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the tendency to think one’s own culture is superior to other cultures

the characteristics of a population (race, ethnicity, age, sex, income)

difference(s) in a group, culture, or population

similarity in a group, culture, or population

using Anglo or white standards as the criteria for interpretations and judgement of behaviors and attitudes

extremely patriotic to the point of being anti-immigrant

territories that are surrounded by another country’s territory or minority groups living in a majority groups territory

companies that that have operations in two or more nations

a world in which communication technology unites people in remote parts of the world

group of people outside of their home culture that flock together

the way individuals make sense of their multiple images concerning the sense of self in different social contexts

a concept that refers to people taking on the identities of other races, genders, classes, or sexual orientations for recreational purposes

the splitting of the individual psychologically into multiple selves

the study of history to see how communication affects things

focuses on the importance of dialogue in developing and maintaining relationships between individuals and communities

how people use personal space to communicate

the space within which people interact

• 1) intimate
• 2) personal
• 3) social
• 4) public

the assumption that language shapes our view of social reality.

the ability to behave effectively and appropriately in interacting across cultures

• the goal is to predict human behavior
• uses quantatative methods
• researchers assume culture is a variable that can be measured 

how conflict can threaten one’s face

attempts to explain how and why people make particular conversational choices

• attempts to identify how and when individuals accommodate their speech and nonverbal behaviors to others during an interaction
• example: when speaking with international students, we may speak slower and more clearly, use less jargon, and mirror their communication

communication and relationships determine how new ideas are adopted (or not) by individuals and groups

• attempts to answer why things are acceptable or not in different cultures
• uses qualitative methods
• example: rhetorical approach 

gathering data by administering questionnaires

capture people’s meanings in everyday behavior, use participant observation and field studies

texts or public speeches are examined in the contexts in which they occur

focuses on power and how it functions in cultural situations

form with aspects from more than one culture, mostly from the media

emphasizes the relational aspect of IC study

• Cultural-Individual Dialectic
• Personal-Contextual Dialectic
•  Differences-Similarities Dialectic
• Static-Dynamic Dialectic
• History/Past-Present/Future Dialectic
• Privilege-Disadvantage Dialectic 

IC is both cultural and individual, or idiosyncratic

focuses simultaneously on the person and the context

people are simultaneously similar to and different from each other

IC is both static and dynamic at once

focuses on the past and present

people may be simultaneously privileged and disadvantaged, or privileged in some contexts but disadvantaged in others

• S cene : setting of communication
• P articipants : people involved
• E nd : goal of the participants
• A ct Sequence : order of phrases during conversation
• K ey : tone of the conversation
• I nstrumentality : channel of communication
• N orm : rules accepted by society
• G enre : type or category of talk

emphasizes the centrality of cultural values in understanding cultural groups

a belief in the fundamental goodness of human nature

how we change nature in order to better suit our needs

examines value differences among national societies

how people expect and accept the unequal distribution of power

the degree to which people who feel threatened by ambiguous situations respond by avoiding them

histories that focus on political events

written histories that focus on the development of ideas

histories that document everyday life experiences of various groups in the past

the result of concealing the past

• histories of families
• often not written down, but passed along orally from generation to generation

typically learned in the school system

• Racial and Ethnic Histories
• Gender Histories
• Sexual Orientation Histories
• Diasporic Histories
• Colonial Histories
• Socioeconomic Class Histories
• Religious Histories

• childhood experiences
• historical myths
• the language we speak
• recent, vivid events 

the notion that better communication between groups is facilitated by putting people together in the same place and allowing them to interact

• the concept of who we are
• created by self and by relation to group membership 

process of communicating one’s own desired identities while resisting others’ identities

process by which an individual portrays themself

the process by which others attribute identities to an individual

• the communication process by which one is pulled into the social forces that place people into a specific identity
• example: “your male, then be a man”

• Stage 1: Unexamined Identity - members lack interest to learn about identity issues
• Stage 2: Conformity - internalization of values and norms of the dominant group, some have negative attitudes towards themselves and their group
• Stage 3: Resistance and Separatism - period of dissonance, or a growing awareness that not all dominant group values are beneficial to minorities. Often ends with endorsing the values and attitude attributed to the minority
• Stage 4: Integration - an achieved identity

• Stage 1: Unexamined Identity - members lack interest to learn about identity issues
• Stage 2: Acceptance - internalization, conscious or unconscious, of a racist (or biased) ideology
• Stage 3: Resistance - a move from blaming minorities for their condition to blaming their own dominant group as a source of problems, can create a need to distance oneself from the group
• Stage 4: Redefinition - people refocus their energy toward redefining their identity
• Stage 5: Integration - internalize their increased consciousness and integrate their majority identities into all other facets of their identity

• identifying with a particular racial group
• constructed by others 

• a set of ideas about one’s own ethnic group membership
• a sense of belonging to a particular group
• constructed by self and others 

generally, majority members are privileged

people who grow up in many different cultural contexts because their parents relocated

individuals who act as bridges between cultures, facilitating cross-cultural interaction and conflict

