RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig

1. What is Intercultural Communication?

2. Forms of Intercultural Communication
3. Improving Intercultural Competence
4. Varieties of Language
5. Characteristics of Spoken Language
6. Spoken and Written Language
7. Culturally Responsive, Engaging, and Appropriate Language
8. Culturally (In)Appropriate Images
9. Cultural Sensitivity

This module talks about intercultural communication as well as its varieties. It talks about the forms
of intercultural communication, improving intercultural competence, varieties of language, characteristics of
spoken and written language, forms or types of spoken language, types of words, and ways how to choose
appropriate language, political correctness, and culturally (in) appropriate images.

Living in a globalized world, you encounter people with diverse cultural backgrounds. Such
interaction occurs in social, educational, political, and commercial settings. Hence, in today’s era of
increased global communication, it is imperative to understand intercultural communication for us to
enhance our intercultural awareness and competence. Intercultural competence is essential for us to live
harmoniously despite our difference in culture.

Read this module thoroughly to be guided and enlightened more about the discussion. An activity is
provided at the end of this module to assess your learning.

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1. Determine culturally appropriate terms, expressions, and images (sensitivity to gender, race, class, etc.)
2. Adopt cultural and intercultural awareness and sensitivity in the communication of ideas.

Intercultural Communication VS. Intracultural Communication

Jandt (1998) introduced intercultural and intracultural communication. Intercultural Communication

refers to interaction with people from diverse cultures. On the other hand, Intracultural Communication is
the interaction between or among members of the same racial or ethnic group or co-culture.

Forms of Intercultural Communication

● Interracial Communication
○ It refers to the interaction of people belonging to different races.
● Interethnic Communication
○ It is the interaction among people of different ethnic origins.
● International Communication
○ It is the interaction between representatives from different nations.

Improving Intercultural Competence

The following guidelines may help you enhance your ability to communicate effectively across cultures
(Gamble & Gamble, 2008).

1. Recognize the validity and differences of communication styles among people.

2. Learn to eliminate personal biases and prejudices.
3. Strive to acquire communication skills necessary in a multicultural world.

Varieties of Language

Lin (2016) presents the following nature of language variation as prescribed by most linguists based
on the ideas of Mahboob (2014).

1. Language varies when communicating with people within (local) and outs (global) our community.
2. Language varies in speaking and in writing.
3. Language varies in everyday and specialized discourses

Characteristics of Spoken Language

The situation in which the spoken variety of language is used and in which it develops presupposes
the presence of an interlocutor.

● The spoken language is mostly maintained in the form of a dialogue

● The spoken language utilizes the human voice and all kinds of gestures which give additional
information.

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 ● The spoken language is spontaneous but momentary. It vanishes after having fulfilled its purpose,
which is to communicate the thought, no matter how trivial or important.
● The spoken language cannot be detached from the user of it.
● The spoken language widely uses intensifying words. These are interjections and words with strong
emotive meanings, such as oaths, swear words, and adjectives that have lost their primary
meaning.
● The spoken language is characterized by the insertion into the utterance of words without any
meaning, which is called “fill-ups” or empty words such as “well”, “and all”, “so to say”, “whatever”,
etc.

Varieties of Spoken Language

Language vary when communicating with people within (local) and outside (global) our community.
There are five types of spoken language.

Spoken Language Examples

1. Interactional - It is used for having a social

function. This makes use of an informal
type of speech that aims to develop
relationships between interlocutors.

2. Referential - It is providing the listener with

some information referring to objects or
abstract concepts. The speaker assumes
that the listener has knowledge of the
matter at hand. In return, the listener has to
know the context before they can
understand the references.

3. Expressive - It is showing the speaker’s

judgments or feelings about a person,
event, or situation.

4. Transactional - It is used for getting

information or making a deal. It has a
specific purpose and is driven by needs and
wants rather than sociability. Unlike
interactional language, transactional spoken
language has its intention to achieve a
give-and-take relationship between the
speaker and the listener. Here, a specific
query is a given specific answer.

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 5. Phatic - It means engaging in small, plain
talk. The speaker and listener use a
minimal amount of language to engage in
the conversation. This spoken language
variety poses familiarity of the topic and
context between the speaker and the
listener.

Characteristics of Written Language

● The written variety presupposes the absence of an interlocutor.

● The written language is mostly maintained in the form of a monologue.
● The written language is more carefully organized and more explanatory. Most often, the word choice
is more deliberate.
● The written language is able to live forever with the idea it expresses.
● The written language can be detached and objectively looked at. The writer has an opportunity to
correct and improve what has been put on paper.
● The written language bears a greater volume of responsibility than its spoken counterpart.

Written Language Examples

1. Formal - Formal language is less personal Contractions

than informal language. It is used when Informal:
writing for professional or academic I donʼt believe that the results are accurate.
purposes like university assignments. Formal:
Formal language does not use The results are not believed to be accurate.
colloquialisms, contractions, or first-person
pronouns such as ‘I’ or ‘We’. Phrasal verbs
Informal:
The balloon was blown up for the experiment.
Formal:
The balloon was inflated for the experiment.

2. Informal - Informal language is more Slang/Colloquialism

casual and spontaneous. It is used when
communicating with friends or family either
in writing or in conversation. It is used when
writing personal emails, text messages, and
in business correspondence. The tone of
informal language is more personal than
formal language.
Informal:
Lecturers still count on students to use correct
grammar and punctuation in essays.
Formal: Lecturers expect students to use correct
grammar and punctuation in essays
First-person pronouns
Informal:
During the interview, I asked students about their
experiences.
Formal:
During the interview, students were asked about
their experiences

Spoken and Written Language

Both varieties, however, may be different in terms of their phonetics, morphology, lexicon, and
syntax. Yet, the most striking difference between spoken and written language is in the vocabulary used.
There are words and phrases typically colloquial, on one hand, and typically bookish, on the other hand. If

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colloquial words and phrases find their way into the written language, they immediately produce a marked
stylistic effect and can be used for speech characterization.

