Edward T. Hall's High Context Low Context Theory on Chinese Culture
CULTURAL ANALYSIS REPORT
THE CHINESE CULTURE
Alfred Chung
100 682 953
International Communication
COMM 2201
Annika Hannan
Messages are transcended without much explanation or explicit descriptions because it is assumed that the receiver will understand. This is Edward T. Hall’s High Context theory. This is the Chinese culture. I am an immigrant from Hong Kong. Although I relocated to Toronto before I came to understand most of my teachings, I did not forget them. As one of the oldest civilizations in the world with almost four thousand years of history, the Chinese culture is most difficult to decipher but not impossible to comprehend. [ (Riel) ] The characters that construct the Chinese language are endless; and it is in the complexity of the language that ‘reading between the lines’ becomes a necessity, not an option. The values of the culture itself can also be seen as a direct result of this high context nature due to the strong beliefs in mutual beneficial relationships, face, and other ideas that are gravely important to being identified as a Chinese individual.
Covert and overt messages can also interchangeably be described as indirect and direct messages. As Hall explains, high-context cultures such as the Chinese transmit and receive messages in a nature where, “very little of the interpretation of the message is left to chance because people already know…the communicative behaviors will have a specific and particular message.” [ (Myron W. Lustig, 2013) ] I interpret this explanation to stem largely from the Chinese language itself. I was raised to speak, read, and write Cantonese. It is required for an individual to familiarize with approximately two thousand characters in order to be considered literate in the language. [ (Cantonese.ca, 2013) ] In the 1950s a reform occurred giving birth to Simplified Chinese in order to promote a broader understanding of the language and aim at a higher literacy rate in China. The overwhelming statistics
THE CHINESE CULTURE
Alfred Chung
100 682 953
International Communication
COMM 2201
Annika Hannan
Messages are transcended without much explanation or explicit descriptions because it is assumed that the receiver will understand. This is Edward T. Hall’s High Context theory. This is the Chinese culture. I am an immigrant from Hong Kong. Although I relocated to Toronto before I came to understand most of my teachings, I did not forget them. As one of the oldest civilizations in the world with almost four thousand years of history, the Chinese culture is most difficult to decipher but not impossible to comprehend. [ (Riel) ] The characters that construct the Chinese language are endless; and it is in the complexity of the language that ‘reading between the lines’ becomes a necessity, not an option. The values of the culture itself can also be seen as a direct result of this high context nature due to the strong beliefs in mutual beneficial relationships, face, and other ideas that are gravely important to being identified as a Chinese individual.
Covert and overt messages can also interchangeably be described as indirect and direct messages. As Hall explains, high-context cultures such as the Chinese transmit and receive messages in a nature where, “very little of the interpretation of the message is left to chance because people already know…the communicative behaviors will have a specific and particular message.” [ (Myron W. Lustig, 2013) ] I interpret this explanation to stem largely from the Chinese language itself. I was raised to speak, read, and write Cantonese. It is required for an individual to familiarize with approximately two thousand characters in order to be considered literate in the language. [ (Cantonese.ca, 2013) ] In the 1950s a reform occurred giving birth to Simplified Chinese in order to promote a broader understanding of the language and aim at a higher literacy rate in China. The overwhelming statistics
Bibliography: Cantonese.ca. (2013). About Cantonese. From Learn Cantonese: http://cantonese.ca/intro.php Luo, L. (2011, May 18). Dispute over new immigrants from the mainland, Hong Kong is unhappy? Retrieved 2013, from China Hush: http://www.chinahush.com/2011/05/18/dispute-over-new-immigrants-from-the-mainland-hong-kong-is-unhappy/ Myron W. Lustig, J. K. (2013). Intercultural Competence (Seventh ed.). (K. Bowers, Ed.) New Jersey, U.S.: Pearson. Riel, B. (n.d.). The Cultural Context China. (Eaton Consulting Group) From http://www.international-mobility.com/uk/interculturel/china.php