Extra linguistic issues in intercultural communication worldview,rituals and customs

Intercultural, finally, refers to exchanges taking place between different cultures.

So, in a nutshell, intercultural communication relates to interactions among people from different cultures, while cross-cultural communication involves comparing interactions among people from the same culture to those from another culture.

• How to improve your intercultural communication skills
• Apply these tried and tested strategies to improve your intercultural communication skills:
• Prepare: Do your research and find out who you will be dealing with. Look into the cultural norms and social customs of the location. If you are traveling to China, South Korea, or Japan, for example, check out our country guides before you set off!
• Learn the language: It will no doubt be a huge benefit and much appreciated if you show that you’ve made an effort to learn your counterpart’s language. They will surely respect you for it, and this could boost your relationship.
• Observe: When you first interact with a representative of the unfamiliar culture, listen carefully and closely observe their behavior. Pay particular attention to how they respond to different communication styles, and also look for similarities to your own culture.
• Be open-minded and self-aware: Forget all blanket assumptions you may have had about the other culture. After all, people are still individuals with their own preferences, so be aware of any preconceived ideas you may have and challenge them.
• Ask questions: If you’re unsure about something or think you may have misunderstood what’s being asked of you, it’s perfectly fine to ask and clarify rather than guessing and potentially committing an embarrassing faux pas.
• Seek help: to coach you in the culture of your target country. You can ask them any question you like and draw on their hands-on experience.

• Worldview in intercultural communication represents an intercultural adaptation of worldview research originally from the humanities, theology, philosophy, and social sciences, particularly anthropology and linguistics. The concept refers to cognitive structures and holistic belief systems often shared by members of a culture perceived to influence one’s life space intersecting with deeply held assumptions on topics such as events, relationships, natural forces, deity, power, social hierarchy, and change that explain not only one’s cognitive map but also communication regarding current experiences and future event predictions. The notion can be said to inform the deepest layers of a culture’s experience. Some scholars trace the modern use of the concept to the 19th century with Humboldt’s application of the terms Weltanschauung and Weltbegriff, referring to beliefs defining how a culture or an individual interprets and interacts with the world. In sum, intercultural worldview is a quasi-metaphysical mental map influencing one’s thinking, doing, communicating, and discernment of others, nature, and self.

• Rituals of different peoples of the contemporary world are presented in the article, perceived as a universal means of intercultural communication. The authors review some secular rituals of North America and religious ones of the Russian Caspian region. The coming-of-age ceremony of the North American Indian Apache community is submitted as a particular fulfillment of the contemporaneity’s interethnic communications. The Apache’s rite of passage attracts not only members of the Native American tribe but also the plethora of travelers worldwide. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the rituals in their function of integrating people of a particular ethnic culture and representatives of the others, participating in a ritual as spectators. The authors underline the humanistic and communicative traits of the rituals.

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