Types of Words Forms/Types of Spoken and Written Language

Culturally Responsive, Engaging, and Appropriate Language

“Calling an illegal alien an undocumented immigrant is like calling a drug dealer an undocumented
pharmacist.” – Anon

The choice of words is a powerful strategy in communication. When Confucius said, “when words
lose their meanings, people lose their freedom”, the control of language is an essential tool for engaging
and responsive communication. Hence, cultural appropriateness of language is conforming to a culture’s
acceptable expressions and standards of behavior and thoughts. This is referred to as “POLITICAL
CORRECTNESS”.

Some Important Terms to Know:

Cultural Awareness Cultural Awareness is knowing that there are multiple different cultures –
and based on religion, ethnicity, nationality, and other factors- that have different
Cultural Sensitivity attitudes and outlooks.
Cultural sensitivity involves accepting those differences without insisting your
own culture is better, or that everyone should do it your way (Sherman,
2018).

Cultural Appropriation Cultural Appropriation of images is the adoption of the iconography of another
culture and using it for purposes that are unintended by the original culture or
even offensive to that culture’s mores. This poses deeper concerns and
issues of communication in which the origin of that particular culture gets
offended.

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 Gender Sensitivity Gender Sensitivity refers to the aim of understanding and taking account of
the societal and cultural factors involved in gender-based exclusion and
discrimination in the most diverse spheres of public and private life.

Gender-sensitive Gender-sensitive language is the realization of gender equality in written and

Language spoken language. It is attained when women and men and those who do not
conform to the binary gender system are made visible and addressed in
language as persons of equal value, dignity, integrity, and respect.

Political Correctness Political correctness is used to describe language, policies, or measures that
are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular
groups in society.

How to Choose Appropriate Language

1. Notice and reflect on disrespectful language, thoughts, and actions.

2. Respect people of different races.
3. Use language that includes the LGBTQIA+ people.
4. Avoid exclusionary, gender-specific language.
5. Avoid using explicitly religious terms in mixed-religious companies.
6. Avoid expressions that devalue people with physical or mental disabilities.
7. Refrain from language that groups people into one large category.

Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity Guidelines

1. View human difference as positive and a cause for celebration;

2. Have a clear sense of your own ethnic, cultural, and racial identity;
3. Be aware that in order to learn about others, you need to understand and be prepared to share your
own culture;
4. Be aware of your own discomfort when you encounter differences in race, color, religion, sexual
orientation, language, and ethnicity;
5. Be aware of the assumptions that you hold about people of cultures different from your own;
6. Be aware of your stereotypes as they arise and develop personal strategies for reducing the harm
that they cause;
7. Be aware of how your cultural perspective influences your judgments about what appropriate,
normal, or superior behaviors, values, and communication styles are;
8. Accept that in cross-cultural situations, there can be uncertainty, and that uncertainty can make you
anxious. It can also mean that you do not respond quickly and take the time needed to get more
information;
9. Take any opportunity to put yourself in places where you can learn about differences and create
relationships;

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 10. Understand that you will likely be perceived as a person with power and racial privilege (or the
opposite) and that you may not be seen as unbiased or as an ally.

Gender-sensitive Language

Language plays an important role in achieving more effective communication. Using appropriate
terms also avoids conflicts and misunderstandings.

Gender biased Bias-free

forefathers ancestors

Man-made, mankind artificial, humanity

common man average/ordinary person

chairman chair, chairperson, coordinator

freshman first-year student

manpower human resources

congressman legislator, representative

mail-man, postman mail carrier, letter carrier, postal worker

businessman, salesman business person, sales representative

man person, individual

policeman police officer

waiter/waitress, authoress, stewardess Server, author, flight attendant

Political Correctness

Political correctness has an important purpose: it promotes equality by demonstrating an

understanding that all people and groups are valuable to society regardless of race, culture, religion,
gender, or sexual orientation.

Biased Bias-free

Cheating, dishonest academic dishonesty, ethnically disoriented

ugly aesthetically challenged

negra black

bald comb-free

disabled differently abled

drug addict drug-dependent

broken home/family dysfunctional family

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poor economically marginalized

old elderly, senior

deaf hearing impaired

squatters informal settlers

mental retardation intellectual disability, intellectual development

disorder

body odor nondiscretionary fragrance

homeless outdoor urban

fat people of mass

pervert sexually dysfunctional

psychopath socially misaligned

computer illiterate technologically challenged

short, blind vertically challenged, visually challenged

Cultural Appropriation

How well can you detect culturally inappropriate images and illustrations?
Take a close look at the images below.

What are your observations on the images presented above?

DID YOU KNOW?

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Effective Communication Skills. MTD Training. Retrieved from
https://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/organisation-management/5a-understanding-itd
/effective-communication

Luksire. (2020, August 27). (Purposive Communication) Unit 1- Communication Processes, Principles and
Ethics [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REXmob7TX8k

https://prezi.com/p/l6jdzmonfl9b/local-and-global-communication-in-multicultural-setting/

https://www.slideshare.net/RyanBuer/local-and-global-communication-in-multicultural-setting

Agustin, Racquel, et.al. Communication in Multicultural Contexts: Meanings and Purposes. Panday-Lahi
Publishing, Inc. 2018

Wakat, Geraldine S. et.al., Purposive Communication. Lorimar Publishing, Inc.,2018