Intercultural

Communication
Introduction

By Guan Shijie
Peking University
May 6 2009
Presentation titles and reading
 Lecture 1: Introduction: Intercultural communication
 Reading: Guo-ming Chen & William J. Starosta, Foundation of Intercultural Communi
cation, Allyn & Bacon, 1998, Chapter 1-2, pp. 1-30.

 Lecture 2:
 Languages and intercultural communication
 Reading: Samovar, Larry and Poeter, Richard E. Communication between cultures,
Wadsworth Publishing company, California, 2004, Chapter 4-5, pp. 138-200.

 Lecture 3: Thinking patterns and intercultural communication

 Reading: Nisbett, richard E., The geography of thought: how Asians and Westerners t
hink differently…and why, New York: Free Press, 2003, chapter 6-7, pp.137-165.

 Lecture 4: Values and intercultural communication

 Readings: Linell Davis, Doing Culture: Cross-cultural communication in Action, Forei
gn language Teaching and Research Press, Beijing, China, 2001, Chapter 11-12, pp.
137-238.
Map of the World
Beijing
Peking
University
My Family
My family
My wife and granddaughter in Thailand
 outline
 I. Why we need to study intercultural
 communication?

 II. The Chronological Development of

intercultural communication Study

 III. Culture and Communication in

Intercultural Communication Study
I. Why we need to study intercultural
communication?
1. The coming of intensive intercultural communication period
 From Lao Tse’s ideal (people do not visit each other all their lives, through the cr
owing of their cocks and the barking of their dogs are within hearing of each other) , stated t
wo thousand years ago, to global village forecast by Marshall Mc
Luhan, the wheel of human history has moved us forward from is
olation to integration. (As the swine flu outbreak influence all over the world)

People in Global Village
Pictures of the open ceremony of Olympic Games 2008,
You and me, from one world, we are family...
 There is a long history with the
intercultural communication, but it is quite
a different thing now.
 What make this tremendous change?
 Technological Development,
 Globalization of the Economy,
 Widespread Population Migrations,
 Development of Multiculturalism
 Space: the communication mode switches
from vertical to more horizontal; the world
is getting smaller.
 Time: the information transference speeds
up.
 Participants: more common people come i
nto contact on a daily basis.
2.Time Calls for Intercultural Communication Ability and Cultural
Consciousness

A ） New century calls for intercultural communication

ability
The ability of intercultural communication reduces misunderst
andings.
 The communication increases more than ever and so is the i
nterdependence objectively; the clashes and conflicts grow
too. If we are here to survive and develop in this new world a
nd social pattern, we need to study intercultural communicat
ion to deal with all the clashes and conflicts. Cultural differe
nce is one of causations that make the conflict between com
munities.
 small misunderstanding affects harmonious inte
rpersonal relationship: losing a friend
 middle misunderstanding affects work: losing a
n opportunity
 big misunderstanding affects national policies a
nd international disputes: “caricature event”
 huge misunderstanding takes lives ： nuclear b
ombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945
The Caricature Event in Demark,
2005-2006,
Huge misunderstanding:
Nuclear Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
in 1945
 How we should develop the relationship a
mong persons, groups, cultures and natio
ns largely depends on the knowledge, wis
dom and cultural background of the partic
ipants.
The ability of intercultural communication is a prerequisite for u
s now

UNESCO’s “Four Pillars of Education”

Learning to how to be a citizen
Learning to how to work
Learning to how to learn
Learning to live together with others
The ability of intercultural communication en
ables us learn to live together.
B ） Time calls for “cultural consciousness”

Cultural communication plays an important role

in the development of character and cultural attributes
of a person as well as of a group or a nation.

