Guffey, M. E., Lowey, D., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P. (2013). Although the concept of high- and low-context cultures is usually applied in the field of analyzing national cultures, it can also be used to describe scientific or corporate cultures, or specific settings such as airports or law courts. High vs. Low Power Distance Cultural Communications | What are High and Low Power Distance Cultural Communications? For instance, a study has argued that both Japan and Finland (high-context cultures) are becoming lower-context with the increased influence of Western European and United States culture.[22]. But the fact that contexting has not been empirically validated should not necessarily be construed as a failure of the theory. Typically a high-context culture will be relational, collectivist, intuitive, and contemplative. Low-context cultures tend to be logical, analytical, action-oriented, and concerned with the individual. When a part of these groups, a low-context individual may be more drawn to interpersonal relationships with others than focusing on their own accomplishments and do not require information to be elaborated because they maintain an understanding of group behaviors. The designation "high and low context culture" broadly refers to the way people communicate in cultures. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. Lower-context culture: United States, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada and other European nations. Cite this Article in your Essay (APA Style), Privacy PolicyTerms and ConditionsDisclaimerAccessibility StatementVideo Transcripts. In high-context cultures, there are often many opportunities for social and cultural context to explain speech, which reduces the need for words in all instances. Examples of a low context communication cultures include The United States, the UK, Switzerland, Canada and Germany. As such, what is said is what is meant, and further analysis of the message is usually unnecessary. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Verbal message is explicit. [1] In low context, communication members' communication must be more explicit, direct, and elaborate because individuals are not expected to have knowledge of each other's histories or background, and communication is not necessarily shaped by long-standing relationships between speakers. Verbal message is direct; one spells things out exactly. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 Hofstede, G. (1984). [30][32], Families, subcultures and in-groups typically favour higher-context communication. High Context vs. Low Context. They also displayed pictures of individuals, while high-context websites foregrounded group pictures. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you They assume that listeners know very little and must be told practically everything. All rights reserved. Required fields are marked *, This Article was Last Expert Reviewed on January 24, 2023 by Chris Drew, PhD. Family gatherings and interactions with people from high-context cultures are two examples of scenarios in which Americans participate in high-context communications, largely because they are with close-knit groups of people who share similar values, rules, and norms. 18 Examples of Low Culture. Ironically, contexting is most frequently discussed in terms of directness, yet empirical studies nearly all fail to support this relationship. In high cultures, much of the communication is understood by the group either by non-verbal coding, which refers to common body language; distinct in-groups and out-group's, which refers to the cohesiveness of the group; and covert and implicit messages, which refers to what we refer . Learn more about our academic and editorial standards. What is the role of such non-verbal communication in business relationships? In contrast, a high-context language like Japanese or Chinese can use a high number of homophones but still be understood by a listener who knows the context. 2. Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. Members of ingroups usually share many characteristics and experiences. Some recognized examples include: Higher-context culture: China, India, Korea, Japan, other Asian countries, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Oman, and Yemen, African countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, Latin America, the Pacific islands, France, Greece, Finland, Ireland, Italy, and Russia. Your message needs to be clear and precise. Strategies to work effectively with people from high context and low context cultures Follow these 4 key strategies to communicate effectively across cultures: 1. For example, in one country a cow is seen as leather, in another one - as a deity and in another one as dinner. High-context communications, as well as low-context interactions, are important to understand from many perspectives. By comparison, low-context cultures refer to cultures whereby most communications take place through verbal language and rules are directly written out or stated for all to view. Want to create or adapt books like this? The terms low-context and high-context usually refer to language groups or nationalities. 231 lessons. High context cultures tend to build relationships slowly, and they are generally stable for a long time and are based on trust and loyalty. In low-context cultures, gestures and facial expressions are never the primary means of communication; they only serve to clarify or complement a point. [7][8] Denotation tends to be attributed to low-context culture[9] People in low-context cultures communicate in a more direct way, with explicitly speaking what they want to communicate. [38] By contrast, low-context cultures tend to change more rapidly and drastically, allowing extension[definition needed] to happen at faster rates. One approach to gaining such an insight is through the use of the high and low context culture framework, which was established by anthropologist Edward T. Examples of low context cultures are countries such as China, Brazil or Saudi Arabia. This is in direct contrast to low-context cultures, in which information is communicated primarily through language and rules are explicitly spelled out. In contrast, low-context cultures rely on explicit verbal communication. Initially, high culture rejects these outsiders but eventually embraces them or appropriates . Sage