Information Sheet 1.

3 CHAPTER 1

LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATION IN MULTI CULTURAL SETTING

Initializing
Living in a globalized world, you encounter people with diverse cultural backgrounds. Such
interactions occur 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 differences in culture.

Local and Global Communication in Multicultural Settings

It is indeed a challenge to communicate to a person with cultural diversity because a context
may differ depending on the person’s perception of word meaning in relation to their
culture. The culture shapes so much of the way a person interacts with each other, and
then when you think about language barriers and vocabulary used by different
generations, it is easy to see where miscommunication can happen.

Barriers to Local and Global Communication in Multicultural Setting

Some of the barriers to effective communication are language, medium of
communication, personality and culture. Culture became a barrier to an effective
communication when a person has different language bearing, and they have different
interpretation to such words. Example of which is the “ok sign” done by everyone.
One gesture has a lot of interpretation. In US, the ok sign means “ok”, while in Brazil it means
an insult when you do the “ok sign”. The picture above clearly states the different meaning of a
hand gesture. It goes to show that when the culture is different from someone else,
misunderstanding will likely to occur. The best way to avoid such things is to learn other‘s
culture and to set an awareness as to how one will react and behave when such situation arise.
It is also relevant to know and understand the importance of verbal and non-verbal
communication and how it takes place to multicultural setting. It is advised to know and learn
the culture beforehand to avoid misconception. Upon learning the culture, expect differences.
A person with different culture from you has different language or may speak at different
volumes, less or direct in showing emotion or may or may not engage in small talks. Be wary of
how you deliver your words or show your gesture because it may lead to a lot of
misconception. It is important to use formal words in order to not offend others despite of
cultural differences. This is the best way to deal in multicultural setting locally and globally.
Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place, person or group to
another. Every communication involves (at least) one sender, a message and a recipient.

Local Communication is being able to communicate with the members of your local area. It can
either be in your local language (mother tongue), or in common language that you speak within
your town.
Global Communication is the term used to describe ways to connect, share, relate and mobilize
across geographic, political, economic, social and cultural divides. It redefines soft and hard
power as well as information power and diplomacy in ways not considered by traditional
theories of international relations.

What is the difference between multicultural, intercultural and cross-cultural communication?

Multicultural refers to society that contains several cultural or ethnic groups. People live
alongside one another, but each cultural group does not necessarily have engaging interactions
with each other.

Intercultural describes communities in which there is a deep understanding and respect for all
cultures.
Cross-cultural deals with the comparison of different cultures. In cross-cultural communication,
differences are understood and acknowledged, and can bring about individual change, but not
collective transformations.
Diversity in Workplace
1. Increased business opportunities
2. Fewer cultural barriers
3. Creation of a global village

Concept Grounding
Intercultural communication refers to interaction with people from diverse cultures
(jandt, 1998).

Forms of Intercultural Communication (Jandt, 1998)

1. Interracial Communication – communicating with people from different races
Interethnic communication – interacting with people of different ethnic origins
2. International communication – communicating between representatives from different
nations
3. Intracultural communication – interacting with members of the same racial or ethnic
group or co-culture

According to Gamble and Gamble (2008), communication style among cultures differs; it may
be high-context or low-context communication.
High-context communication is a tradition-linked communication system which adheres
strongly to being indirect. Low-context communication is a system that works on
straightforward communication.

Improving Intercultural Communication Competence

The following guidelines may help you enhance your ability to communicate effectively
across cultures (Gamble and 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.

Information Sheet 1.4 CHAPTER 1

VARIETIES AND REGISTERS OF SPOKEN AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE
The spoken mode is often associated with everyday registers while the written mode is
strongly associated with academic registers.

Language Varieties
In sociolinguistics, language variety—also called lect—is a general term for any distinctive
form of a language or linguistic expression. Linguists commonly use language variety (or simply
variety) as a cover term for any of the overlapping subcategories of a language, including
dialect, register, jargon, and idiolect.
Background
To understand the meaning of language varieties, it's important to consider how lects
differ from standard English. Even what constitutes standard English is a topic of hot debate
among linguists.
Standard English is a controversial term for a form of the English language that is written and
spoken by educated users. For some linguists, standard English is a synonym for good or correct
English usage. Others use the term to refer to a specific geographical dialect of English or a
dialect favored by the most powerful and prestigious social group.
Standard English is used in formal settings, for example when we talk or write to people we
don't know well, such as doctors or head teachers. ... We use non-standard English in
informal settings, when we are more relaxed and with people we know well, such as family or
friends.
Standard English is not an alien language but is very similar to normal English language that
we use in our daily life. The only difference between the two is that Standard English makes
use of complicated terms which are otherwise not very common in our everyday
communications.
Standard English
"Good morning. How are you? I'm pleased to meet you."
Non-standard English
 "Hey! Alright?"