A Chinese sociologist Xiaotong Fei:

In this new pattern of intensive intercultural communication, w
e should highlight the cultural consciousness. Getting to know
each other in an objective and scientific way is the starting poin
t to nurture a peaceful relationship; and it is the task of humanit
ies and social sciences to be aware of the cultural tradition of o
ur own country and its transition.
Cultural consciousness: refers to “those who live in spe
cific cultures being aware of their culture and having a f
ull knowledge of the process of development and future
. Meanwhile, cultural consciousness refers to, especiall
y for those who live in different cultures, based on their
knowledge of their own cultures, being aware of other c
ulture and the relationship in between; therefore, cultur
e can be self-expression, recognition, mutual-understan
ding, tolerant and exist side by side.” (“Cultural Conscious, Different but Harmonio
us”, Xinhua Digest, 2001 vol 1, pp.17)
C) It is necessary for us to understand each other for peace’s
sake (Mans’ future)

As transportation and communication technology develops, we are

now living in an “intercultural society”. It is an era when different
civilizations need to coexist through peaceful communication. We
need to learn from each other, and study the history, ideals, arts
and cultures of each other and therefore enrich ourselves.
Otherwise, there would be misunderstanding, tensions, conflicts
and disasters all around this crowded small world.

In the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity approved by the

UNESCO in 2001, they mentioned: “Affirming that respect for
diversity of cultures, tolerance, dialogues and cooperation, in
a climate of mutual trust and understanding are among the
best guarantees of international peace and security.”
 The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Div
ersity
was adopted unanimously at the 31st UNESCO
General Conference. It aims to have a significant
impact on globalization and making it more culturally
sensitive. It was an opportunity for States to reaffirm
their conviction that inter-cultural dialogue is the best
guarantee of peace and to reject the theory of the
inevitable clash of cultures and civilizations.
 In China, there are 56 ethnic groups. How many ethnic groups in
Sweden?

 According the Culture Report 1998 of UNESCO, there are 6000

cultures, 200 countries in the world, among which only 10% that
make up by single ethnic group. The global citizen need to study
intercultural communication to live together peacefully.

 Well, I will firstly introduce the historical origins of intercultural

communication and elaborate on the concepts of culture and
communication after that.
II.The Chronological Development of
intercultural communication Study
1. Communication Study
Communication: a science that studies the information
communicative behaviors and the basic laws of them.
It has been long recorded that human beings began to
study their own information communication and the effects of it.
Confucius elaborated a lot in Analects of Confucius;

Aristotle, in 4 B.C., concluded the law of oral communication to be

“to pose influence on”.
 However, communication did not form a discipline until 1920
s-1940s in U.S. Communication has a natural bond with journalis
m; it is a newly-developed subject together with the social effects
of news reporting, the advertisement and especially the multidisci
plinary study of international propaganda between the two World
Wars.

 Wilbur L. Schramm is generally regarded as the founder and virtu

oso/maestro of communication.
 His masterpiece was Men,Women,Messages,Media:Understandi
ng Human Comunication
 2. Intercultural Communication Study: New branch of Commu
nication Study

A) Motivations
The transportation (airlines) and communication technology
The need of foreign military and politics of U.S.
The need of foreign economy and cultural communication
The fight for “freedom and civil rights movement” in1960s
B ） Founding father of intercultural communication

• Foreign Service Institute was established in USA, 1946

• Edward T. Hall was one of i

ts
• faculty

His book The Silent Languag

e was
published in 1959.
• The following new words were
• created in the book:
intercultural communication,
intercultural tension,
and intercultural problem
C) The sign of its birth
1970: founding of independent research association.
1974: Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research,
(SIETAR) was established.
Intercultural communication courses were offered in colleges and
universities. 1966: Pittsburgh University. In 1973, the first PhD of
intercultural communication was conferred in Indiana University. In
1978, about 200 universities have relative courses of intercultural
communication, 17.8% of the total number of universities in U.S.
Intercultural communication has been attached importance to in
many countries. In 1972, the first international conference of
intercultural communication opened in Tokyo, Japan, with more
than 2,000 participants. SIETAR Europe was founded.
The founding of specialized academic journals.
3. The development since the 80s in USA

A) Theoretical field
Theories in Intercultural Communication study concluded the ch
aracteristics of the theoretical construction as follows:
a, The communication theories are used in intercultural
communication study.
b, The intercultural communication studies focus on the
interpersonal communication level

They feature the mainstreaming of the intercultural communicat

ion research in 1980s.