Publications. What is an Interculturally Effective Person (IEP)? Generally, the situation, people, and non-verbal elements are more important than the actual words that are communicated in a high-context culture. Low context communication is more common in the English speaking world, whereas high context communication is more common in Eastern cultures such as Japan and China. Communicators in low-context cultures (such as those in North America, Scandinavia, and Germany) depend little on the context of a situation to convey their meaning. Context 1. . This article was peer-reviewed and edited by Chris Drew (PhD). Culture and Interpersonal Communication. Low context implies that a lot of information is exchanged explicitly through the message itself and rarely is anything implicit or hidden.People in low context cultures such as the UK tend to have short-term relationships, follow rules and standards closely and are generally very task-oriented. low-context communication is "the mass of information is vested in the explicit code". Members of high-context cultures usually have close relationships that last for an extended period of time. Low-context and high-context cultures are the ends of a continuum portraying how cultures communicate. [22], The concept of elaborated and restricted codes was introduced by sociologist Basil Bernstein in his book Class, Codes and Control. The ways by which humans communicate are based heavily on the context of what is being spoken, the individuals involved, and the setting in which the communication takes place. It further attempts to draw parallels between face-to-face communication and communication on the web by looking at communication rules and patterns in high-context cultures and comparing and contrasting them to the . Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. The aim of this report is to evaluate the concept of different communication cultures through the application of Hall's high and low-context model of culture. Bernstein, B. "[28] In such cultures, people are highly perceptive of actions. The review process on Helpful Professor involves having a PhD level expert fact check, edit, and contribute to articles. The hypotheses tested indicated the high-context culture in Mexico would provide different motives for communication when compared with the low-context culture of the U.S. - Dosage & Side Effects, Anxiolytic: Definition, Medications & Dependence, What is Citalopram? They have a Bachelor's in Air Traffic Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and minored in Aviation Safety and Homeland Security. These countries are quite explicit and elaborate without having prior knowledge to each member's history or background. Most of the cultural behavior aspects are not open for the reason that many of the members are aware of what to do and what thoughts to engage in. However, this type of segregation is not rigid, but takes the form of a gradient since the contextual base of a culture is not a quantifiable but relative concept. High context refers to societies or groups where people have close connections over a long period of time. All articles are edited by a PhD level academic. Learn what high context culture is. [23] For example, Native Americans in the United States have higher-context cultures with a strong sense of tradition and history, compared to general American culture. Guffey et al. A few examples of high-context cultures include China, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, and Spain; While low-context cultures are found more dominantly in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. How Do I Format and Cite Long Direct Quotes? What are the effects on the communication process? The use of an elaborated code indicates that speaker and listener do not share significant amounts of common knowledge, and hence they may need to "spell out" their ideas more fully: elaborated codes tend to be more context-independent. The law is important! Low use of nonverbal elements. Low-context cultures rely on explicit communication. The USA and Australia are typically low-context, highly individualistic cultures, where transparency and competition in business are prized. Low-context communication is often seen in Western, more individualistic cultures (i.e., U.S., Australia, some European countries) where communication is direct, to the point, and one doesn't have to guess the meaning or intention behind what is being said. London: Routledge. High Context Culture And Its Importance A number of unique characteristics exist to make a clear distinction between high-context vs. low-context cultures and methods of communication. [12] Typically a low-context culture will be less close-knit, and so individuals communicating will have fewer relational cues when interpreting messages. A few relevant examples of differences in communication between low- and high-context cultures are found in Table 1. Examples of low-context cultures include Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Canada, and the United States. the study of body movement including gestures, hand, arm, and leg movements, facial expressions, eye contact, and stance or posture Low-context message a message where the message is encoded in the words used or in the verbal expression and not as much in the context Masculinity-Femininity - Effects & Types, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): Definition, effects & Types, Trepanning: Tools, Specialties & Definition, What is Pseudoephedrine? China, Japan, Turkey, and Mexico are some countries that lean towards high-context. It is important to note that no culture is low-context or high-context in absolute terms but a mix of both. 1. Body language, tone of voice, and personal status are a few notable characteristics that are valued in a high-context culture. The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. According to Watson, "the influence of cultural variables interplays with other key factors for example, social identities, those of age, gender, social class and ethnicity; this may include a stronger or weaker influence. After completing this chapter, you will be able to: Now that we know, broadly, what culture is, lets discuss some ways to categorize aspects of different cultures. They often use written contracts and agreements to clarify expectations (Gudykunst & Ting-Toomey, 1988).
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