high and low context cultures examples

Low-context communicators dont need to be provided with much background information, but they do expect messages to be professional, efficient, and linear in their logic. China, Japan, Turkey, and Mexico are some countries that lean towards high-context. succeed. [2] Collectivist societies prioritize the group over the individual, and vice versa for individualist ones. Eye contact, for example, which is encouraged in North America, may have ambiguous meaning or be considered disrespectful in certain high-context cultures. In high-context cultures, people are said to prefer symbolic, artful language that is implicit. Examples of high-context cultures include Asian, African, Latin American, and some European countries. Flowery language, humility, and elaborate apologies are typical. However, this type of segregation is not rigid, but takes the form of a gradient since the contextual base of a culture is not a quantifiable but relative concept. High-context cultures promote the development of ingroups. For example, Hall describes how Japanese culture has both low- and high-context situations. Depending on the amount of information conveyed, cultures are classified as being high-context and low-context. An in-depth understanding of cultural norms is not required because the communication is explicit. 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Because of this, many features of cultural behavior in high-context cultures, such as individual roles and expectations, do not need much detailed or thought-out explanation. Note: Comparison of low- and high-context cultures reprinted from Business communication: Process & product (p. 64) by M.E. They also displayed pictures of individuals, while high-context websites foregrounded group pictures. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. Monochronic vs. Polychronic Communication Styles | What Are Chronemics? When it comes to emails, texts, and online messaging, low-context cultures use it to fire off quick, frequent messages. Instead, they depend on the explicit code of the words and written rules to convey meaning. Examples of high and low context cultures It can be helpful to consider a few examples of high and low context cultures. Hofstede, G. (1984). Croucher, S., Bruno, A, McGrath, P, Adams, C, McGahan, C, Suits, A & Huckins, A. This allows individuals of different generations to communicate through a shared set of values, which, in turn, provides stability to the culture. In low-context countries, things need to be spelled out a bit more. In anthropology, high-context culture and low-context culture are ends of a continuum of how explicit the messages exchanged in a culture are and how important the context is in communication. Low-context cultures are less stable than high-context cultures as they are not founded upon any shared background. Low-context cultures tend to be logical, analytical, action-oriented, and concerned with the individual. Your email address will not be published. Trompenaars' Cultural Dimensions Model & Examples | 7 Dimensions of Culture, Hofstede's Uncertainty Avoidance | Culture, Example & Index, Developing an Audience-Centered Presentation, Methods to Increase the Accuracy of Impressions, Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation | Hofstede, Culture & Concept, Cross-Cultural Interactions & Relationships in Agile Organizations. Hall, E. T. (1976). Message is carried more by words than by nonverbal means. [12] Typically a low-context culture will be less close-knit, and so individuals communicating will have fewer relational cues when interpreting messages. (2013)[2]explain the concept of cultural context: Cultural context is a concept developed by cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall. The high and low context cultures in this concept refers to how important contextual cues are in interpreting a message. [30] Many singular cultures that are large have subcultures inside of them, making communication and defining them more complicated than the low-context and high-context culture scale. By contrast, a low-context culture enjoys communications that take place most often through written or spoken (verbal) speech and rules are directly and explicitly stated. These problems can be separated into differences concerning "direction", "quantity" and "quality." A high-context culture is one in which communication may be more unspoken rather than explicit - for example, much attention is paid to body language, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues in order to discern a speaker's meaning. Seekprofessional input on your specific circumstances. Sourabh Yadav (MA) and Peer Reviewed by Chris Drew (PhD), Bureaucratization (Sociology): Definition, Features, Origins, Stereotype Content Model: Examples and Definition. 231 lessons. Because of this, communication can change drastically from one generation to the next, creating communication gaps between parents and children. We cite peer reviewed academic articles wherever possible and reference our sources at the end of our articles. Hall identifies high-context cultures as those in which harmony and the well-being of the group is preferred over individual achievement. Examples of low-context cultures include the United States, Australia, and many European countries. In his work, "Beyond Culture", Hall described these two different types of cultural relationships as they applied to information. Cultural contexts are not absolutely "high" or "low". They assume that listeners know very little and must be told practically everything. [5], These concepts were first introduced by the anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his 1959 book The Silent Language. They also are AT-CTI certified. Explain the differences between high- and low-context cultures, giving examples of each. High- context cultures are often collectivist in nature and largely defined by group communications, as well as the development or promotion of ingroups, or groups that individuals may become loyal to. Reviewers ensure all content reflects expert academic consensus and is backed up with reference to academic studies. Intercultural Communication on Websites: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Websites from High-Context Cultures and Low-Context Cultures. . Within high-context cultures, people rely on their networks of friends and family, viewing their relationships as part of one large community. Dr. Drew has published over 20 academic articles in scholarly journals. The terms low-context and high-context usually refer to language groups or nationalities. Edward T. Hall describes low-context culture as one in which: most of the information is either in the explicit code or readily available elsewhere (Hall, 1976). The theory of High and Low Context Cultures puts how people communicate in a dimension. In. It can imply understanding or agreement, but it can also mean their conversea lack of certainty. The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau. Characteristics of Low Context People behave according to rules Preference is given to knowledge sharing and transfer Relationships do not last longer On purpose relationships This is in contrast to lower-context cultures in which the shared experiences upon which communication is built can change drastically from one generation to the next, creating communication gaps between parents and children, as in the United States.