high and low context cultures examples

Hall notes a similar difference between Navajo-speakers and English-speakers in a United States school.[18]. A high-context culture is a culture or society that communicates dominantly through the use of contextual elements, such as specific forms of body language, the status of an individual, and the tone of voice employed during speech. Your message needs to be clear and precise. The answer is simple. In contrast, high-context cultures use facial expressions, body language, and gestures in a nuanced manner. We have close, personal relationships with our relatives. [6] This study is a result of a cross-cultural examination between students from the United States, a low-context culture, and Mexico, a high-context culture, to study the reasons people communicate in each culture. Germany, Sweden, and the United States are generally classified as low-context cultures. The low-context websites had multiple images of individuals, while the high-context websites contained images and animations of groups and communities.[42]. It describes the level of explicit information and the importance of context in a given culture, indicating the range of communicative abilities (verbal messages, gestures, etc.) However, there are some other characteristics also. [18], Therefore, higher-context cultures tend to correlate with cultures that also have a strong sense of tradition and history, and change little over time. People within low-context cultures see their relationships much looser and the lines between networks of people are more flexibly drawn.[11]. 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 . Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Guffey, M.E., Lowey, D., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P. (2013). For an outsider, it is easier to enter into low-context cultures because one does not need to be aware of the shared history/values of the group. Low use of nonverbal elements. Sage Publications. Copyright 2023 Helpful Professor. Communication Differences in Low-Context vs. High-Context Cultures, Comparing Communication Styles in Low- and High-Context Cultures, Additional Resources for Determining Cultural Contexts, Ethnocentrism and Cross-Cultural Competence, Additional Resources for Understanding Trompenaars Dimensions, Three Prototypes: Dignity, Face, and Honor Cultures, Ethnocentrism, Culture Shock, and Cultural Relativism. High Context vs. Low Context (Internet) Example of McDonalds Internet site: High: Families shown, lots of people on the website ads Low: You, your choices, easy to navigate High Context vs. Low Context (Law) High: Traditions are the laws Low: Rules and order are spelled out. 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. Three samples were gathered from the US, China, and Korea, three different cultures. In high-context cultures (such as those in Japan, China, Korea, and Arab countries), communication relies heavily on non-verbal, contextual, and shared cultural meanings. These countries are quite explicit and elaborate without having prior knowledge to each member's history or background. [32] Awareness of miscommunication between high- and low-context cultures within the workplace or intercultural communication settings advocates for collected unification within a group through the flexibility and ability to understand one another. Type of paper: Research Paper. In other words, high-context communicators attach great importance to everything that surrounds the explicit message, including interpersonal relationships, non-verbal cues, and physical and social settings. Therefore, it is necessary for more explicit information to be included in the message so it is not misinterpreted. They also displayed pictures of individuals, while high-context websites foregrounded group pictures. Low-context cultures tend to be logical, analytical, action-oriented, and concerned with the individual. [38] By contrast, low-context cultures tend to change more rapidly and drastically, allowing extension[definition needed] to happen at faster rates. Typically a high-context culture will be relational, collectivist, intuitive, and contemplative. [25] Pleasure, affection and inclusion were the highest motives for communication in both cultures, and control was the lowest for both cultures. Within high-context cultures, people rely on their networks of friends and family, viewing their relationships as part of one large community. Leaders in high-context cultures, such as Ethiopia, tend to communicate more implicitly, using more nonverbal communication and expressing more vague verbal messages (at least from the viewpoint of a low-context culture). people generally use. Researchers today are using it greatly to study different cultures all over the world. High context cultures tend to build relationships slowly, and they are generally stable for a long time and are based on trust and loyalty. Rules are not directly or explicitly written or stated. Generally, the situation, people, and non-verbal elements are more important than the actual words that are communicated in a high-context culture. The law is important! In Mexico's high context culture, communication is . Intercultural Communication on Websites: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Websites from High-Context Cultures and Low-Context Cultures. Examples of low context cultures include: Scandinavia; Germany, and the US. Create your account. In S. Thompson (ed. [32] Since all sets of cultures differ, especially from a global standpoint where language also creates a barrier for communication, social interactions specific to a culture normally require a range of appropriate communication abilities that an opposing culture may not understand or know about. ", "Communication: intercultural communication. Conclusions are explicitly stated. Eye contact, for example, which is encouraged in North America, may have ambiguous meaning or be considered disrespectful in certain high-context cultures. Emphasis on verbal vs. non-verbal communications, the existence of close personal space, emphasis on collectivism and ingroup learning and achievements, and the importance of interpersonal relationships are but a few of the most significant distinguishing factors. 