Varieties of language develop for a number of reasons:

1. differences can come about for geographical reasons;
2. people who live in different geographic areas often develop distinct dialects—
variations of standard English.
3. Those who belong to a specific group, often academic or professional, tend to adopt
jargon that is known to and understood by only members of that select group. Even
individuals develop idiolects, their own specific ways of speaking.

Dialect
The word dialect—which contains "lect" within the term—derives from the Greek words
dia- meaning "across, between" and legein "speak." A dialect is a regional or social variety of a
language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, and/or vocabulary. The term dialect is often
used to characterize a way of speaking that differs from the standard variety of the language.

Register
Register is defined as the way a speaker uses language differently in different
circumstances. Think about the words you choose, your tone of voice, even your body
language. You probably behave very differently chatting with a friend than you would at a
formal dinner party or during a job interview. These variations in formality, also called stylistic
variation, are known as registers in linguistics. It describes the various style of language
available for reading and writing.

Jargon is the language of specialized terms used by a group or profession. ... Most jargon
consists of unfamiliar terms, abstract words, non-existent words and acronyms and
abbreviations, with an occasional euphemism thrown in for good measure. Every profession,
trade and organization has its own specialized terms.
MEDICAL TERM-
heart-cardio, megaly- enlargement
secretions
specimen
Abrasion: A cut or scrape that typically isn’t serious.
2. Abscess: A tender, fluid-filled pocket that forms in tissue, usually due to infection.
3. Acute: Signifies a condition that begins abruptly and is sometimes severe, but the duration
is short.
4. Benign: Not cancerous.
5. Biopsy: A small sample of tissue that’s taken for testing.
6. Chronic: Signifies a recurring, persistent condition like heart disease.
7. Contusion: A bruise.
8. Defibrillator: A medical device that uses electric shocks to restore normal heartbeat.
9. Edema: Swelling caused by fluid accumulation.
10. Embolism: An arterial blockage, often caused by a blood clot.
11. Epidermis: The outer layer of the skin.
12. Fracture: Broken bone or cartilage.
13. Gland: An organ or tissue that produces and secretes fluids that serve a specific function.
14. Hypertension: High blood pressure.
15. Inpatient: A patient who requires hospitalization.
16. Intravenous: Indicates medication or fluid that’s delivered by vein.
17. Malignant: Indicates the presence of cancerous cells.
18. Outpatient: A patient who receives care without being admitted to a hospital.
19. Prognosis: The predicated outcome of disease progression and treatment.
20. Relapse: Return of disease or symptoms after a patient has recovered.
21. Sutures: Stitches, which are used to join tissues together as they heal.
22. Transplant: The removal of an organ or tissue from one body that is implanted into
another.
23. Vaccine: A substance that stimulates antibody production to provide immunity against
disease.

CONCEPT GROUNDING
A. Varieties of Spoken and Written 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 outside (global) our
community.
2. Language varies in speaking and in writing.
3. Language varies in everyday and specialized discourses.

Mahboob (2014) identifies eight different domains in which language varies depending on the
combinations of different values on the three dimensions (field, tenor and mode) of the context
of communication.
The first four domains include language variations that reflect local usage done in one local
language or multiple local languages depending on the context. They vary in the following ways:
1. Local everyday written
2. Local everyday oral may occur in local communication among neighbors in everyday,
informal and local varieties of languages.
3. Local specialized written
4. Local specialized oral involves specialized discourses
5. Global everyday written avoids local colloquialisms to make the text accessible to wider
communities of readers.
6. Global everyday oral may occur in interactions between people coming from different
parts of the world when they talk about everyday casual topics.
7. Global specialized written expands to as many readers internationally, hence the non-
usage of local colloquial expressions
8. Global specialized oral occurs when people from different parts of the word discuss
specialized topics in spoken form

Varieties and Registers of Spoken and Written Language

Registers are the style of language spoken and writing that is appropriate for a certain situation.
It could be formal, informal or neutral. In writing discipline, the language registers
determines the vocabulary, structure, and some grammar in writing.
There are different language registers for different types of writing that everyone uses, just as
the language everyone spoken. Communication depends on how you communicate with
different people.
Example: To your brother: What's up? Good thing you came to visit!
To the President: Good morning, Mr. President. Thank you for visiting.

