amaya
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Teaching Culture ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Communication Breakdown ◽  
Pragmatic Failure ◽  
Grammar Rules ◽  
Interpersonal Level

The main purpose of learning a second language is communication. Nevertheless, many students are surprised when they realise that, in spite of having a perfect dominion of the L2 grammar rules, they have difficulties at interpersonal level when establishing a conversation with native speakers. Thus, pragmatics constitutes a fundamental element of language ability for L2 learners. However, L2 teachers often overlook pragmatics, due to the difficulty of its teaching, and instead focus on the grammatical aspects of language. The resulting lack of pragmatic competence on the part of L2 students can lead to pragmatic failure and, more importantly, to a complete communication breakdown. In this paper, several examples are used to illustrate how pragmatic failures affect the interpretation of messages and sometimes block communication completely, thus defeating the principal purpose of L2 acquisition. Finally, guidance is provided to encourage teachers to incorporate the necessary pragmatic and cultural aspects of L2 learning into their lessons in order to prevent students from making these types of mistakes.

Teaching Digital and Media Literacy as Cross-Cultural Communication

2017 ◽  
pp. 240-249
Author(s):  
Mary Catherine Boehmer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Communication ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
The Social ◽  
Access To Technology

As technology increasingly becomes a part of our day-to-day lives in the United States and throughout the globe, there is a greater push for students to develop the digital and media literacy skills necessary for the twenty-first century. In the United States, students learning these skills often come from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The diversity of the U.S. is one of its greatest strengths, but with this diversity come cultural differences in access to technology and how it is used across different cultural contexts. This chapter analyzes the constructs of digital and media literacy, the ways in which culture can be defined and how that can affect the intersectional identities performed in the social and participatory world of Web 2.0. It also examines access to technology and how technology is used for communication and accessing information in Russia, Germany, and Azerbaijan, and how approaching digital and media literacy through the lens of cross-cultural communication can help teachers to better meet the needs of learners from diverse backgrounds.

Data for this study was obtained from one strata of the larger population of Syria and the US. The Syrian compliment responses were uttered by middle class people from an urban area (i.e. Damascus) and most of the American compliment responses were given by Caucasian university graduate students. One cannot assume that these findings generalize to other groups within Syria or the US or to other Arabic-speaking or English-speaking countries. Further research is needed to know how generalizable these findings are. In order for students to become communicatively competent in a second language, they need both grammatical and pragmatic competence (Thomas 1983). However, achieving pragmatic competence may, at times, be complicated due to pragmatic transfer – using the rules governing speech events from one’s L1 speech com-munity when interacting with members of an L2 speech community. Pragmatic transfer can lead to pragmatic failure, to not understanding the illocutionary force of an utterance, to not understanding what is meant by what is said (Thomas 1983). Such situations can result in cross-cultural misunderstandings and communi-cation breakdowns. Cross-cultural studies such as this one contribute to our know-ledge of appropriate compliment/compliment response competence in Syrian Arabic and American English and also to our understanding of pragmatic transfer as a possible cause for pragmatic failure. The results of this study suggest similarities and differences in Syrian Arabic and American English compliment responses. Similarities include the overall manner of responding – both Syrians and Americans are much more likely to either accept or mitigate the force of the compliment than to reject it outright. In addition, members of both groups use some similar response types (e.g. Agreeing Utterances, Compliment Returns, Deflecting or Qualifying Comments, and Reas-surance or Repetition Requests). Finally, males and females in both groups employ most of the response types. An exception is Agreeing Utterances; Syrian females did not use this response. Students of English and Arabic can use these similari-ties between Arabic and English compliment responses to their advantage by learn-ing the responses that are similar in both languages. As Kasper and Blum-Kulka (1993) point out, behaviors that are consistent across L1 and L2 usually result in communicative success. However, Hurley (1992) warns that the similarity of an L2 form to a form in the learner’s L1 can also be a pragmalinguistic problem. The danger is that the L2 learner may overgeneralize the form to inappropriate settings. Although the two groups share similarities in compliment responses, they also differ in important ways. In responding to compliments, US recipients are much more likely than Syrians to use Appreciation Tokens (e.g. thanks). The infrequency of this response in the Arabic data suggests that the utterance Shukran (‘thank you’) by itself is not usually a sufficient response to an Arabic compliment and needs to be supplemented by additional words. By itself, it may sound flat and awkward because it appears to signal the end of the conversation. As illustrated

2005 ◽  
pp. 187-187
Keyword(s):  
American English ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Speech Community ◽  
Pragmatic Transfer ◽  
Pragmatic Failure ◽  
Compliment Responses ◽  
The Us ◽  
Communicative Success ◽  
Arabic And English
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