• Step 1: Awareness - children recognize messages about identity
• Step 2: Coping - children learn to respond effectively to the racialized messages
• Step 3: Emergence - children select and create their own labels for themselves 

• personal layer: focuses on one’s self-cognition, spiritual self, self-concept, and sense of well being
• enactment layer: how messages express identity
• relational layer: how one’s identity emerges through one’s relationships with others and how relationships themselves possess their own identities
• communal layer: group or community that has a shared identity

• when one interactant imposes an objective and public identity on the other
• example: "you're asian, you must be good with numbers"

people who move into new cultural contexts for a limited period of time and for a specific purpose, such as for study or business

people who come to a new country, region, or environment to settle more or less permanently

people who are forced to relocate permanently because of war, famine, and oppression

people who are forced for a short time to move from their region or country

cultural adaptation when an individual gives up their own culture and adopts the mainstream cultural identity

cultural adaptation when an individual retains their original culture and avoids mainstream culture, can lead to segregation

the policy or practice of compelling groups to live apart from each other

cultural adaptation when an individual maintains both their original culture and the mainstream culture

cultural adaptation when an individual expresses little interest in maintaining cultural ties with either the dominant or migrant culture

process in which individuals learn the rules and customs of new cultural contexts (finally feeling comfortable in a new environment)

focuses on the individual in the adaptation process, individual characteristics and background of the migrant, and the individual outcomes of adaptation

• Anxiety and Uncertainty Management (AUM) Model
• The Transition Model
• The Integrative Model

the state of being emotionally comfortable in a cultural context

• goal is to understand why people act the way they do
• uses qualitative methods 

• U-Curve Model
• W-Curve Model
• Phenomenological Model 

• focuses on the fact that adaptation depends on the context
• some contexts are easier to adapt than others 

• Assumption 1: Humans have an inherent drive to adapt and grow
• Assumption 2: Adaptation to one’s social environment occurs through communication
• Assumption 3: Adaptation is a complex and dynamic process

unlearning of at least some of the old cultural habits 

learning and acquiring the elements of the host culture

minimizes resistance and maximizes willingness

the study of meaning - how individual words communicate the meanings we intend

the study of structure, or grammer - the rules for combining words into meaningful sentences

the study of how meaning is constructed in relation to receivers, how language is actually used in particular contexts in language communities

the study of the sound system of language - how words are pronounced, which sounds are specific for a certain language and which sounds are universal - all about intentions (sarcasm, politeness, etc.)

the view that perception isn’t shaped by the particular language one speaks

the view that the particular language individuals speak, especially the structure of the language, shapes their perception of reality and cultural patterns (Sapir-Whorf)

the view that language shapes our orientation to the world, but is not a “prison”

meaning of a message that tells others how they should respond to the content of our communication based on our relationship to them

style of communication in which much of the information is contained in the contexts and nonverbal cues rather than expressed explicitly in words

style of communication in which much of the information is conveyed in words rather than nonverbal cues and contexts

use of rich, expressive language in everyday talk

values succinct, simple assertions, and silence

ex: African Americans, Asian Americans

ex. 2 mexicans speaking english...creates a kind of 3rd language (spanglish)

ex. asian and mexican speaking english

a technical term in communication that refers to the phenomenon of changing languages, dialects, or even accents

adapting communicative behavior to closer match the other individual in the conversation

the way in which speakers accentuate speech and nonverbal differences between themselves and others

continue in your original speech style despite convergence or divergence of your interlocutor

when one partner converges or diverges to a greater or lesser extent, or fail to react, or behave in a contrasting manner

Non-Native Speaking Mainstream North American Englishes

nonstandard pronunciation

different ways of forming words

variant sentence structures

stereotyping based entirely off accents

hating certain aspects of self because of stereotypes associated with it

when one partner converges or diverges to a greater or lesser extent, or fail to react, or behave in a contrasting manner

verbal and nonverbal messagse that communicate how we feel about others

ex. someone invades your personal "bubble" which could leave negative or positive views of them

• 1) fixed feature space: set boundaries
• 2) semifixed feature space: furniture
• 3) informal/personal space: "bubble" 

cultures that stand close together

cultures in which people stand further apart

the study of vocal behaviors like voice qualities and vocalization

the "music" of the human voice

sounds we utter that do not have the structure of a language

the concept of time and the rules that govern its use

an orientation to time that assumes it is linear and is a commodity that can be lost or gained

an orientation to time that sees it as circular and more holistic

analysis of the nature of and relationship between signs

process of producing meaning

in semiotics the meanings that emerge from the combination of the signifiers and signified

dictionary definition

has to do with emotions, positive or negative (foxy)

in semiotics, anything that is expressed in arbitrary words or signifiers

popular things, television, music, videos

ballet, symphony, opera, fine art

nonmainstream cultural activities that are not financially driven

industries that produce and sell popular culture as commodities

pop culture messages whether TV, movies, advertisements, etc.

domination or control through media

domination or exploitation utilizing technological forms

domination through the spread of cultural products