辨别文化差异，跳出交际误区.docVIP

【标题】辨别文化差异，跳出交际误区 【作者】曾姗姗 【关键词】跨文化交际差异；交际误会；跨文化交际能力 【指导老师】白 敏 谷 茂 【专业】英语 【正文】I. Introduction?A. Definition of Culture and Its ComponentsThe term culture, although usually taken for granted, has been defined in many ways:Howard defines it as the customary manner in which human groups learn to organize their environment. Havilland calls it a set of rules or standards shared by members of society which when acted upon by the members, produces behavior that falls within a range that members consider proper and acceptable. Anthropologists define culture as any human behavior that is learned rather than genetically transmitted.1?They believe that culture is not necessarily high or low; it exists in any type or stage of civilization. In addition, the cultural patterns that are typical of a certain group communicate the essence of that group. Culture distinguishes one group of people from another. These and other definitions all point to the fact that culture is all-pervasive, including customs and habits, ideas and beliefs but also the artifacts made by humans.?? This is probably the most widely accepted definition of culture that culture is the total accumulation of beliefs, customs, values, behaviors, institutions and communication patterns that are shared, learned and passed down through the generations in an identifiable group of people.And culture has two major components: the material and nonmaterial. While the former refers to tangible items such as cars, watches, television sets, and houses, the latter is comprised of intangible elements such as values, beliefs and customs. Both the material and nonmaterial components of culture play a major role in influencing people’s perceptions of reality, thought and behavior patterns. The nonmaterial component of culture can be illustrated by the following examples: values, norms, beliefs, emotions, attitudes, aspirations, laws and symbols.B. Definition of Communication and Intercultural CommunicationWe l