In the 1990s, as the economic globalization accelerated, the cha

racteristics of intercultural communication were:
The connection of intercultural interpersonal communication and
the international mass communication.
The connection of intercultural communication and intercultural
organizational communication (business management).
 B) Methodologically
The classic quantitative methods and rhetorically interpretive
methods are also employed in the intercultural communication res
earch. In Methods of Intercultural Communication Research (Gud
ykunst and Kim, 1984), there are 6 articles of qualitative and quan
titative methods each. Actually the dominant method in the 1980s
was quantitative way.
Since 1990s, researchers began to employ rhetoric, linguistics
and anthropology to study the relative issue of intercultural commu
nication.
 C) The perspective directions of research

 We can observe the perspective directions from International and

Intercultural Communication Annual and the papers that issued
in the annual meeting of intercultural communication in NCA and
ICA.
 The annuals are accessible in the library.
 International and Intercultural Division in NCA works mainly on
intercultural communication issues. The counterpart in ICA is
Intercultural/development Communication Division. Just because
ICA is an international organization which has to cooperate with
other countries’ research, they grouped intercultural and
development together; but in fact, the intercultural part still
dominates.
4. Intercultural Communication study in Europe

Intercultural communication started later in Europe than in the U.S.

and there it has a closer relationship with linguistics. Apart from that,
it is more likely to be linked with business management, and is not
so influential as in U.S.

SIETAR EUROPA has long been existed and held several

conferences.
5. Intercultural Communication Study in Japan

 From the 1960s to 1980s, the Japanese scholars began to translate the intercult
ural communication works from America, The Silent Language in 1966, for exam
ple. In the early 1970s, the International Christian University first offered courses
in intercultural communication and in 1972 it hosted a big seminar of intercultural
communication.
 The precedent of intercultural communication in Japan is 石井敏 , whose master
piece was 异文化传播学（有斐阁） . After that, 八代京子 edited 跨文化培训 i
n 1998 and 西田司 edited 异文化间传播学入门。
 According to a research of the 489 colleges and universities nationwide, there ar
e 102 schools offer courses related to intercultural communication.
 In Japan, intercultural communication has a closer relationship with foreign lang
uage teaching and the focus is on the intercultural communication between Japa
n and the U.S. The study of Sino-Japanese intercultural communication has just
started. There are a lot of training courses designed for the employees of transn
ational corporations.
6. Intercultural Communication Study in China

The scholars in mainland China began to study the intercultural com

munication issues since 1980s and focus was on the foreign language teac
hing and the relationship between culture and language.
The introduction of scholars from abroad.
The independent conference of the researchers. In 1995, the first inter
cultural communication conference was held in Harbin Institute of Technolo
gy in Heilongjiang Province with 230 Chinese participants and 40 from abro
ad.
There are 163 relevant literatures in the China National Library till Sept
ember 2003, including 30 dissertations of PhD and Masters and more than
10 textbooks.
In Hong Kong and Taiwan, Wang Qi’s Culture and Communication was
published in 1982.
Take the library of Peking University for example, in 1985, the number
of relative literature of “intercultural communication” was 0; in 2007 there w
ere 220 or so.
 “A Review and Retrospection of the Intercultural Communication Resear
ch in Recent 10 Years in China”
 It says: the bottleneck of the development of this discipline is the missin
g of quantitative methods”
 Abstract: this article makes a conclusion of the achievements and shortc
omings of the research on intercultural communication from 1995 to 200
5. Among all the shortcomings, the missing of quantitative research met
hods has become the bottleneck of any further development. Therefore,
the cooperation of quantitative and qualitative methods should be emph
asized so that the research could be better enhanced.

 《对外大传播》， 2006 年第 12 期；尹韵公 明安香主编：《传播学研究：和谐

与发展》 ，新华出版社， 2006 年。
 Call for Papers

Intercultural Communication between China and the World:

Interpersonal, Organizational and Mediated Perspectives
June 11-14, 2009, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing,
China
 Registration Open Till: February 28th, 2009


China Association for Intercultural Communication (CAFIC), International Association for

Intercultural Communication Studies (IAICS), Association for
Chinese Communication Studies (ACCS) and Chinese
Association of Global Communication (CAGC) are pleased to
announce the forthcoming annual conference on Intercultural
Communication between China and the World: Interpersonal,
Organizational and Mediated Perspectives. The conference is to be
held on June 11-14, 2009 in Beijing, China, hosted by the Intercultural
Studies Center of the School of English and International Studies at
Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) and Foreign Language
Teaching and Research Press, Beijing, China. High-quality papers for
the conference are now invited for submission:

