Introduction

Purpose and Scope of This Book

Intercultural communication is inherently problematic. Different cultural values and communication styles constitute the underlying causes of the difficulties common in this type of communicative interaction. Many of these cultural differences have been identified through observation, surveys and questionnaires. One specific aim of this study is to identify such differences in an examination of spoken discourse, to see which values and which style features are most salient in the data, and to establish the extent to which they impede understanding and contribute to strains in interpersonal relations. A second aim is to establish what contributes to successful interactions, to identify key intercultural and linguacultural-specific communicative competencies and to provide evidence that training can develop these competencies. The implications for language teaching and workplace training suggested by this study are discussed, and some methods and materials designed to achieve the desired outcomes are included as an appendix.

The source of data for this study is a corpus of video and tape recordings of immigrant professionals and native speakers interacting in discussion and problem-solving groups and dyads. There are a large number of interactions, 76 in all, comprising approximately 40 hours of talk, involving 155 non-native speakers and 6 native speakers. The participants come from all continents, from 104 different countries. Many of them completed questionnaires related to the values they identify with and the communication styles they prefer. This has enabled a comparison of these self-reports with the views expressed, and the communicative behaviour exhibited, in the interactions.

A central assumption of this book is that the situational context in which communication occurs plays a significant role in determining the nature of that communication, and findings from one situational context cannot always be extrapolated to other dissimilar contexts. However, a study that identifies differences and problems as well as successes in this type of communication can provide insights useful for teaching and training.

Outline of Content

In this chapter, the form of the book is briefly outlined and the broader purposes of the study discussed. Some background information about Australia's immigration and language programmes is provided in this context. Then, the main discipline areas that have informed this study and current views about the nature of the communication process are briefly outlined. In Chapter 2, the procedure for the data collection and analysis is outlined, and the nature of the situational context in which these interactions took place described. Some comments of a general nature are made about the interactions.

Chapters 3 and 4 are concerned with cultural values. Chapter 3 comprises a brief overview of the literature related to different cultural value systems. This overview provides a frame of reference for the examination of the data. The aim is to see which values are most evident in this data and what influence value clashes have on the interactions. The way in which cultural diversity can play a positive role in problem-solving discussions is also examined. In Chapter 4, examples from the data are analysed for these purposes.

Chapters 5, 6, 7 and 8 are concerned with communication styles. Chapter 5 comprises an outline of the literature on communication styles. This outline, which aims to integrate various frameworks and findings into a coherent overview, again serves as a frame of reference for the analysis of the data in the following three chapters. The objective is to demonstrate where participants exhibit the communication style said to be typical of their culture and where they deviate. The reasons for any deviation are suggested. Chapters 6, 7 and 8 examine the data in relation to the three aspects of communication style that this study has identified as most significant: discourse organisation and rhetorical styles, turn-taking patterns and the distribution of talk, and attitudes towards the expression of opinion and disagreement. A more fully developed and refined framework based on the findings in the data is proposed.

Chapter 9 discusses both intercultural and linguacultural-specific communicative competencies, illustrating how training can develop some of these competencies. Chapter 10 outlines the key findings and conclusions and discusses the implications for teaching and training. Some methods and materials used in practical applications indicated by the findings are included in Appendix 3.

Broader Purposes and Issues Relevant to This Study

What is the purpose of examining the particular type of intercultural communication involved in this study? The data represents an extensive sample of participants who were similar in terms of variables such as age and level of education, in ostensibly non-hierarchical relationship with one another, engaged in very restricted types of speech activities in relatively relaxed settings. Conclusions drawn from it can be compared with those reached about different types of intercultural interactions involving other kinds of participants, activities and settings. The extensive nature of the sample also enables more comprehensive conclusions than could be reached from much smaller samples (Byrne & FitzGerald, 1994; FitzGerald, 1996).

In order to establish which values are the most entrenched and enduring in intercultural encounters taking place in the last decade of the twentieth century, it is useful to get some evidence about the extent to which young, well-educated immigrants with reasonably proficient English subscribe to the values and beliefs of the society they grew up in. This may contribute in a small way to the 'convergence debate': whether with increasing contact and modernisation all groups are converging towards one common endpoint. The answers in the questionnaires completed by the participants provide a means of comparing self-reported attitudes with views expressed in the interactions.

The interactions involving native speakers made it possible to examine some of the claims made about the disadvantages of non-native speakers in such situations. It has been claimed that the...