3.1 Communicating Under Different Cultural Contexts

We have already learned that quite a few conventional, culture-specific gestures that can be used as replacement for words and some nonverbal communication behaviors appear to be innate to some degrees because they are universally recognized. However, norms for nonverbal communication vary from country to country, and among cultures within a particular country ranging from complimentary to highly offensive. On the one hand, the expansion of media together with the trend of globalization, is leading to more similarities among cultures concerning nonverbal communication. On the other hand, it also exposes more cultural differences in nonverbal communication mainly in terms of two aspects: How can the same meaning be expressed by different nonverbal signals in different cultures and how can the same nonverbal signal mean different things in different countries?

3.1.1 Differences in Greetings

1) Handshaking vs. bowing

There are many different ways to greet people around the world. Shaking hands is probably the most common greeting method and we have learned in detail some of the guidelines towards a successful handshake but it is not always done the same way. In the United States and Canada, for example, people usually give a strong handshake. It is short, but rather firm. While in Mexico and Egypt for example, a handshake usually lasts a little longer. It handshake is softer, not as strong.

Handshaking is not all that popular. For example bowing is the preferred nonverbal greeting over handshaking in Japan. The way Japanese bow varies based on status, with higher status people bowing the least (see Fig. 3.1). An interesting ritual associated with the bow is the exchange of business cards before bowing when greeting someone in Japan. This exchange allows each person to view the other person's occupation and title first, which provides useful information to determine who should bow more. Since bowing gives each person a good view of the other person's shoes, it is very important to have clean shoes that are in good condition, since they play an important part of initial impression formation.

2) Differences in bowing

It is not just in Japan, bowing is the traditional way of greeting in many Northeast Asian countries to show respect as well. However, even bowing varies among these cultures.In Japan, when you bow, you do not look directly at the other person's eyes. However, in the Republic of Korea, it is important to see the other person's face when you bow. Because in some cultures especially the Western countries, eye contact is interpreted as attentiveness and honesty. Such eye contact aversion, however, could be seen as a sign that the other person is being deceptive, bored, or rude. This is exactly the opposite in Hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern cultures; eye contact is thought to be disrespectful or rude. Therefore, avoiding eye contact is considered a sign of respect. Some native American nations teach that people should avoid eye contact with elders, teachers, and other people with status. Funny thing is that, as gaze can indicate intimacy, quite a few cultures have similar rules that women should especially avoid eye contact with men because it can be taken on as a sign of sexual interest.

3.1.2 Differences in Approval and Disapproval Movements

1) Differences in head movements

A head nod is a universal sign of acknowledgement in cultures where the formal bow is no longer used as a greeting. In these cases, nodding the head up and down essentially serves as an abbreviated bow, which later on evolves to signify “yes.” In Tonga , raising the eyebrows indicates agreement or liking. On the contrary, shaking head back and forth is almost an innate and universal head movement to signal “no.” This nonverbal signal begins at birth, as babies shake their head from side to side to reject their mother's breast and later shake their head to reject being spoon-fed. However, differences in nodding and shaking the head to indicate agreement and disagreement also exist. The Greeks have used the upward nod for disagreement as well as the Iranians and Italians and the downward nod for agreement for at least three thousand years.

2) Differences in hand movements

Besides shaking their head from side to side, the Europeans prefer to use handshakes to show “No, ” the same as the Chinese. People from Mexico and Costa Rica use the gesture of shaking the whole hand from side to side with the index finger extended and the palm outward. A similar gesture is used all the way in Japan. In Bolivia and Honduras , people wave the index finger as a negative sign. In Lebanon , negativity can also be expressed by shaking the index finger side to side. In Bangladesh , the thumb up sign is used to show disapproval or rejection. Many countries, including France and a number of Latin American countries, show approval by the “thumbs up” gesture. Nevertheless, in Kenya , the two-thumbs sign means approval. In many parts of the world people often use hand clapping to show thanks and positive feelings, but in Spain, it is used to summon a waiter at a restaurant.

3) High-contact culture vs. low-contact culture

We have learned how nonverbal cues can affect relationships by expressing interpersonal attitudes and communicating interpersonal closeness through a series of nonverbal actions known as immediacy behaviors like touching, open body positions, and eye contact. Low-contact culture such as Japan requires people to stand farther apart, make less eye contact, and touch less during regular interactions when talking to others while people in high-contact cultures are more intended to stand closer together, engage in more eye contact, touch more frequently, and speak more loudly. Central and South America, southern Europe, and the Middle East are often classified as high-contact regions; in contrast, Asia and northern Europe are viewed as low-contact.

Classifying cultures as either high- or low-contact inevitably covers up differences. For example, Central and South America are both classified as “high-contact, ” but quite a few scholars state that observation of people interacting in natural settings suggests that public touching and holding decrease as one moves south from Costa Rica to Panama to Colombia . In addition, as we noted earlier in Chapter 2 when we compare the idea of “closeness”between Americans and Chinese, when labelling a culture as high- or low-contact, we should not forget that there are likely to be important variations within a culture. For example, black Americans tend to establish larger interpersonal distances for conversation than white Americans do, but they also engage in more touch. As we reflect on high- and low-contact cultures, we should also recognize the importance of distinguishing between the frequency of an action and its possible meaning. Two cultures may display different frequencies of touch, especially in public zones, but it is a separate question as to whether the meanings attached to those touches are different as well. Communicating intimacy through touch could be done similarly in both cultures even though one culture allows more public touching than the other does.