 In the context of deepening globalization, China has
increasingly involved itself in full-scale cooperation with the
outside world and has now emerged as a member of the
international community with growing national power and a
rising international influence. Frequent contact and
communication with the world is crucial to China's
development, and will surely encourage the intercultural
dialogue. However, cultural differences and discrepancies in
socio-economic development are now identified as major
obstacles to China's communication with the world, and the
West in particular. Misunderstanding and stereotyping often
give rise to conflict and hostility. Such a failure in
communication, which permeates interpersonal,
organizational as well as mass-mediated communication
between China and the world, is a growing concern among
researchers of intercultural communication and mass

communication..
Register Now!
 Today China sees unprecedented levels of scale and depth
in its exchanges with the world, with increasing cross-
border cooperation carried out in the fields of tourism,
business, education, sports and cultural activities,
traditional mass communication and online communication,
etc. Such a large variety of intercultural activities provide
abundant opportunities for research into intercultural
communication/mass communication. Hence the focus of
this conference is on the intercultural communication
issues between China and the world observed from
interpersonal, organizational and mediated perspectives.
The conference aims to encourage a meeting of theoretical
and historical studies with empirical research, to broaden
the horizon of intercultural communication studies and to
contribute to the construction of a harmonious world.
 Suggested Topics
 Intercultural Communication
 · Intercultural communication theory
· Cross-cultural adaptation
· Intercultural communication accommodation
· Intercultural communication competence
· Human resource management in intercultural communication
· Intercultural/multicultural communication and diversity management
· Conflict and negotiation
· Intercultural semiotics
· Intercultural semantics
· Intercultural pragmatics
· Intercultural rhetoric
· Intercultural psychology
· Intercultural sociology
· Intercultural online communication
· Language and culture
· Language and media
· Language and society
· Language attitude
· Language policy
· Culture and identity
· Culture and language diversity
· Culture and translation studies
· Ethnic minorities and intercultural communication
· Intercultural communication between patients and health-care providers
· Business communication across cultures
· Organizational communication and management across cultures
· Negotiation and mediation across cultures
· Intercultural development strategy of transnational corporations
· Intercultural non-verbal communication
· Intercultural communication ethics
· Intercultural communication teaching
· Intercultural communication and foreign language/college English teaching
· Intercultural communication and language acquisition
· Intercultural communication and teaching Chinese as a foreign language
· Intercultural communication research methodology
· Intercultural communication: discipline-building
 Intercultural Mass Communication
 · Intercultural mass communication theory
· History of intercultural mass communication
· Intercultural journalistic communication
· Intercultural mass communication: film and television
· Intercultural mass communication: internet
· Intercultural political communication
· Intercultural religious communication
· Intercultural advising
· Intercultural mass communication: content analysis
· Intercultural mass communication organization studies
· Intercultural mass communication: audience/reception/effect analysis
· Intercultural mass communication strategies
· Intercultural communication of Hollywood films
· Intercultural communication of popular culture
· China's international image
· China's international communication
· Chinese culture abroad: dissemination, reception and effect
· Foreign cultures in China: dissemination, reception and effect
· Risk management and communication across cultures
· Intercultural education and training
· Intercultural communication and identity construction
· Intercultural communication, globalization, cultural diversity and the world cultural ecology
· Intercultural communication, ethnocentricism and cultural imperialism
· The global and the local
· Intercultural communication and world harmony
· Intercultural communication and globalization
· Intercultural communication and migration
· Intercultural communication and gender studies
· Intercultural communication and sociology
· Intercultural communication and tourism
· Media literacy
· Intercultural mass communication ethics
· Intercultural mass communication research methodology
 Cross-Cultural Studies
 · Cultural studies
· Comparison of values: China and the world
· Comparison of religions: China and the world
· Comparison of life styles: China and the world
· Comparison of customs: China and the world
· Comparison of taboos: China and the world
· Comparative literature
· Tradition and transformation in China
· Characteristics and evolution of contemporary
Chinese culture
· Cultural identity in the age of globalization
  
