Communication Style and Cultural Features in （沟通风格和文化特征在）.pdfVIP

Communication Style and Cultural Features in High/Low Context Communication Cultures: A Case Study of Finland, Japan and India 1 2 3 Shoji Nishimura , Anne Nevgi and Seppo Tella kickaha@waseda.jp anne.nevgi@helsinki.fi seppo.tella@helsinki.fi Waseda University, Japan1 Department of Education, University of Helsinki2 Department of Applied Sciences of Education, University of Helsinki3 Abstract: People from different countries communicate in ways that often lead to misunderstandings. Our argument, based on Hall’s theory of high/low context cul- tures (1959, 1966, 1976, 1983), is that these differences are related to different commu- nication cultures. We argue that Japan and Finland belong to high context cultures, while India is closer to a low context culture with certain high context cultural fea- tures. We contend that Finnish communication culture is changing towards a low- er context culture. Hall’s theory is complemented with Hofstede’s (2008) individu- alism vs. collectivism dimension and with Lewis’s (1999, 2005) cultural categories of communication and Western vs. Eastern values. Examples of Finland, Japan and In- dia are presented. Keywords: high/low context culture, communication style, culture, cultural fea- tures, individualism, collectivism, Finland, Japan, India. Aim of This Article It is generally acknowledged that people from different countries tend to com- municate in slightly different ways. We argue that these differences are more re- lated to different communication cultures than other differences. Being aware of these differences usually leads to better comprehension, fewer misunderstandings and to mutual respect. Our aim in this article is to describe, analyse an