Group Work

Watch the video clip from the movie Inglourious Basterds.Try to discuss with your partner why the spy's undercover was blown.

Although the spy passed the test for accent and cultural background knowledge, it is the sign that he did for three that gave him away. Remember that emblems are gestures that correspond to an agreed-on meaning. When we use our fingers to count, we are using emblematic gestures, but even our way of counting varies among cultures. Take the hand gesture for example. If a man is from the United States or Britain, then he is most likely to hold up his index finger and middle finger to indicate the number two. However, if the man is from a European country such as France, Germany, or Greece, he is more likely to hold up his thumb and index finger. Since nonverbal signs are mostly voluntary and therefore difficult to control with adequate self-monitoring. Now go back to the movie, pay attention to how the spy signifies the number three, and do a little research on how the Germans would indicate three. If you are interested, try to find out more about the cultural differences in counting, especially how the Chinese way of counting is different from other countries.

Nuances across different aspects of nonverbal communication can be found in cultures all around the world especially in terms of typical emblems such as greeting methods or gestures to show approval or disapproval. These differences can often lead to miscommunication between people of different cultures, who usually do not mean to offend. That is why context matters a lot when trying to interpret nonverbal signals. One of the possible reasons for these differences is that different countries may fall into two categories of cultural behavioral patterns: high-contact culture and low-contact culture, which vary significantly, in how they express immediacy and closeness. However, it is important to note that these differences are not absolute due to the involuntary and ambiguous nature of nonverbal communication. The meanings of nonverbal cues are always greatly influenced by specific context where they took place. They can also vary between genders within the same cultural group.

Exercises

1. Choose the best answer from the following choices.

1) Which of the following statements concerning handshaking is NOT right?

A. In the United States, people usually give a soft handshake.

B. In Canada, people usually give a short but rather firm handshake.

C. In Mexico, a handshake usually lasts a little longer.

D. In Egypt, a handshake is softer, not as strong.

2) Which one of the following is NOT the characteristic of high-contact cultures?

A. Standing closer together.

B. Engaging in less eye contact.

C. Touching more frequently.

D. Speaking more loudly.

3) How would a man from Germany signify number two with his fingers?

A. Holding up his ring finger and index finger.

B. Holding up his middle finger and index finger.

C. Holding up his thumb and little finger.

D. Holding up his thumb and index finger.

4) In which of the following countries is it important to see the other person's face when you bow?

A. Japan.

B. The Republic of Korea.

C. The US.

D. France.

5) In which of the following countries is it appropriate to use the OK sign as indication of strong approval or goodness?

A. The US.

B. Russia.

C. Brazil.

D. Turkey.

2. Tell whether the following statements are true or false.

1) How the same meaning expressed by different nonverbal signals in different cultures is one of the major aspects of nonverbal differences in cultural context.

2) The Japanese usually exchange business cards before bowing which provides useful information to determine who should bow more.

3) There is no difference between the cultures that are classified into the same categories as either high- or low-contact.

4) In Hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern cultures, eye contact is thought to be disrespectful or rude.

5) Do not use the thumbs up sign in Greece, Russia, and Saudi near West Africa because you will be insulting the recipient.

3. Finish the following tasks with your own understanding.

1) Do a little research on the history on the “V-sign” to find out how the meaning of it changes along history.

2) Japanese people use bowing as greeting methods on various occasions (see Fig. 3.2). Do a little research on how the meaning changes as the depth of the bow changes and explore if there are any differences among other cultures that prefer bowing to other greeting methods.

Complementary: Signs Not to Use Casually Abroad

In the previous text, we have discussed in detail how nonverbal communication signs vary across different cultures, mainly about how the same thing is represented by different signs in different countries. In fact, as it was mentioned before, the same sign can also mean very different things in different cultures. For example, the sign for five in China with the whole palm facing out is very insulting in Greece. Next, we will reveal in detail some common gestures that may get you into trouble if not used in accordance with its cultural contexts (see Fig. 3.3).

The “OK” sign originates from North America to mean strong approval or goodness and it later becomes quite well received in many other cultures as well. The fact that this symbol is commonly seen in the emoji list of almost all IME tools and chatting software or apps is a sign of its popularity around the world. However, it is obscene or rude in Russia, Brazil,Turkey, and the Mediterranean along the lines of saying that you are a homosexual. Besides, in France and Belgium it means the recipient is a worthless zero. So be careful with it.

If you go to the Philippines whatever you do do not tell someone to come here by curling your finger forward and motioning repeatedly unless you want to be arrested. It is considered a gesture of fitting only used on a dog and it is punishable with jail time if you have done to a person.

Thumbs up sign means well done or is commonly used by hitchhikers in the US but do not use it in Greece, Russia, and Saudi Arabia near West Africa because you will be insulting the recipient.

The sign that many people use to note victory or peace in America, or people commonly do for the cameras to show loveliness in China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea is the same as the “F” bomb in Great Britain, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.

(For more information, please watch the video clip of Hand Jive: Top Seven Common American Hand Gestures That Can Get You in Trouble Abroad or visit the website of www.PimsleuarApproach.com.)