Cross- cultural Communication This page intentionally left blank

Introduction
This first chapter looks at the influence of other disciplines on cultural 
studies. It examines different definitions of ‘culture’ and ‘communication’ 
and looks at key areas of cultural diversity in visible behaviour and underlying 
values. It analyses strategies for optimizing successful communication 
with people of other cultures and overcoming the barriers to cross- cultural 
communication.
Many cross- cultural relationships break down because of failures in com-
munication. This is not just due to speaking different languages, although 
that is certainly part of the problem; it is also due to different understand-
ings of communication itself. In Chapter 4 we examine the role of the 
English language as arguably the prime medium of international commu-
nication worldwide. In this chapter we examine the role of communication 
itself in facilitating or hindering international exchange.
1
Summary
Influence of various disciplines on cultural studies
Language and thought debate
Semiotics
Definitions of culture
Corporate culture
Communication styles
Barriers to effective cross- cultural communication
Problems of cross- cultural communication
Perception, reality and stereotypes
What influences our cross- cultural effectiveness?

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2 Cross-Cultural Communication
Cross- cultural communication is a multifaceted subject which has 
elements from a number of disciplines:
anthropology;
linguistics;
philosophy;
psychology.
Cross- cultural communication is about the way people from different cul-
tures communicate when they deal with each other either at a distance or 
face to face. Communication can involve spoken and written language, 
body language and the language of etiquette and protocol.
In essence there are two main schools of research:
a) the Theory and Research (sociology and communications) school;
b) the Theory into Practice school (an interdisciplinary approach using 
psychology, anthropology, sociology and linguistics).