Scan the text for key words.

This title Culture’s components can help you understand that key words must concern any kinds of constructs, or be connected with effects, of culture.

Follow the three-step strategy to make finding key words easier.

Step 1. Make sure you know what you are looking for.

Step 2. Scan each paragraph for 4-5 key words. Do not read every word.

Step 3. Select 5-10 key words for the whole text.

Write a 10-line abstract of the text basing on the key words. Make sure to mention all characteristics, constructs, cognitive patterns and contextual rules of culture.

Collect specific information by pointing out groups of synonyms, semantic and thematic groups. Keep it in mind that vocabulary in context includes both single words (usually nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs). and two- or three-word phrases.

 

Section 2. Grammar workout

Preposition use

It is important that you be familiar with the correct usage of prepositions and practice these prepositions in sentences:

Adjectives/Participles + Prepositions (1)

acceptable to, accustomed to, adequate for, afraid of, aware of, based on, capable of, characteristic of, close to, composed of, contrary to, dependent on, different from, disappointed in/with, eligible for equipped with equal to essential to/for familiar with famous for.

Adjectives/Participles + Prepositions (2)

free of next to related to

independent of opposed to relevant to

inferior to opposite of satisfied with

married to perfect for suitable for

native to possible for surprised at/by

necessary for/to preferable to typical of

Opposite of is used for words or concepts that are completely different, such as "large" and "small." When opposite means "across from," it is not used with of. "The bank is opposite the post office on Cedar Street."

Nouns + Prepositions

approach to exception to origin of

attention to experience with price of

because of expert on probability of

contribution to form of quality of

component of group of reason for

cure for improvement in reliance on

increase in increase in result of

demand for influence on solution to

effect of/on* interest in supply of

example of native of

* effect + of + cause

effect + on + thing or person affected (The effect o/heat on rocks...)

Verbs + Prepositions

account for compete with insist on

adjust to concentrate on interfere with

agree with/on* consist of plan on

attach to contribute to participate in

attribute to cooperate with refer to

begin with deal with rely on

believe in depend on result in

belong to devote to search for

combine with engage in

* agree with is used with people

agree on is used with an issue, plan, etc. (I agreed with Mary on that issue.)

Phrasal Prepositions

according to due to on account of

ahead of except for prior to

along with in favor of regardless of

because of in spite of thanks to

bу means of instead of together with

In, On, and At (1)

Expressions of time

+ century (in the eighteenth century) + decade (in the 1990s)

+ year (in 1975) in

+ season (in the summer)

+ month (in July)

+ parts of the day (in the morning, in the evening, in the afternoon)

+ days of the week (on Wednesday) + dates (on October 7)

+ time of day (at 6pm; at noon)

+ night

Expressions of place

+ continent (in Africa)

+ country (in Mexico)

+ state (in Pennsylvania)

+ city (in Los Angeles)

+ building (in the bank)

+ room (in the auditorium)

+ in the world

+ street (on Maxwell Street)

on + floor of a building (on the fourth floor)

+ on Earth

at + address (at 123 Commonwealth Avenue)

In, On, and At, (2)

The prepositions in, on, and at are also used in a number of set expressions:

in a book/magazine/newspaper on a bus/train/etc. at best/worst

in charge (o0 on fire at first/last

in common (with) on the other hand at once

in danger (of) on purpose at the peak (of)

in detail on radio/television at present

in existence on the whole at the moment

in the front/middle/back at birth

in general at death

in practice at random

in the past/future

in a row

in style

in theory

Other Prepositions

By is often used with forms of communication and transportation: by car, by plane, by phone, by express mail (Note: if the noun is plural or is preceded by a determiner, the prepositions in or on must be used: in cars, on a boat, on the telephone, in a taxi).

By is also used with gerunds to show how an action happened:

How did you get an appointment with the President? By calling his secretary.

With is used to indicate the idea of accompaniment or possession:

Melanie came to the party with her friend. He wanted a house with a garage.

Without indicates the opposite relationship:

Melanie came to the party without her friend. He bought a house without a garage.

With also indicates that an instrument was used to perform an action:

He opened the door with a key. Without indicates the opposite relationship:

He opened the door without a key.

By and for are also used in the following expressions:

by chance for example

by far for free

by hand for now

For is sometimes used to show purpose; it means "to get."

She went to the store for toothpaste and shampoo.

 

Unit 1-9. COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE

Section 1. Guidelines for cross-cultural communication

A study of intercultural communication brings together two important kinds of insights: the cultural shaping of communication practices, and the interactional dynamics that occur among culturally shaped communication practices. Cultural analysis raises the general question: how is communication shaped as a cultural practice When people are engaged in communication, what significance and meaning does it have for them?