3. Discover high context culture examples, and identify the importance of high context vs. low context communication. Having a firm grasp on what constitutes high- and low-context, particularly in a communication setting, will truly help you better understand each . He studied English literature at the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Language may be used to achieve goals or exchange information. High-context communications typically take place in a collectivist setting, or within a large group of people who share similar goals, values, or norms (ingroups). You can find his work on The Print, Live Wire, and YouTube. Wurtz, Elizabeth (2005). [22], The concept of elaborated and restricted codes was introduced by sociologist Basil Bernstein in his book Class, Codes and Control. According to Hall, the high-context culture definition relates to a culture by which the rules of communication are primarily and dominantly transmitted through the use of contextual elements. Culture also affects how individuals interpret other people's facial expressions. For example, families typically engage in high context communication whereby they can communicate much with subtleties such as a glace. [25], The categories of context cultures are not totally separate. Family gatherings, religious congregations, and other social outings with a close-knit group of people are forms of high-context communications that take place regularly in most cultures. People are comfortable standing close to each other. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. In. High Context vs. Low Context High-context is that "most of the information is either in the physical context or initialized in the person, while very little is in the coded, explicit, transmitted part of the message." (Hall). High context cultures are more common in the eastern nations than in western and in countries with low racial diversity. The reverse holds true for High (Collectivistic) Context Cultures. The difference between High and Low Context Culture is that Low Context Cultures (Individualistic Cultures) do not need a lot of additional (Contextual) information to engage in " communication ". [30] Many singular cultures that are large have subcultures inside of them, making communication and defining them more complicated than the low-context and high-context culture scale. 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. Meyer defines low-context cultures as cultures where people communicate and receive messages at face value. The American legal system, for example, relies on low context communication. In the 1970's, anthropologist Edward T. Hall coined the phrases "high-context culture" and "low- context culture.". In this context, we will discuss those topics also. Characteristics of Low Context People behave according to rules Preference is given to knowledge sharing and transfer Relationships do not last longer On purpose relationships By contrast, a low-context culture enjoys communications that take place most often through written or spoken (verbal) speech and rules are directly and explicitly stated. [36], High-context cultures tend to be more stable, as their communication is more economical, fast, efficient and satisfying; but these are gained at a price of devoting time into preprogramming cultural background, and their high stability might come with a price of a high barrier for development. Low context can describe situations, environments and cultures. For example, while the United States is a low-context culture, family gatherings (which are common in American culture) tend to be high-context. Sage Publications. The Nine Competencies that Characterize an IEP, Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits and Obstacles, Intercultural Communication in the Workplace, Additional Resources to Help you Format your Paper in APA Style. Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Members of high-context cultures are relatively comfortable interacting with others because a close-knit community has been formed, such as that of a family or religious congregation. [24] The table shows the major differences and similarities between individual queries. [26] The terms high- and low-context cultures are not classified with strict individual characteristics or boundaries. High-context cultures, on the other hand, depend on both the spoken words and the context of the situationincluding the shared values/assumptions of the groupto convey meaning. The continuum pictures how people communicate with others through their range of communication abilities: utilizing gestures, relations, body language, verbal messages, or non-verbal messages. Interaction. A 2005 study by Elizabeth Wurtz demonstrates how cultural differences shape marketing and advertising. Routledge. 18 Examples of Low Culture. This concept was introduced by Edward T. Hall, an anthropologist back in 1976. High-context cultures promote the development of ingroups. The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau. ; it is the way we communicate, do business and see the world. