On%20Cross%20Cultural%20Communication

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On Cross Cultural Communication

• George Ypsilandis ypsi_at_itl.auth.gr
• Dept of Italian Language and Literature
• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

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What is the most valuable skill one would expect
students to acquire in Foreign Language Teaching
and Learning?
What is the most problematic area for teachers to
coach In Foreign Language Teaching and Learning?
The Art of Communication
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THE DISTANT PART
THE RECENT PART
THE PRESENT
THE STUDIES
THE IMPLICATIONS
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COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
PROBLEMS Asynchronous Communication Delays in
Correspondence Not natural/authentic/spontaneous
language Genre not particularly friendly and not
developing Written language not spoken
(fluency) Low motivation due to long delays
FINAL RESULT Communication Becomes Static and
Does not motivate Language Learning
PROBLEMS Monolingual Environment Lack of
authenticity Not natural language Limited
Communication
THE PRESENT
THE DISTANT PAST
ROLE PLAY
CONFERENCING
LETTER
BLOG
PHONE
NETPHONE
WIKI
UTUBE
THE RECENT PAST
Email/TANDEM www.slf.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/
GOOGLETALK
TEXT CHAT
SMS
MOO
SKYPE
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COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

• THE POSTIVE
• Speed
• Economical
• Simple
• Convenient

THE POSITIVE Synchronous Communication Spoken
Language even if it appears in written
format Natural Language
THE NEGATIVE Asynchronous Communication Genre not
particularly friendly but developing Lack of
spontaneous communication Written Language
FINAL RESULT Communication does not develop.
Remains at levels of small talk and often is
repeated with new acquaintances and therefore
results in shorting words and phrases
THE PRESENT
THE DISTANT PAST
ROLE PLAY
CONFERENCING
LETTER
BLOGS
PHONE
NETPHONE

• THE NEGATIVE
• New language or new writing system e.g. a/s/l, ?,
  (, ? )
• Often one word communication
• Sexual harassment
• Non paralinguistic features, such as face
  grimaces, hand movement, stress, intonation, etc.
• Bad quality of sound transmission and video
• Delayed Roundtrip
• Time and location of meeting

WIKI
UTUBE
THE RECENT PAST
Email/TANDEM www.slf.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/
GOOGLETALK
TEXT CHAT
SMS
MOO
SKYPE
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?? p??

• www.icq.com ICQ
• www.paltalk.com PALTALK
• www.aim.com AOL (AMERICA ON LINE)
• www.mirc.com/ MIRC
• http//messenger.msn.com/Xp/Default.aspx?mktel-gr
  MESSENGER
• http//www.microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting/
  NETMEETING
• http//www.cuworld.com/ CUWORLD
• http//www.radvision.com/EnterpriseSolutions/Video
  conferencingProducts/ClickToMeet/ CLICK TO MEET
• www.skype.com SKYPE
• http//www.webacall.com VOIP
• http//www.voipbuster.com/en/index.html VOIPBUSTER

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(No Transcript)
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Comparisons with other studiesNative-Non
native, many to many
CAREFUL PREPARATION PRE-TASK WHILE TASK META
TASK AVOIDANCE OF HOT TOPICS
Amount of language is decreasing gradually
Participants become defensive of their culture
when they feel confronted
Failed communication usually occurs when
discussion is on hot topics

• Examples of failed communication From OReily
  discussed at a pre-conference workshop in Grenada
  Spain with reference to The Cultura Project

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Comparisons with other studiesNon Native-Non
native, one to one

• TYPICALLY STUDIES OF CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
  IN COMPUTER MEDIATED COMMUNICATION EXAMINE
• AMOUNT OF LANGUAGE PRODUCED (MLU)
• UPTAKE

No language provider (no statistical difference
of valuable uptake-wrong uptake)
Students produce more language
Increased awareness of other non native
variations of English
Valuable experience offering practice (from
declarative to procedural) with TL
Sense of companionship (others are facing the
problems I am). Not doing to bad

• From Ceferoglu (2007)
• UNTELE conference, Compiegne, France

The other side is causing problems
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Study 1 Participation and Engagement, Amount and
Confidence
Communication was recorded and analysed
through Adobes AUDITION program Structured
Interviews Followed
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Results findings AUDITION
Difficult to identify Who is who by non
Listening to the audio
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Results findings AUDITION
Participation is increasing. Phrases remain
short. Phrases become a little more
complex. Voice is still low. More engaged in
Discussion.
Possible to identify Who is who even by non
Listening to the audio
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More findings through AUDITION
Difficult to identify Who is who by non
Listening to the audio
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Student opinions and reactions

• Half the student population that was invited to
  participate did not show up
• Some of those who came the first time did not
  show up the second time
• Feel their language is improved
• Feel their confidence in speaking the language is
  increasing
• Some feel they learn about target language every
  day life and culture
• Did not have problems with the apparatus
• Sound was clear with no delays
• Enjoyed speaking
• Would have used it regularly