[18]. However, there are some other characteristics also. High context cultures tend to build relationships slowly, and they are generally stable for a long time and are based on trust and loyalty. What is the role of such non-verbal communication in business relationships? France. The hypotheses tested indicated the high-context culture in Mexico would provide different motives for communication when compared with the low-context culture of the U.S. Want to create or adapt books like this? It describes the level of explicit information and the importance of context in a given culture, indicating the range of communicative abilities (verbal messages, gestures, etc.) Carolyn Meyer (2017)[4]discusses the prototypes for communication in low-context and high-context cultures: Communicators in low-context cultures (such as those in Germany, Scandinavia, and North America) convey their meaning exclusive of the context of a situation. This can be quite confusing to an outsider, especially someone from a low-context culture who is used to communicating via explicit messages. Routledge. Interaction. Hofstede, G. (1984). Low-context and high-context cultures are the ends of a continuum portraying how cultures communicate. Focusing on tradition creates opportunities for higher-context messages between individuals of each new generation, and the high-context culture feeds back to the stability hence allows the tradition to be maintained. High Context vs. Low Context High-context is that "most of the information is either in the physical context or initialized in the person, while very little is in the coded, explicit, transmitted part of the message." (Hall). [22], The concept of elaborated and restricted codes was introduced by sociologist Basil Bernstein in his book Class, Codes and Control. In contrast, the use of restricted codes indicates that speakers and listeners do share a great deal of common background and perspectives, and hence much more can be taken for granted, and thus expressed implicitly or through nuance: restricted codes tend to be more context-dependent. On the other hand, low-context culture does not have any such shared background. High vs. Low Power Distance Cultural Communications | What are High and Low Power Distance Cultural Communications? Goodwill Messages and Recommendations. So the poor cow's life depends on the country, where it was born: whether it is going to be worshipped or to end up on someone's . Communicating with high-context cultures can require you to focus on politeness strategies that demonstrate your respect for readers and listeners. Power Distance Index & Examples | What is Power Distance? Members of ingroups usually share many characteristics and experiences. Communicators in high-context cultures pay attention to more than the words spoken they also pay attention to interpersonal relationships, nonverbal expressions, physical settings, and social settings. Instead, many cultures tend to have a mixture or at least some concepts that are shared between them, overlapping the two context cultures.[26]. Once again we return to the differences between high-context and low-context cultures. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Language may be used to achieve goals or exchange information. This is in direct contrast to low-context cultures, in which information is communicated primarily through language and rules are explicitly spelled out. 18 Examples of Low Culture. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. This article was peer-reviewed and edited by Chris Drew (PhD). Wurtz studied McDonalds online advertising in various countries such as Japan, Germany, the United States, etc. Members of high-context cultures usually have close relationships that last for an extended period of time. Low-Context Culture Communication & Examples | What Is Low-Context Culture? Your message needs to be clear and precise. People within high-context cultures tend to be more aware and observant of facial expressions, body language, changes in tone, and other aspects of communication that are not directly spoken. A number of unique characteristics exist to make a clear distinction between high-context vs. low-context cultures and methods of communication. [38] By contrast, low-context cultures tend to change more rapidly and drastically, allowing extension[definition needed] to happen at faster rates. Most of the cultural behavior aspects are not open for the reason that many of the members are aware of what to do and what thoughts to engage in. - Uses & Side Effects, What is Amitriptyline? High-context cultures also value group harmony above individual achievement. Culture is a combination of our thoughts, roles, manners, values, etc. Words: 825. [37] Because individualistic cultures may value cultural diversity, a more explicit way of communicating is often required to avoid misunderstanding. High context cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French. We'll also look at how they're different and what that means for your work in global business. Meaning is determined not by what is said but by how it is said and by how social implications such as the communicators status and position come into play. The general terms "high context" and "low context" (popularized by Edward Hall) are used to describe broad-brush cultural differences between societies. - Dosage & Side Effects, Anxiolytic: Definition, Medications & Dependence, What is Citalopram? Russia is a high context country with a culture that revolves around collectivism and interdependence on group relationships. In high cultures, much of the communication is understood by the group either by non-verbal coding, which refers to common body language; distinct in-groups and out-group's, which refers to the cohesiveness of the group; and covert and implicit messages, which refers to what we refer . In contrast, high-context cultures use facial expressions, body language, and gestures in a nuanced manner. Ironically, contexting is most frequently discussed in terms of directness, yet empirical studies nearly all fail to support this relationship. Having a firm grasp on what constitutes high- and low-context, particularly in a communication setting, will truly help you better understand each . 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