Formal Language Register

In academic writing, formal writing is required but said to be the most difficult because it uses
formal language and formal structures of grammar. Common examples are essays, business
letters and reports among others
Formal register- complete sentences, word that shows respect or professionalism example:
goodmorning class, please take out out your reading book and turn into page 22.

Informal Language Register

This is written in a manner of talking to a closest someone such as friends and family. We
used informal language in this type of writing because it shows how we know them very well.
Informal writing includes:

 Personal e-mails
 Phone texts
 Short notes
 Friendly letters
 Most blogs
 Diaries and journal

Neutral Language Register

In neutral writing, it does not necessarily formal or informal, and it is incorporated with non-
emotional topics. It is not positive or negative but also delivers facts.
Examples: reviews, articles, some letters, some essays, technical writing

In one prominent model, Martin Joos (1961) describes five styles in spoken English:
Frozen: Also referred to as static register. Printed unchanging language, such as Biblical
quotations, often contains archaisms. Examples are the Pledge of Allegiance of the United
States of America and other "static" vocalizations. The wording is exactly the same every time it
is spoken.
Frozen register- language does not change example: prayers, laws, words to a song or lyrics,
the pledge, national anthem

Formal- One-way participation; no interruption; technical vocabulary or exact definitions

are important: ; includes presentations or introductions between strangers.
Consultative: Two-way participation; background information is provided – prior knowledge is
not assumed. "Back-channel behavior" such as "uh huh", "I see", etc. is common.
Interruptions are allowed. Examples include teacher/student, doctor/patient,
expert/apprentice, etc.
Consultative- two way conversation are used in this communication (conversation rather one
is speaking) , often between strangers and unfamiliar situations. talking to a boss, lawyer, a
supervisor

Casual: In-group friends and acquaintances; no background information provided; ellipsis

and slang common; interruptions common. This is common among friends in a social
setting.
Casual register- everyday language, used to communicate to friends, use everyday words
example: goodmorning everyone
Intimate: Non-public; intonation more important than wording or grammar; private
vocabulary. Also includes non-verbal messages. This is most common among family members
and close friends.
Intimate-this communication is private, between coupe or closed friends.
Difference between Spoken and Written Language
1. Skills
Spoken Language involves speaking and listening skills.
Written Language involves reading and writing skills.
2. Age
Spoken Language is older than written language.
Written Language is not as old as the spoken language.
3. Complexity
Spoken Language is more informal and simple than written language.
 Written Language is more formal and complex than spoken language.
4. Users
Spoken Language is mostly used between two people who are in the same place.
Written Language promotes communication across space and time.
5. Components
Spoken Language can use tone, pitch, volume, etc.
Written Language can use heading, punctuation, layouts, etc.
6. Records
Spoken Language is temporary since there are no records.
Written Language is permanent since there are records.
7. Features
Spoken Language contains repetitions, incomplete sentences, interruptions, corrections
Written Language is often grammatically correct and may contain long sentences in
complex tenses
Information Sheet 1.5 CHAPTER 1
EVALUATING MESSAGES AND/OR IMAGES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXTS REFLECTING
DIFFERENT CULTURES

INITIALIZING
The key concept of Media literacy framework serves as a basis for developing a critical
understanding of the content of mass media, the techniques used and the impact of these techniques.
Also, the Key Concepts of Media Literacy can be very helpful in the construction of media texts for
different purposes.

WHAT ARE MEDIA MESSAGES?

 Media messages contain information and ideas that are shared to a large audience of people.
 If these are not scrutinized properly, they may become agents of misinformation and lead
people to form wrong judgement and images on the subject of the wrongly presented media
message.
 By critically evaluating media messages, we ensure that the ideas presented are accurate,
relevant and appropriate to be posted or shared with everyone

EVALUATING MESSAGES
Why do we evaluate messages?
 The importance of evaluating the effectiveness of messages is by developing and using strategic
questions to identify strength and weaknesses.
 Evaluation is a very important part of the communication process and is usually guided by the
goals and objectives you set early in your planning. If you have clear measurable benchmarks
for your activities, plans or strategies, then evaluation may be quite straightforward. The main
reasons for evaluating come down to accountability – you can show what you have achieved
and justify the expenditure of time, energy and money, as well as improvement – to
 determine what worked well and what did not. Evaluation is an important way to help find
mistakes and improve your communication efforts into the future.