NO MLU EXAMINED NO UPTAKE
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Student reactions

• Difference in their linguistic behavior when they
  speak with people of their age or younger for
  topics of their interest
• (One Non Native Speaker)
• Few instances of pragmatic failure immediately
  negotiated
• No instances of failed communication

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Study 2 Quality of Content

• Greeks writing in English (James, Scholfield and
  Ypsilandis92) for a scholarship
• English natives evaluate the content
• Subjects are asked about their intention
  (introspective data)
• Register Pragmatic Failure that had occurred

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Greeks writing in English Direct Strategies
Strategy Employed Language Used Pragmatic Failure
Quasilogical Argumentation Egocentric Language AV e.g. I strongly believe Iconsider I am Dont impose on your hearer Grice (1973)
Affective Appeal Charged language e.g. your schlsp is my only chance I hope you will not refuse to me Give hearer option Grice (1973)
Quasilogical Argumentation Direct Demands e.g. I am sure did convince you Dont impose on your hearer Grice (1973)
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Greeks writing in English Indirect Strategies
Strategy Employed Language Used Pragmatic Failure
Quasilogical Argumentation Extensive reference to their qualifications e.g. I speak I have I am.. Be as informative as is required but no more than that Grice (1973)
Quasilogical Argumentation Charged language e.g. It (schlsp) will give me the chance to complete my research Dont impose on your hearer Grice (1973)
Use of complimentary and anticipatory expressions Charged language e.g. Thank you in advance I would like to congratulate you Display of manners Dont impose on your hearer Grice (1973)
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NNS evaluating Greeks writing in English (James,
Scholfield and Ypsilandis94)
Evaluate each sentence in a Likert scale in terms
of Acceptable Neutral Unacceptable
PART 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
NSs - - - - - - - -
NNs x S - S X X
KEY considered suitable, - considered unsuitable S neutral judgment, X NNSs were divided KEY considered suitable, - considered unsuitable S neutral judgment, X NNSs were divided KEY considered suitable, - considered unsuitable S neutral judgment, X NNSs were divided KEY considered suitable, - considered unsuitable S neutral judgment, X NNSs were divided KEY considered suitable, - considered unsuitable S neutral judgment, X NNSs were divided KEY considered suitable, - considered unsuitable S neutral judgment, X NNSs were divided KEY considered suitable, - considered unsuitable S neutral judgment, X NNSs were divided KEY considered suitable, - considered unsuitable S neutral judgment, X NNSs were divided KEY considered suitable, - considered unsuitable S neutral judgment, X NNSs were divided KEY considered suitable, - considered unsuitable S neutral judgment, X NNSs were divided KEY considered suitable, - considered unsuitable S neutral judgment, X NNSs were divided
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NNS evaluating Greeks writing in English (James,
Scholfield and Ypsilandis94)
Evaluate each sentence in English and their own
language Acceptable Neutral Unacceptable
TLE VERSION Gr Sy Po Port Fr Ge
OL VERSION Gr Sy Po Fr Port Ge
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Implications to Language
Quirk (1981) proposes English for International
Communication (Nuclear Engl.)
NE culture free as calculus, with no literary,
aesthetic, or emotional aspirations
Fishman without love, without sighs, without
tears and almost without effect of any kind
Colourless language?
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Implications to Syllabus

• Symbolic Cultural competence/awareness/expertise
  should be included
• The art of accommodation
• Which Social
  genre (Social Ladder)
• What variation
• Native and Non native
• Englishes

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Implications for Teaching
IMPLICIT
EXPLICIT
COST EFFECTIVE
studial capacity Palmer 92
ersatz native speaker Cook 93
OFFENCE GIVEN AND TAKEN
ETHICAL QUESTIONS
KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED
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One Suggestion by Jenny Thomas
3 PROBLEMS WITH THIS APPROACH
Pragmalinguistic Failure Misformulated
Sociopragmatic Failure Misused
Teacher corrects straightforwardly
Teacher points out and discusses
(a) No instructions for non clear-cut, mid-scale
instances corrections on the spot-no source book
Skype does not provide a recorded version (b)
Should the learner know about this or teacher
centred (decide/correct) (c) What pedagogic input
should there be in cases of doubt? Is there a
test?
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A TEST
Pragmalinguistic Failure Misformulated
e.g. NP, this N of yours has deprecatory
overtones as in This cat of yours has killed my
canary,
PARAPHRASE
the semantic paraphrase your cat has none.
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New Language Teacher

• The Grammar
• The Lexicon
• The Semantics and Pragmatics
• The Skills
• Procedural Knowledge - Tasks
• The Culture and Rhetoric
• Symbolic Expertise and Accommodation
• The Socio affective parameters
• Be Aware of Cognitive and Learning Style
• Enhance Autonomy
• Support the Learning Process (Supportive
  Feedback)
• Provide Corrective Feedback
• Organinisation skills
• Ethnolinguistic knowledge
• Knowledge on Sociology
• Knowledge on the psychology of learning
• Use Computers