Purposive

Communication
ADVENTIST MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE
 Lesson 6

Louella Joy O. Osorio, LPT, MAEd

Instructor
Observe how Filipino English differ from Western English
CULTURAL TEXTS

➢One cause of miscommunication is pronunciation.

➢Speakers of different varieties of English have different

ways of pronouncing words. This is because of differences
in phonology.

➢In terms of pronunciation, most Outer- and Expanding-

Circle varieties display differences from the Inner-Circle
varieties.
 Interpretations then vary because of differences in
pronunciation. If one says “hit it” instead of “heat it”

or “She ass” instead of “She asks,” miscommunication is

likely to happen.
 In Philippine languages, every vowel is pronounced
with a full distinct sound. Filipinos pronounce words as they
are written or spelled out making it syllable-timed and not
stress-timed.

Americans, on the other hand, blend syllables or sometimes

even drop some sounds making the syllables short.

1. American English: Gotcha!

Philippine English: Got you!
2. American English: Whatche say?
Philippine English: What did she say?

3. American English: Wherd yu go?

Philippine English: Where did you go?

4. American English: Ja hitit?

Philippine English: Did you hit it?

5. American English: Can I getche adrink?

Philippine English: Can I get you a drink?
 Likewise, making a circle with one’s thumb and
forefinger generally means okay in many Western cultures
but this is not so in countries like Japan where it is
interpreted as a sign of money, and in some Arab cultures as
a threat.

Thus, one should be careful in using bodily gestures.

 A cultural barrier does not only pertain to different
languages. It may also be in the form of a cultural practice or
even a bodily gesture.

For instance, in English-speaking countries and even in

the Philippines, the thumbs-up gesture signals approval.
However, it is considered offensive in other countries such
as Greece, Italy, and in some parts of the Middle East.
 FORMAL and INFORMAL LANGUAGE

Your purpose for communication and the relationship

you have with the listeners/ readers will determine if you
are to use formal or informal language.

When you are in a gymnasium and a teenager offers

you a seat, you acknowledge the kind gesture by saying:
“Thanks for a seat.” However, if you are in an academic
forum and an organizer offers you a seat, you say: “Thank
you very much, (Sir or Ma’am).”
 When speaking impromptu on a certain topic, you
should use ordinary, conversational language.

However, if you are to give a lecture at a conference,

your language should be formal. In the same manner that
when you write your speech and your purpose is to inform
your audience about climate change, it is expected that your
language is formal.

In contrast, if your speech is meant to entertain your

listeners on a light topic, your language should be informal.
Task 1- Work with a partner and assess the communication situation.
Communication Relationship Language Used
Situation Between the
Speaker and
Listener
1. Oops, sorry!
2. I am very pleased to meet you, Sir.
3. Let’s go to the gig!
4. Hello, I’m Dina!
5. Would you mind getting me a drink?
6. I said, “Leave me alone!”
7. I need some time to reflect.
8. I apologize for my mistake.
9. Shall we go now?
10. Give it to me!
COPING WITH THE CHALLENGES OF
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
“When we are communicating with people who are
very different from us, it is very difficult to know how
to draw inferences about what they mean, and so it
is impossible to depend on shared knowledge and
background for confidence in our interpretation.”

- Challenges of Intercultural Communication Scollon

and Scollon (1995)
 THE HANDSHAKE
COUNTRY/ REGION TYPE OF HANDSHAKE

United States Firm handshake

France Soft handshake

Germany Firm handshake, for men, traditionally

accompanied by a slight bow
Japan Handshake with arm firmly extended,
accompanied by a bow
Middle East Handshake and free hand place on the
forearm of the other person
 A deep, long
bow indicates
respect, and a smaller
nod is usually less
formal. Bowing in
Japan can be used to
signify emotions,
including
appreciation, respect,
remorse, or gratitude.
 A wai indicates the
Bowing in Thailand level of respect for another
person and is an
acknowledgment of seniority.
A person should bow their
head with their palms pressed
together to indicate respect.
The depth of the bow and the
level of the hands represents
the level of respect.
 SOURCES OF MISUNDERSTANDING (Kaur, 2016)
1. Ambiguity – lack of explicitness on the part of the speaker
in the form of problematic references and ambiguous
semantics (meanings of words) in which an utterance is
open to different interpretations

2. Performance-related misunderstanding – slips of the

tongue and mishearing which may be due to utterances
spoken quickly and unclearly.

3. Language-related misunderstanding – ungrammatically

of sentences.
4. Gaps in world knowledge – gaps in context rather than
language.

5. Local context – turns and turns within sequences

produced by the participants themselves, and the
orientation of the participants as well as the repair moves
that follow the displayed understanding

Cultural diversity – people have different languages,

lifestyles, and ways of thinking, speaking, and behaving.
 3 APPROACHES TO INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Martin and Nakayama (2010)
SOCIAL SCIENCE OR INTERPRETATIVE CRITICAL
FUNTIONALIST

Discipline on which Psychology Anthropology, various

approach is founded sociolinguistics

Research goal Describe and predict Describe behavior Change behavior

behavior

Assumption of External and Subjective Subjective and

reality describable material
 SOCIAL SCIENCE OR INTERPRETATIVE CRITICAL
FUNTIONALIST
Assumptions of Predictable Creative and Voluntary Changeable
human behavior
Method of Study Survey, observation Participant observation, Textual analysis of media
field study

Relationship of Communication influenced Culture-created and Culture as a site of power

culture and by culture maintained through struggle
communication communication
Contribution of Identifies cultural Emphasizes that Recognizes the economic
the approach variations; recognizes communication and and political forces in
cultural differences in cultural differences should culture and
many aspects of be studied in context communication; asserts
communication but often that all intercultural
does not consider context interactions are
characterized by power
1. Cite certain situations when you encountered
miscommunication while talking with people of different
nationalities.

2. As a conscientious student, what have you done so far to avoid

miscommunication and misunderstanding when
communicating with people of different cultures?

3. Looking at the three different approaches to intercultural

communication, which one would you prefer and why?