STRATEGIES FOR EVALUATING A MESSAGE

 How do we evaluate messages?
 In order to evaluate whether a message is effective, we can ask ourselves a series of questions
which reflect a message’s simplicity, specificity, structure and stickiness.

FOUR MAIN QUALITIES FOR AN EFFECTIVE MESSAGE:

1. Simplicity – in order that the message have simplicity, we should ask ourselves two questions:
-is the purpose evident
-is the core message clear?
2. SPECIFICITY – Refers to our choices of language is specific we may ask ourselves:
- is language specific?
- is language concrete, rather than abstract?
3. STRUCTURE – Ideas should be organized and easy to follow.
- do the messages have structure?
- is there a more effective way to arrange the ideas?
4. STICKINESS – The messages should display coherent and unity of ideas.
- does the idea of the message flow smoothly?

EVALUATING IMAGES
 It is important to critically evaluate images you use for research. Study and presentation images
should be evaluated like any other source, such as journal articles or books, to determine their
quality, reliability, and appropriateness. Visual analysis is an important step in evaluating an
image and understanding its meaning.

Three steps of evaluating an image:

1. Identifying source-Not all information is created equally. ... It's important to be able to identify
information source types so that you can sort through the large volumes of information
available on the Internet and make decisions about what is appropriate for your research.
2. Interpret contextual information-Contextual information is data that gives context to a person,
entity or event. In other words, context-awareness is the ability to extract knowledge from or
apply knowledge to information. Information we know that is relevant to an understanding of
the text: The identity of things named in the text: people, places, books, etc. Information
about things named in the text: birth dates, geographical locations, date published, etc.
3. Understand implications- Images should be evaluated on several levels. Visual analysis is an
important step in evaluating an image and understanding its meaning. Images get more
people on your site in the first place, increase user engagement while they're there, and make
it easier to encourage readers to take the actions you want them to take.

ANALYZING THE TEXT/IMAGES:

CONTENT ANALYSIS
 What do you see?
 What is the image all about?
 Are their people in the image?
  What are they doing?
 How are they presented?
 Can the image be looked at different ways?
 How effective is the image as a visual message?

VISUAL ANALYSIS
 How is the image composed?
 What is in the background and what is in the foreground?
 What are the most important visual?

IMAGE SOURCE
 Where did you find the image?
 What information does the source provide about the origins of the image?
 Is the source reliable and trustworthy?
 Was the image found in an image database or was it being use in another context to convey
meaning?

TECHNICAL QUALITY
 Is the image large enough to suit your purpose?
 Is the color, light and balance, true?
 Is the image a quality digital image without pixilation or distortion?
 Is the image in a file format you can use?

CONTEXTUAL INFO
 What information accompanies the image?
 Does the text change how you see the image? How?
 Is the textual information intended to be factual an inform or is intended to influence what and
how you see?
 What kind of context does the information provide?
 Does it answer the questions where, how and why?

To evaluate messages and images of different types of text reflecting different culture the following
should do:
1. Understand how the specified cultures live.
2. How the people in the specified group communicate each other.
3. Learn the symbolism of their culture.
4. Be aware in every detail such as artifact, language, and symbolism.
5. Get the meanings being addressed by the images
6. Get the important elements conveyed by the images
7. Getting the audience for the image

WHAT IS CULTURAL TEXT?

 Cultural texts are those objects, actions, and behaviors that reveal cultural meanings. A photo is
an image, but is also a cultural text, a picture with cultural information beyond just the picture
itself.
 Food and clothing also suggest cultural information, and it doesn’t stop there. The entire place
and space, all of the people and interaction, all of the rituals and rules and the various forms
 in which they manifest themselves, are “readable” text, suitable for observation and
analysis by the ethnographer and writer

DETECTING BIAS IN THE MEDIA

 Media bias is ubiquitous (everywhere) and not easy to detect. It is always useful to compare
several sources of information and, in doing so, it becomes clear that media coverage is never
completely objective.-Media have tremendous power in setting cultural guidelines and in
shaping political discourse. It is essential that news media, along with other institutions, are
challenged to be fair and accurate.