These general research questions, about the cultural nature and the meanings of communication, are based upon the view that communication both presumes and constitutes social realities; and further, that as people communicate, so they engage in a meta-cultural commentary, that is, they say things explicitly and implicitly about who they are, how they are related to each other, how they feel, what they are doing, and how they are situated in the nature of things. These concerns about identity, relationships, emotions, and actions are in an excerpt from the book by L. Samovar et al, given below.

Text 1-9. THE FRAMEWORK OF COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE

(Based on Intercultural Communication: A Reader by Larry A. Samovar, Richard E. Porter, Edwin R. McDaniel)

A definition of communication

What exactly is communication? What happens when we communicate? In answering those questions, we will first define and then explain the phenomenon.

Communication has been defined variously, and each definition is usually a reflection of the author’s objective or of a specific context. Often the definition is long and rather abstract, because the author is trying to incorporate as many aspects of communication as possible. In some instances, the definition is narrow and precise, designed to explain a specific type or instance of communication.

When studying the union of culture and communication, however, a succinct, easily understandable definition is in everyone’s best interest. Thus, for us, communication is the management of messages with the objective of creating meaning (Griffin, 2005).

This definition is somewhat broad, yet is precise in specifying what occurs in every communicative episode. It does not attempt to establish what constitutes successful or unsuccessful communication, which is actually determined by the involved participants, can vary from one person to another, and is frequently scenario dependent. The only qualifiers we place on communication are intentionality and interaction. In other words, if communication is considered to be purposeful – to persuade, inform, or entertain – then we communicate with an intention, and we achieve our objective only by interacting with someone.

Major structural components

Employing the definition of communication as the management of messages with the objective of creating meaning, let’s now examine the eight major structural components used to manage messages and create meaning. The first and most obvious is (A) the sender – the person or group originating the message. A sender is someone with a need or desire, be it social, work, or public service, to communicate with others. In completing this desire, the sender formulates and transmits the message via a channel to the receiver(s).

(B) The message consists of the information the sender desires to have understood—the data used to create meaning. Messages, which can be verbal or nonverbal, are encoded and transmitted via (C) a channel to the receiver. The channel is any means that provides a path for moving the message from the sender to the receiver. For example, an oral message may be sent directly when in the immediate presence of the receiver or mediated through a cell phone, a conference call, or a YouTube video. A visual, or nonverbal, message can be transmitted directly, such as by smiling to indicate pleasure, or mediated through a photograph or text. Today, websites such as YouTube, Facebook, and MySpace provide channels that offer senders a means to reach millions of receivers through mediated messages.

(D) The receiver(s) is the intended recipient of the message and the location where meaning is created. Because the receiver interprets the message and assigns a meaning, which may or may not be what the receiver intended, communication is often characterized as receiver based. You may send a friend a text message, but for a variety of reasons, such as lack of nonverbal cues or insufficient context, the receiver may (mis)interpret the message and feel offended.

After interpreting the message and assigning a meaning, the receiver may prepare (E) a response. This is any action taken by the receiver as a result of the meaning he or she assigns to the message. A response can be benign, such as simply ignoring a provocative remark, or, at the other extreme, a physically aggressive act of violence.

(F) The feedback component of communication is related to, yet separate from, the response. Feedback helps us to evaluate the effectiveness of a message. Perhaps the receiver smiles, or frowns, after decoding your message. This offers a clue as to the meaning the receiver assigned to the message and helps you adjust to the developing situation. Depending on the feedback, you may rephrase or amplify the message to provide greater clarity, ask whether the message was understood, or perhaps even retract the statement.

Every communicative interaction takes place within (G) a physical and contextual environment. The physical environment refers to the location where the communication occurs, such as a classroom, coffee shop, business office, or airplane cabin. The contextual, or social, environment is more abstract and exerts a strong influence on the style of communication employed. Think about the different styles of communication you use when participating in an interview, applying for a student loan, asking a stranger for directions, visiting your professor’s office, or apologizing when late to meet a friend. We alter our communicative style in response to the occasion and the receiver – the contextual environment.

(H) Noise, the last component of communication, concerns the different types of interference or distractions that plague every communication event. Physical noise is separate from the communication participants and can take many forms, such as two people talking in the back of the classroom during a lecture, someone talking loudly on the subway, the sounds of traffic coming through the window of an apartment, or static on your cell phone.

