1st Meeting

CROSS CULTURAL
UNDERSTANDING
SEPTA ARYANIKA, M.PD.

UIN RADEN INTAN

LAMPUNG
2024
 ABOUT THE COURSE
 COURSE COMPETENCE:
 To make the students familiar with the concept of
culture in general, in particular, the culture of
foreign people whose language he/she is learning.
 COURSE DESCRIPTION:
 The course is designed for the students able to
understand cross cultural understanding and its
relationship with the language and cultural values
of target language. The course is prerequisite for
the students of English study program, because by
understanding the culture of the foreign people
can help to build the spirit of international
understanding and friendliness.
 REFERENCE:

 Pauline Tomasouw (1986) Cross Cultural

Understanding, Jakarta: Penerbit Karunika.
 Cathie Draine & Barbara Hall (1997) Culture
Shock, Singapore: Times edition Pte Ltd.
 Hanoum Laila Hasyim (1986) Cross Cultural
Understanding: Jakarta: Penerbit Karunika.
 Pandiya (2007) the Importance of Cross-
Culture Understanding For Polytechnic
Students, in Ragam, Vol 7 No. 1, April 2007:
1 – 8.
 ASSESSMENT

 Attendance : 80 %

Evaluation
 Group presentation : 20 %
 Participation : 30 %
 Assignment+Project : 50 %
 INTRODUCTION

 Cross Cultural Understanding means

understanding the culture of the target
people so that we can reconstruct our
attitudes and world views; consequently, we
become more tolerate and more generous
toward strange ways that may be shown by
the target language people.
 Also, the importance of understanding other
culture will avoid misunderstanding and make
inappropriate value judgements. Therefore,
at the end we are not considered that our
culture is better than other cultures.
 Culture refers to all aspect of life in
a community. It involves...
 ways of doing things
 ways of expressing themselves
 ways of looking at thing
 what things they should value
 what is expected from and what
they may expect from others.
 Tomasouw (1986) distinguish culture and
civilization.
 Civilization refers to areas such as
geography, history, artistic, and literacy
achievement.
 While culture is something to do with
everyday life style of ordinary citizens and
the values belief and prejudice they share
with their fellow within their linguistic and
social groups with due attention to intra-
group differences (of social class for
example).
 Larson & Immaley in Tomasouw (1986) define
culture as a ‘blue print’, which guides the
behaviour of people in community and then
is developed in family life.
 Chaer and Agustine (1995) suggest that
culture consists of standards for deciding
what is, standards for deciding what can be,
standards for deciding how one feels about
it, standards for deciding what to do about
it, and standards for deciding how to go
doing it.
 Goodenough in Wardhaugh (1986) believe
that culture consists of whatever it is one has
to know or believe in order to operate in a
manner acceptable to its members, and to
do so in any role that they accept for any
one of themselves.
 WHY STUDYING CCU?
 Although some students of English program
show their linguistic competence a lot, e.g.
their talking is grammatically correct, their
conversation may sound improper even strange.
 Lacking of cultural knowledge contributes to
improper use of the language.
 One’s cultural factors may cause someone seem
intolerant and less generous to other cultures.
 The need for interpreting behaviour, attitudes
and communication style of people from
different cultures correctly.
 CASE EXAMPLES
 Dog represents something good in western
culture.
 Western culture highly value of time -
punctuality, e.g. ‘Time is money’, while it is
not a case in Indonesia.
 Some people use their subjective mood when
in contact with foreigners, e.g. using
metaphors when talking to foreigners which
easily can lead to misunderstanding. In
Indonesia, the words said can mean the
opposite/ negative since the people also
communicate with their body languages or
gestures. (Saying ‘Mari makan’ means ‘let me
eat my food’, it does not mean asking other
people to share my food).
 In this country, the common subjects used
when talking with foreigners are about
family, jobs or careers, purposes of coming
to Indonesia, and so on. This may sound
interfere other people’s privacy in other
cultures.
 In this country, people think it is okay to
touch foreign child’s head to show concern.
This may consider impolite to other cultures.
While it shows a impropriate behaviour to
touch an adult’s head in this country
(offending), while it is a very common to do
so in Western cultures.
 In this country, the people will not open
present until they get guest leave; while it
shows disliking of the gifts to foreigners.
 Standing too close to foreigners is
considered improper behaviour in Indonesia.
 When greeting people, the Indonesian people
will answer “Would you like some coffee?”
with “Thank you”.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME