For a communicator to successfully interact with others from a different culture he must know whether his own culture is high or low context and which context is the culture in the interaction. The High Context / Low Context cultural dimension is a broad and far reaching theory which touches on many aspects of cultural communication including verbal and non-verbal messaging, internal and external locus of control, inward and outward reaction, cohesion of groups, people's bonds and commitments, as well . High-Context vs. Low-Context Cultures. Mind the Gap. - Medium The American legal system, for example, relies on low context communication. High Context Marketing & Low Context Marketing on the Internet Low-context cultures are less stable than high-context cultures as they are not founded upon any shared background. Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. According to Hall's theory, the Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents a lower context culture. The verbal and nonverbal cues of low vs. high-context communication can be . 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 . Traditionally, Western cultures are known for being more individualistic or communicating with a low context style. Cite this Article in your Essay (APA Style), Privacy PolicyTerms and ConditionsDisclaimerAccessibility StatementVideo Transcripts. Required fields are marked *, This Article was Last Expert Reviewed on January 24, 2023 by Chris Drew, PhD. High context culture is common wherever there is a relationship between people. In other words, people communicate explicitly in low-context cultures. [2] High-context cultures often exhibit less-direct verbal and nonverbal communication, utilizing small communication gestures and reading more meaning into these less-direct messages. Japan is generally considered a high-context culture, meaning people communicate based on inherent understanding. Learn more about our academic and editorial standards. "[27] This implies that communication is quite direct and detailed because members of the culture are not expected to have knowledge of each other's histories, past experience or background. 3. [18], Therefore, higher-context cultures tend to correlate with cultures that also have a strong sense of tradition and history, and change little over time. India and Japan are typically high-context, highly collectivistic cultures, where business is done by building relationships and maintaining respectful communication. Relationships are easy to build, can start very quickly but end just as soon. On the other hand, low-context culture does not have any such shared background. Culture and Interpersonal Communication. The high and low context cultures in this concept refers to how important contextual cues are in interpreting a message. Lower-context culture: United States, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada and other European nations. Whereas low-context cultures prefer more words (to a certain extent), high-context cultures prefer more images. Many low context cultures are individualist so people openly express their views, and tend to make important information obvious to others. On the other hand, certain intercultural communication skills are unique for each culture and it is significant to note that these overlaps in communication techniques are represented subgroups within social interactions or family settings. Japan and other countries located in Asia, Brazil and other countries located in South America, African tribal groups and most countries located in Africa, A majority of the Middle East, including Iraq and Iran, Describe Edward T. Hall's characterization of high-context cultures, Distinguish between high-context and low-context cultures, Explain the characteristics of high-context cultures, Recall the importance of ingroups to high-context cultures. Unlike low-context cultures, high-context cultures prioritize the group over the individual (Hofstede, 1984). Intercultural Communication in the Workplace, 18. Beyond Culture. Low-context cultures (including North America and much of Western Europe) are logical, linear, individualistic, and action-oriented. Hall and Hall proposed a "spectrum" of national cultures from "High-Context cultures" to "Low-Context Cultures. [23] For example, Native Americans in the United States have higher-context cultures with a strong sense of tradition and history, compared to general American culture. A low-context culture is a culture in which people communicate explicitly. - Uses & Side Effects, What is Amitriptyline? In high-context cultures, language may be used to assist and maintain relationship-building and to focus on process. This allows individuals of different generations to communicate through a shared set of values, which, in turn, provides stability to the culture. High-context communication tends to be more indirect and more formal. Bernstein, B. Examples of high-context cultures include Asian, African, Latin American, and some European countries. Low context culture. 18 Examples of Low Culture. 2022-10-24 The following chart will compare the main differences between high-context vs. low-context cultures and a discussion of example cultures will follow: While nations such as the United States have many low-context situations, it is important to recall that all societies experience high-context events as well. Ironically, contexting is most frequently discussed in terms of directness, yet empirical studies nearly all fail to support this relationship. Low-context cultures can seem slightly more formal due to the explicit & precise nature of their messages. succeed. Leaders in high-context cultures, such as Ethiopia, tend to communicate more implicitly, using more nonverbal communication and expressing more vague verbal messages (at least from the viewpoint of a low-context culture). They place a high value on interpersonal relationships and group members are a very close-knit community. Because low-context communication concerns more direct messages, the meaning of these messages is more dependent on the words being spoken rather than on the interpretation of more subtle or unspoken cues. Your email address will not be published. Since North American business practices tend to follow low-context norms, most of us are more familiar with this system than we are with high-context cultures. The American sample scored the lowest compared to the two "Oriental samples," which aligns with Hall's concept. Low-context cultures tend to be logical, analytical, action-oriented, and concerned with the individual. The Basic Difference Between High-context and Low-context Cultures Both the speaker and listener act under the assumption that all relevant information has been explicitly stated. In a 2008 meta-analysis of 224 articles published between 1990 and 2006, Peter W. Cardon wrote: [T]he theory was never described by Hall with any empirical rigor, and no known research involving any instrument or measure of contexting validates it. We'll also look at how they're different and what that means for your work in global business. A few relevant examples of differences in communication between low- and high-context cultures are found in Table 1. Data was gathered in India, Ireland, Thailand, and the United States where the results confirm that "high-context nations (India and Thailand) prefer the avoiding and obliging conflict styles more than low-context nations (Ireland and the United States), whereas low-context nations prefer the uncompromising and dominating communication style more than high-context nations."[16]. In. [2], Website design among cross-cultural barriers include factoring in decisions about culture-sensitive color meanings, layout preferences, animation and sounds. Examples of low-context cultures include the United States, Australia, and many European countries. Beyond Culture. In contrast, take a look at the ads on the front page of Weibo, which is considered China's version of Facebook. It can imply understanding or agreement, but it can also mean their conversea lack of certainty. This makes high-context cultures difficult to navigate for those who do not understand the culture's unwritten rules. 1. High-context and low-context cultures | Detailed Pedia High-Context & Low-Context Cultures - Cascade Business News They tend to use more slangs, idioms and are generally high pace speakers. 9. For an outsider, it is easier to enter into low-context cultures because one does not need to be aware of the shared history/values of the group. 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. Rules are not directly or explicitly written or stated. Intercultural Communication on Websites: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Websites from High-Context Cultures and Low-Context Cultures. 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). High context culture and low context culture examples. High. 2022-10-25 However, no country is low-context or high-context in absolute terms; instead, there is a mix of explicit & implicit communication everywhere. This concept was introduced by Edward T. Hall, an anthropologist back in 1976. Three samples were gathered from the US, China, and Korea, three different cultures. Order now. 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 Initially, high culture rejects these outsiders but eventually embraces them or appropriates . How Do Chinese and American Culture Compare - Medium The reverse holds true for High (Collectivistic) Context Cultures. It is important to note that while a nation or society may be widely considered a high-context or low-context culture, certain events occur in the opposite context regularly (such as family gatherings in the United States). low-context communication is "the mass of information is vested in the explicit code". (The pedestrians example) people generally use. 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. The scale of high- and low-context cultures helps explain much about how we experience communication across our cultural experiences. [30][32], Families, subcultures and in-groups typically favour higher-context communication.

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