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. On one side of the dimension, we have high context cultures, which depend on greater context when communicating. Remember that culture is dynamic, and that every individual within a culture is unique and may not conform exactly to the general characteristics of that culture. There are smaller communities and specific settings within national/linguistic cultures, and they may exhibit different communication patterns. As a result of these years of interacting with one another, the members know what the rules are, how to think, and how to behave, so the rules do not have to be explicitly stated. However, no country is low-context or high-context in absolute terms; instead, there is a mix of explicit & implicit communication everywhere. Edward Hall is a famous theorist and anthropologist who has contributed a renowned theory of high- and low-context cultures to facilitate students, researchers . Croucher, S., Bruno, A, McGrath, P, Adams, C, McGahan, C, Suits, A & Huckins, A. Examples of low-context cultures include the United States, Australia, and many European countries. High-context cultures are related to connotation. Gudykunst, W. B., & Ting-Toomey, S. (1988). Because directness may be thought of as disrespectful, discussions in high-context cultures can be circuitous, circling key issues rather than addressing them head-on. Contents show Low Context Culture Definition Edward T. Hall describes low-context culture as one in which: Data was gathered in India, Ireland, Thailand, and the United States where the results confirm that "high-context nations (India and Thailand) prefer the avoiding and obliging conflict styles more than low-context nations (Ireland and the United States), whereas low-context nations prefer the uncompromising and dominating communication style more than high-context nations."[16]. High context culture is common wherever there is a relationship between people. [42] In a case study conducted by the IT University of Copenhagen, it was found that websites catering to high-context cultures tended to have more detailed and advanced designs, including various images and animations. Resistance in Turkey and India Between World Wars, The Role of Culture & Gender in Listening, The Role of Perception & Bias in Intercultural Communication, Introduction to Educational Psychology: Certificate Program, Educational Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Research Methods in Psychology: Help and Review, Introduction to Psychology: Homework Help Resource, Abnormal Psychology: Homework Help Resource, Social Psychology: Homework Help Resource, Introduction to Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Educational Psychology: Homework Help Resource, UExcel Research Methods in Psychology: Study Guide & Test Prep, Research Methods in Psychology: Certificate Program, Research Methods in Psychology: Homework Help Resource, Create an account to start this course today. Meanwhile, in a high-context culture, nonverbal cues and unspoken background . So the poor cow's life depends on the country, where it was born: whether it is going to be worshipped or to end up on someone's . A high-context culture is a culture in which the values, rules, and social norms are primarily communicated through the use of contextual elements (such as body language, a person's status, and tone of voice) and are not explicitly stated. A few relevant examples of differences in communication between low- and high-context cultures are found in Table 1. Both the speaker and listener act under the assumption that all relevant information has been explicitly stated. Communication cultures differ societally between high-context and low-context cultures, a concept first described by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his 1976 publication Beyond Culture. China, Japan, Turkey, and Mexico are some countries that lean towards high-context. Examples of high and low context cultures It can be helpful to consider a few examples of high and low context cultures. 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. It is important to note that no culture is completely high-context or low-context, since all societies contain at least some parts that are both high and low. Traditionally, Western cultures are known for being more individualistic or communicating with a low context style. A low-context (LC) communication is just the opposite; i.e., the mass of the information is vested in the explicit code.". This study, done by Kim Dunghoon, was to test the major aspects the high versus low-context culture concepts. But we can also use them to talk about smaller groups, such as corporate cultures or a specific setting like the airport. For a communicator to successfully interact with others from a different culture he must know whether his own culture is high or low context and which context is the culture in the interaction. In high-context cultures, people are said to prefer symbolic, artful language that is implicit. In low-context cultures, gestures and facial expressions are never the primary means of communication; they only serve to clarify or complement a point. Examples of low- and high-context cultures are those based in the following culture clusters: High-context cultures The Sub-Saharan Africa Cluster The Middle East Cluster The Latin Europe Cluster The Eastern Europe Cluster The Latin America Cluster The Southern Asia Cluster The Confucian Asia Cluster Low-context cultures The Anglo Cluster Low-context communicators dont need to be provided with much background information, but they do expect messages to be professional, efficient, and linear in their logic. According to Hall's theory, Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents lower context. Trust must be developed before business transactions can begin. In high-context cultures, communication cues are transmitted by posture, voice inflection, gestures, and facial expression. Guffey et al. High-context cultures are those that communicate in ways that are implicit and rely heavily on context.

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