 Conference Formats
 The conference will include keynote speeches, panel sessions and workshops. Papers for keynote speeches will be recommended by the conference paper-review committ
ee. Panel sessions are either suggested by the conference paper-review committee and the organizing committee based on the papers submitted to the conference, or pro
posed by participants to the conference organizing committee and paper-review committee in advance of the conference. The proposal should include both the theme of the
session and the list of attendants (You are encouraged to involve researchers from different disciplines with different educational backgrounds).The session is 45 minutes of
paper presentations and the seating should be limited to 6, including the session coordinator, the commentator, and 4 speakers. Conference workshops are prepared spee
ches and in-depth discussions, with the subject (concerning original ideas and recent progress of the field) and attendants (5 to 10 attendants for each) proposed by the coor
dinator and approved by the conference organizing committee and paper-review committee.
 Submission Requirements
 Conference paper abstract: an abstract (around 200 words); an academic bio (around 300 words), including personal c
ontact information (telephone and email address).
 Panel session proposal: a proposal (around 300 words); academic bios of the session coordinator, commentator and sp
eakers (300 words for each, including personal contact information); paper abstracts (200 words for each). All the listed d
ocuments should be submitted by the coordinator. Individual participants do NOT need to submit the paper abstract and a
cademic bio again.
 Workshop proposal: a proposal (around 800 words); academic bios of the workshop coordinator and attendants (300 w
ords for each) including contact information of each participant.
 All the required documents should be submitted at the conference registration website (http://cis.bfsu.edu.cn) as MS Wor
d attachments by February 28, 2009. The complete paper should be received by May 1, 2009. (For any question, please
contact ZHANG Chunbo at cafic2009@gmail.com). 
 Papers recommended by the conference paper-review committee will be compiled into a collection and published by the
Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
 Working Languages: English and Chinese. Papers and speeches are encouraged to be written and delivered in English
while those in Chinese are also welcomed. The organizing committee will plan for different sessions delivered in different
languages. All keynote speeches should be given in English.
 Conference Registration Fee
 Please get registered for the conference at http://cis.bfus.edu.cn.
 The registration fee is 950 RMB (around US$ 140) for each general participant and US$ 80 for each international student
and each company of the general participant.
 Payment of the registration fee covers the cost to attend the main conference and the panel/workshop sessions, coffee br
eaks, conference reception and banquet. In addition, each registrant will receive the conference souvenir and a copy of th
e Conference Proceedings. Notice that this registration fee does NOT cover the expenditure of transportation, accommod
ation, meals, and after conference city tour.
 The registration fee should be paid on the day of registration, June 11, 2009.
 The conference will be located at the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press International Convention Center.
Group rate offered by the Hotel connected to the Convention Center is 140 RMB per day (around US$ 20) double, and 10
0 RMB per day (around US$ 15) single. The cost of three meals a day in the hotel is 120 RMB per day (around US$ 17). 
 For further information about conference registration and proceeding, please visit the conference website at http://
cis.bfsu.edu.cn.
 Conference Chairs
 Professor JIA Yuxin: Director of the IAICS; President of CAFIC, Harbin Institute of Technology
 Professor SUN Youzhong: CAFIC Vice President, CAGC Vice President, Dean of the School of English and International Studies,
Beijing Foreign Studies University
 Professor CHEN Guoming: Executive Director of the International Association for Intercultural Communication Studies, University
of Rhode Island
 Conference Paper Review Committee Chair
 Professor HU Wenzhong: Honorary President of CAFIC
 Conference Organizing Committee
 President: SUN Youzhong ， XU Jianzhong (Vice President of Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press
 Vice Presidents: LIU Chen (Associate Professor, Vice Director of the Center of International Communication, BFSU)
 Conference secretariat: ZHANG Chunbo (BFSU), DUAN Changcheng (Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press), LIU Bo
(BFSU)
 Conference Organizer, Sponsors and Hosts
 Organizer: China Association for Intercultural Communication
 Sponsors: International Association for Intercultural  Communication Studies; Association for Chinese Communication Studies; Chi
nese Association of Global Communication
 Hosts: Center of Intercultural Studies, the School of English and International Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University, China
Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, Beijing, China