BIAS IN OMMISSION
 For every news story that is selected, there are many others that are left out. Do the news
stories you see show a balanced view of real life? What are the characteristics they have in
common? (e.g., Are they mostly about violence, famous people, wealth?) Do some news sources
include items that are ignored by others?

BIAS BY EMPHASIS
 What stories are on the front page or “at the top of the hour?” Which stories get the largest
headlines, or the first and longest coverage on TV or radio? Consider how this placement
influences people’s sense of what is important

BIAS BY USE OF LANGUAGE

 The use of labels such as terrorist,” “revolutionary,” or “freedom fighter” can create completely
different impressions of the same person or event.

BIAS IN PHOTOS
 Unflattering pictures can create bad impressions, and partial pictures of scenes can completely
change the context of an event.

BIAS IN THE SOURCE

 An article about a cure for cancer written by a drug company is not the same as an article byan
independent researcher. Often, private companies, governments, public relations firms, and
political groups produce press releases to gain media exposure and to influence the public

BIAS BY HEADLINES
 Some headlines can be deceptive, as their main purpose is to grab attention. Many people read
only the headlines, which can create a distorted sense of what is really going on, or turn a non-
event into a sensational event.

BIAS BY REPITITION
 The repetition of a particular event or idea can lead people to believe that it is true, very
widespread, and much more important than it really is

BIAS IN NUMBERS AND STATISTICS

  Statistics need to be interpreted; they are often used to create false impressions. Of the
following statements, which statistic would you use to try to convince someone that the death
penalty is a good idea?
 Almost 30% of those surveyed support the death penalty
 More than 70% of those surveyed are against the death penalty

BIAS IN DIVERSITY
 What is the race and gender diversity at the news outlet you watch compared to the
communities it serves? How many producers, editors or decision-makers at news outlets are
women, people of color or openly gay or lesbian? In order to fairly represent different
communities, news outlets should have members of those communities in decision-making
positions.

BIAS FROM THE POINT OF VIEW

 Political coverage often focuses on how issues affect politicians or corporate executives rather
than those directly affected by the issue. For example, many stories on parental notification of
abortion emphasized the "tough choice" confronting male politicians while quoting now omen
under 18-those with the most at stake in the debate. Economics coverage usually looks at how
events impact stockholders rather than workers or consumers
 Demand that those affected by the issue have a voice in coverage

5 DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXTS

1. Narrative is a way of presenting connected events in order to tell a good story. Whether it's a
narrative essay, a biography, or a novel, a narrative unites distinct events by concept, idea, or
plot. Common types of narratives normally contain a beginning, middle, and an end.

Examples: legend, fairy tale, myth, or fable

2. Descriptive - is to describe a person, place or thing in such a way that a picture is formed in the
reader's mind. Capturing an event through descriptive writing involves paying close attention to
the details by using all of your five senses.

Examples: a story about the places visited on a family trip, someone giving a very detailed
account of an experience they had.

3. Directive - is an order or direction issued for other by an authority. Your reason should be clear
and the reason of issuing the letter must be obvious and understandable. You can also mention
that you want follow- up of the task and when it should be sent.

Examples: definitions, explications, summaries

4. Expository-presents readers with important research and information about a topic. Expository
writing gives facts and information about a topic.

Examples: news articles, informational books, instruction manuals, or textbooks

 5. Argumentative is usually defined as a type of discourse concerned with the presentation and
evaluation of arguments, either rhetorical or dialectical, which show the cause-effect
relationship established in an event or theory.

Examples: whether students should have to wear school uniforms, “The internet is a good
invention.”

CONCEPT GROUNDING
Key concepts of media literacy (center for media literacy, 2005)
Key Concepts Guide Questions in Media Text Analysis
1. All media messages are “constructed.” 1. What is the message of the text?
2. How effectively does it represent reality?
3. How is the message constructed?
2. Media have embedded values and points 1. What lifestyles, values and point of view
of view. are represented in the text?
2. Who or what is missing?
3. Each person’s interprets messages 1. What message do you perceive from the
differently. text?
2. How might others understand it
differently? Why?
4. Media have commercial, ideological or 1. What is the purpose of the text?
political interests. 2. Who is the target audience of the text?
3. Who might be disadvantaged?
4. Who created the text and why?
5. Media messages are constructed using a 1. What techniques are used and why?
creative language having its own rules. 2. How effective are the techniques in
supporting the messages or themes of
the text?
3. What re other ways of presenting the
message?