Appropriateness in
Intercultural Communication
and Its Implication for EFL
Teaching
Zhao Wenxue , Gu Fei
College of Foreign Languages,
Jilin University
I. Appropriateness and
Intercultural Communication:
Basic Notions
 1.1
Definition of appropriateness

the use of language in ways that are
not only correct linguistically, but also
proper and acceptable sociocultually.
1.2 Appropriateness and
correctness
Two different concepts with two different
standards of effectiveness in communication.
 The former usually stresses functional
aspect and being suitable for a particular
occasion or purpose while the latter
emphasizes being free from any structural
mistakes.

 what
is said may be linguistically correct, but
socioculturally inappropriate.
1.3 Norms of appropriateness
Com. takes place in context. So, the norms of
approp. are multidimensional & closely related to
different elements making up context.
 Time, space & membership of a particular nation
form three major, determining factors at macrolevel for the judgment of approp. in a
communicative event.
 It is also judged by the elements of context at
micro-level including the specific occasion,
purpose and other sociocultural factors .

1.4 Appropriateness and
intercultural communication
 Gudykunst
(1992): intercultural com. is “a
transactional, symbolic process involving the
attribution of meaning between people from
different cultures.”
 Samovar and Porter (1998) :“com. between
people whose cultural perceptions and
symbol systems are distant enough to alter
the com. event.”
In the process of verbal transaction, people of
different cultures often follow different rules. It is
these rules of interaction that determine what is
proper and what is not in their daily encounters.
 Differences in such rules are manifestations of and
deeply rooted in the uniqueness of cult.s to which
people belong. Consequently, what is appropriate
for people in one cul. may not necessarily be
appropriate for people in another since their
cultural perceptions and symbol systems may be
distant enough to alter the com. event.

II. An Analysis of Appropriateness
in Intercultural Communication
 2.1
Appropriateness and timing

When to talk and when to remain
silent, who speaks first and who
introduces the topic often vary from cul.
to cul. and are issues for attention in
intercultural com. Obviously, people from
different cul.s adhere to different rules of
speaking.

On such occasion, it is of paramount
importance to every interlocutor to say the
right thing at the right time, and to know that
silence may convey quite different meanings
to different people. Therefore, find a good
timing of speaking is a significant step
toward effective intercultural com..
2.2 Appropriateness and topic
choice
 Choosing
the right topic is also an important
step to achieve approp. in intercultural com..
Due to cultural differences, some topics that
are appropriate in one cul. may be rather
inappropriate or taboos in another.
2.3 Appropriateness and manner
 Manner
of speaking, i.e., the lan. style, is
closely related to approp.. Different
situations require different styles of com..
Formal, important situations call for formal
words and means of transmission. Style is
not just peripheral ornament added to a
speech already thought through; style and
content are organically related.

In order to express a certain meaning, we
have a list of choices of linguistic forms that
have similar linguistic functions. However, in
actual com., only one or two of them is
appropriate for the specific communicative
purpose. So choosing an appropriate
manner to express meaning is also
significant for successful communication.
III. Factors Affecting Approp. in
Intercultural Com.
 3.1
Cultural differences

In most cases, at least two cultures are
usually involved in an intercultural com.
event where differences between such
cultures interact and often clash. So,
owing to these differences, what is
appropriate in one cul. is not necessarily
appropriate in another.
 Belief,
values ,norms and many other
aspects of culture affect the approp. in
intercultural com.. What are regarded as
appropriate, acceptable or inappropriate,
unacceptable in such interaction are simply
manifestations of different belief, values,
and norms.
3.2 Difference in communicative
ability
 Communicative
ability comprises several
aspects :1) linguistic competence;2) ability
to distinguish between linguistic forms he
has mastered and their communicative
functions;3) command of skills and
strategies needed to use language to
communicate meanings as effectively as
possible in any specific situations.
to use feedback to judge his success in
exchange, and remedy failure, if it occurs,
by using appropriate language.
 Due to various factors, communicators may
differ a great deal in communicative ability.

IV.Strategies for the achievement
of approp. in inter. com.
4.1 Enhancing the awareness of culture
differences

Robert G. Hanvey (1979) : four levels of
intercultural awareness:

Level 1. a person may know some superficial
or very visible cultural traits, stereotypes.

Level 2. a person knows, through either direct
or second-hand experiences, of significant and
subtle cultural traits that contrast markedly with his
own practices.


Level 3. a person accepts the cultural
traits intellectually.

Level 4. a person has the awareness of
how another culture feels from the
standpoint of the insider. This is denoted as
empathy. ‘Empathy is the capacity to see
oneself in the other fellow’s situation. This is
an indispensable skill for people moving out
of traditional settings’

4.2 Developing communicative
competence

For foreign language learners, the first basic step
is to possess the ability to speak, listen, write and
read in the target language. In other words, the
communicators must attain as high a degree as
possible of linguistic competence of the target
language. When a communicator has acquired all
those skills, he is supposed to be linguistically
qualified for effective communication with native
speakers.
 Good
knowledge of the linguistic system is a
necessary condition for effective com., but
not sufficient. Communicators must develop
abilities for using appropriate language to
communicate meanings as effectively as
possible in concrete situations.
Conclusion

Approp. is a rather complicated concept and
achieving it in intercultural com. is by no means an
easy task. The interlocutors have to take many
factors into consideration and need to work hard
on it. Being able to use appropriate lan. to achieve
effective and successful com. in different situations
is of great importance not only to EFL teaching
and learning, but also to any one who wishes to
avoid failure in intercultural interaction.
 Thank
You for Your Attention