Contact Information
 ZHANG Chunbo (Judy)
 Tel: 086-010- 888.6986  Fax: 086-010-8881.6791  E-mail: cafic2009@gmail.com
 School of English and International Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University
 Xi San Huan Bei Lu, No. 2, Haidian, Beijing, China 100089
 Register Now!
 Participation Guidelines
 In conclusion, the intercultural communication
carries on the classical methods of
communication and pays more attention on the
practice. As a branch of communication, it is a
necessary result of the diversity and
comprehensiveness. As the interactions of the
global villagers grow and the trends of
globalization in economics, information and the
multiculturalism rise, intercultural communication
has a optimistic perspective of future
development.
III. Culture and Communication in
Intercultural Communication Study

1. The objects of intercultural communication study

In China, it studies the phenomenon of social informational communication
between individuals, organizations and nations with different cultural
backgrounds, specifically, the relationship between culture and
communication.
In USA, it prefer IC as special kind of interpersonal communication.

There are three common understandings of the researchers

A) Intercultural communication is an extension of communication
B) Intercultural communication emphasizes the blocks in effective
communication in individuals, organizations and nations with
different cultural backgrounds.
C) The theories about human communication offer an reference to
draw from for intercultural communication.
d) Intercultural communication study is based on multi-
disciplinary theories.

The theories of intercultural communication originate

from cultural anthropology, psychology, communication
and linguistics. There are no set theory or methods
because of its multi-disciplinary nature.
2. Culture
A) The origins of culture
In China, 文化 (culture) appeared for the first time
in LIU Xiang’s book (BC 77-BC 6, 刘向 )in Chinese histor
y, but it was not used widely. Today’s Chinese word “ 文
化” is come from Japan.

Chinese 文
化
AD(618-907)  AD 2
0th c.

Latin “cultura”  English culture Japanese (A

D 19th c.)
 The term of “culture” has had multiple meanin
gs in different disciplines and different context
s. In year 1952, Kroeber and Klickhohn listed
164 definitions of culture that they found in th
e anthropology literature.
 American Scholar’s definition of culture adopted by a popular inte
rcultural communication textbook writer:

 “Culture is shared learned behavior which is transmitted from one

generation to another for purposes of promoting individual and so
cial survival, adaptation, and growth and development . Culture h
as both external( e.g., artifacts, roles, institutions) and internal re
presentations( e.g., values, attitudes, beliefs, cognitive/affective/s
ensory styles, consciousness patterns and epistemologies). ” (A. J.
Marsella, 1994)
 Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity approved by 185 members of
the UNESCO in November, 12th, 2001 defined culture as :

 Reaffirming that culture should be regarded as the set

of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and
emotional features of society or a social group, and
that it encompasses, in addition to
 art and literature, lifestyles, ways
 of living together, value systems,
 traditions and beliefs,

 This definition is in line with

 the conclusions of the World
 Conference on Cultural Policies
 (MONDIACULT, Mexico City,
 1982), of the World Commission
 on Culture and Development
 (Our Creative Diversity, 1995),
 and of the Intergovernmental
 Conference on Cultural Policies
 for Development (Stockholm, 1998).
　 C) Elements of Culture

Culture has both external( e.g., artifacts, roles, institutions)

and internal representations( e.g., values, attitudes, beliefs,
cognitive/affective/sensory styles, consciousness patterns and
epistemologies). ”
D) The levels of cultural elements

levels Represented visibili Ways to observe

in ty
surface artifacts explicit accessed via
observation
middle espoused blur accessed via review of
values

documentation
deep basic cover-up accessed via long
assumption study of special
subject
（ Schein, E. H. 1992 ， Organizational Culture and Leadership)