Noise that is inherent to the people participating in the communication episode can take a variety of forms. Suppose that during a Friday afternoon class you find yourself concentrating more on plans for a spring break trip than on the lecture. Perhaps you are in a funk after learning your car needs an expensive brake job, or are worried about a term paper due the next week. These are examples of psychological noise that can reduce your understanding of the classroom communication. Physiological noise relates to the physical well-being of the people engaged in the communication activity. Coming to class with too little sleep, dealing with a head cold, or simply feeling too hot or cold in the room will interfere with your ability to comprehend fully the classroom activity.

The final type of noise often occurs during intercultural communication and can easily produce misunderstandings. For effective communication in an intercultural interaction, participants must rely on a common language, which usually means that one or more individuals will not be using their native tongue. Native fluency in a second language is very difficult, especially when nonverbal behaviors are considered. People who use another language will often have an accent or might misuse a word or phrase, which can adversely influence the receiver’s understanding of the message. This type of distraction, referred to as semantic noise, also encompasses jargon, slang, and specialized professional terminology.

Collectively, these eight components provide an overview of factors that can facilitate, shape, or hamper communication encounters. But there is also another influential factor that normally plays a role in communicative interactions. Our culture provides each of us with a set of standards that govern how, when, what, and even why we communicate. However, you must first understand the concept of culture itself in order to appreciate how it influences communication.

What is culture?

Culture is an extremely popular and increasingly overused term in contemporary society. Expressions such as cultural differences, cultural diversity, multiculturalism, corporate culture, cross-culture, and other variations continually appear in the popular media.

Culture has been linked to such fields as corporate management, health care, psychology, education, public relations, marketing, and advertising. We often hear about U.S. forces operating in Afghanistan with insufficient knowledge and understanding of the local culture. The pervasive use of the term culture attests to the increased awareness of the role it plays in our everyday activities. Seldom, however, are we given a definition of just what constitutes culture or exactly what culture does. This section will provide that information.

Explaining Culture

As with communication, the term culture has been the subject of numerous and often complex, abstract definitions. What is frequently counted as one of the earliest and easily understandable definitions of culture, and one still used today, was written in 1871 by British anthropologist Sir Edward Burnett Tylor, who said culture is “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (“Sir Edward,” 2010).

Ruth Benedict offered a more succinct definition when she wrote, “What really binds men together is their culture – the ideas and the standards they have in common” (1959). A more complex explanation was provided by Clifford Geertz, who said culture was “a historically transmitted pattern of meaning embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life” (1973). Contemporary definitions of culture commonly mention shared values, attitudes, beliefs, American, or Russian American. Cultural identity can become especially prominent during interactions between people from different cultural groups, such as a Pakistani Muslim and an Indian Hindu, who have been taught varied values, beliefs, and different sets of rules for social interaction. Thus, cultural identity can be a significant factor in the practice of intercultural communication.

 

REVISION: MAIN IDEA, MAIN TOPIC AND SUBTOPICS, SPECIFIC WORDS, EXPLICATION OF SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Instruction: These are revision assignments in which you should combine all skills you have employed in the preceding eight units. You will have to start with identifying the main idea, the main topic, or the main purpose of the text. Then follows the task of: matching headings with paragraphs or sections, and identifying which sections relate to certain topics. Basing on circumstantial evidence, inferences and vocabulary-in context you will have to look into specific information given in the text.

 

Task: Answer the following questions:

· What is the main topic of the passage?

(1) The different styles of communication.

(2) Insufficient knowledge and understanding of the culture.

(3) The union of culture and communication.

(4) Cultural identity can be a significant factor in the practice of intercultural communication.

· What is the author's attitude toward different definitions of communication?

· Where in the four sentences does the author discuss the best definition of culture?

(A) Culture is the complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom.

(B) Culture is the ideas and the standards people have in common.

(C) Culture is a historically transmitted pattern of meaning embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life.

(D) Culture is commonly shared values, attitudes, beliefs.

 

Read the passage: Physical noise is separate from the communication participants and can take many forms, such as two people talking in the back of the classroom during a lecture, someone talking loudly on the subway, the sounds of traffic coming through the window of an apartment, or static on your cell phone. Noise that is inherent to the people participating in the communication episode can take a variety of forms. Suppose that during a Friday afternoon class you find yourself concentrating more on plans for a spring break trip than on the lecture. Perhaps you are in a funk after learning your car needs an expensive brake job, or are worried about a term paper due the next week. These are examples of psychological noise that can reduce your understanding of the classroom communication. Physiological noise relates to the physical well-being of the people engaged in the communication activity. Coming to class with too little sleep, dealing with a head cold, or simply feeling too hot or cold in the room will interfere with your ability to comprehend fully the classroom activity.