The metaphors about culture ： iceberg ， ocean 、 oni

Iceberg Analogy
 costumes, language,
architecture, music, food,
gestures, etiquettes,
art works, festivals
Different habits
make
us seem remote
the concepts of time and space
religions, world views, outlook on
life, code of ethics, concepts of family
Iceberg concepts of laws and aesthetics

values, ways of thinking

………………………………………………………………………………

Basic needs of human being

Basic human nature is similar at birth
 E) Culture and sub-culture
 In a large cultural group, various social and natural
factors have led to some particularities of regional and
smaller group cultures. For example, there are sub-
cultures characterized by their own group or regional
features as hierarchy, class, religion, ethnic group and
living environment vary. Sub-cultures bear the basic
features of comprehensive culture of the larger group,
languages and patterns of behavior for instance, as well
as their own characteristics. That is to say, they are a
container of the social mainstreaming culture and their
own. Sub-culture is a relative concept which refers to the
second-tier of the larger culture. A regional culture is
sub-culture comparing to the culture of the whole ethnic
group, but comprehensive culture comparing to the
community cultures and the group cultures within it.
 For example, in Chinese culture, the 56 ethnic
groups share the same cultural feature while they
have their own characteristics at the same time so
that they are sub-cultures of the Chinese culture.
Things apply in western cultures too. Take the U.S.
as an example, it is largely a culture consisted of
many sub-cultures because of its short history and
large number of immigrants. When a certain sub-
culture conflicts with the mainstreaming culture, it is
called “anti-mainstreaming culture”.
F) Characteristics of Culture
(1) Culture derivates or is created in the evolving process of huma
n being.
(2) Culture is acquired.
(3) Culture is a system.
(4) Culture is shared by a certain group.
(5) Cultures in the world are diversified.
(6) Culture is developing and changing.
(7) Culture is national and hierarchical
(8) Culture groups usually have the culture-centralism
(9) Culture is based on symbols and is transferable.
(10) Culture exists largely out of our consciousness.
(11) Culture directs people’s behavior.
G). Functions of Culture
(1) For individuals: culture shapes the person
al characters and socialize the individuals
.
(2) For a group: culture functions to set up gr
oup’s target, norms, concepts and copera
tion.
(3) For a society: culture plays the role of int
egration and guidance for the society.
Culture endows us the ability to introspect ourselves. Culture also gives us
judgment and morality. It is culture that we rely on to tell the values and m
ake our choices. It is also culture by which we express and recognize ours
elves, admit our imperfections, doubt our achievements, endlessly pursue
new meanings and complete new targets; thus, we overcome the limitatio
ns of ourselves.
H) Judgments of culture

 Q: is there “good culture” or

 “bad culture”?
 According Convention on the Protection
and Promotion of the Diversity of
Cultural Expressions Paris, 20 October 2005
 I. Objectives and guiding principles
Article 2 – Guiding principles
 “3. Principle of equal dignity of and respect for all cultures
 The protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural
expressions presuppose the recognition of equal dignity of
and respect for all cultures, including the cultures of
persons belonging to minorities and indigenous peoples”
 There are no “superior” or “inferior” cultures;
but it is out of doubt to compare different cult
ural phenomena and make our own judgment
.

 In the mid-19th, E. B.Taylor’ theory :

 Culture Darwinism or Cultural evolutionism

 barbarian period ------ uncivilized period --------- civilized period

 In the early 20th, Frank Boas‘ theory of
 Cultural relativism
 There is no hierarchy for different cultures.
 There is no definite and universal rules to jud
ge the cultures. All the standards are applica
ble. We cannot judge another culture using o
ur own laws.
3. Communication

A) The concepts of communication

Latin communisEnglish communicate
communciation various translations
in Chinese ( 传播、交流、交际、沟通、交通
、通信等多种翻译 )

There are no appropriate word for tr

anslating “communication”.
Why?
Here we can see the difficulty of
intercultural communication.
communication:“ The exchange of information,ideas
or feelings.”( 柯林斯最新英语词典 )R. 马礼逊： Communicate
with 相通， to communicate information, 通达，传达。 18
21 年。
B ） Definition of communication
There were 126 definitions of communications 40 years ago, f
alling into two categories mainly.

“Persuasion”
Carl Hovland thought that “communication is the process that the s
ender sends information to the recipient through channels and ther
efore cause effects, a process where the sender transfer a stimulati
on to influence the recipient’s behavior.”
Weaver thought that “communication is a process by which one’s
minds influence another’s.”

“Sharing”
Schramm: When we communicate with each other, we are trying to
share information with others
 Chinese scholars: the transferring the s
ocial information or the functioning of soc
ial information system. （郭庆光：《传播学教程》，人民大学出版
社， 1999 ）

In this course, we define communication as: the interacti

ve process in which the sender and recipient deliver informa
tion through symbol systems.
C) Information

In communication we define information as the messages that

human beings transfer in oral, written or other ways.
Information is message that we transfer about material status.
Information is message that reduces or eliminates the
uncertainty of things.
Information is the reflection of difference in any process and
objects.
Information vs. communication: communication is the
process of transferring, information refers what is transferred.
Information communication vs. material exchange: the former
is sharing while the latter is self-possession.
D) Levels of Communication

We can divide communication into several levels according to the

number of participants:
 Intrapersonal communication

 Interpersonal communication

 Intra-group communication

 Inter-group communication

 Intra-organizational communication

 Inter-organizational communication

 National communication

 International communication

 As the globalization of economy and information grows, culture

will be playing an increasingly significant role in all the above
levels.
E) Contexts of Communication

 Daily communication
 Foreign language teaching
 Business management
 Health and clinical care
 Public service
 News reporting
 Literature and arts
 Foreign affairs
 Advertisement
 Negotiations
F) Models of Communication

In communication, we have many ways to show the patterns of com

munication; but none of them is universally accepted.
Lasswell’s “5W” model
Shannon and Weaver’s mode in 1949.
Wilbur Schramm’s ring model
 Lasswell Model

In With
Says
Who Which To Whom What
What
channel effects

Control Content Media Audience Effect

analysis analysis analysis analysis analysis
Shannon Model
Schramm Model
G) Elements of Communication

 Information
 Sender
 Encoding
 Channel
 Recipient
 Decoding
 Effects
 Noises
 Feedback
H) Characteristics of communication
 Communication is an interactive activity between the sender and the
recipient.
 Communication is a dynamic process.
 The sent information cannot be drawn back as long as the process is
completed.
 Communication is social; each culture has its own norms of
communication
 Communication is systematic, and is influenced by many factors. (e.g.:
context, location, situation, time, number of participants, cultural factors)
 Communication infers other’s feeling by symbolic systems.
 Communication has consequences, which can be obvious, hidden,
unconscious or physical.
I) Functions of Communication
Scholars have different opinions towards the functions
of communication. Lasswell brought up three major fun
ctions in his article “The Structure and Function of Co
mmunication in Society”.
Surveillance of the environment
Correlation of society's response to events in the envir
onment
Transmission of cultural heritage
International Communication Committee in the UNESCO concluded
that “communication’s function in any social institutions” are as foll
ows:
acquiring information
socialization
motivation
debate and discussion
education
developing culture
entertainment
integration
 We can conclude all the above into four major functions:
The function of situation informing
The function of entertaining
The function of educating
The function of persuading
4. Intercultural Communication

 What is the basic difference between intra-

cultural communication and inter-cultural
communication?
Intracultural Communication Model
According According of
cultural code cultural code
of Swedish Swedish
 In intracultural communication:

 Codes between person A and Person B is ba

sically the same
Intercultural Communication Model
According According of
cultural code cultural code
of Chinese Swedish
 In intercultural communication:

 Codes between person A and Person B is basically the different.

 For example:
 Nocturnal mouselike flying animal with leathery wings
 Bat in Chinese is “ 蝙蝠” .

 bat in American culture means bloodsucker.

 But in traditional Chinese culture is symbol of Happiness.

Gist of this lecture
 Basic concepts
 Culture
 Communication
 Information

 Patterns of communication
 5W pattern
 Shannon’s Pattern
 Schramm’s Pattern
 服装 语言 建筑

音乐 饮食 节庆活动
手势、礼仪、艺术品、文学
水平面

时间观念 空间观念和利用
冰山 成就感、交流模式、对环境的取向
上下级关系模式 、 对个人的看法
对竞争和合作的偏爱 对规章制度的需要
谦虚的观念 家庭关系 对宇宙的看法
法律观念 工作积极性 对领导的看法
社会交往的频率 友谊的性质 控制感情的模式
根据年龄、性别、阶级、职业、亲属关系确定地位
以及相互关系和角色 对地位变化的看法