"[17] On the other hand, he identified countries such as Germany, the United States and Scandinavia as low-context cultures. You can find his work on The Print, Live Wire, and YouTube. Researchers today are using it greatly to study different cultures all over the world. for only $11.00 $9.35/page. [5]:4223, Characteristics of high-context and low-context cultures, Examples of higher- and lower-context cultures, Overlap and contrast between context cultures, How higher context relates to other cultural metrics. Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. On the other hand, low-context culture does not have any such shared background. 2. High-context cultures usually do not have rules that are explicitly written or stated. Low-context and high-context culture are anthropological concepts that describe the level of explicit information and the importance of context in a cultures communication. Examples of low-context cultures include Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Canada, and the United States. [30] Many singular cultures that are large have subcultures inside of them, making communication and defining them more complicated than the low-context and high-context culture scale. Context is less important than words. The cultural context. According to Hall's theory, Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents lower context. Within high-context cultures, people rely on their networks of friends and family, viewing their relationships as part of one large community. In the United States, Native Americans and Hawaiian islanders are also considered high-context. Sourabh Yadav is a freelance writer & filmmaker. The study tested 16 items, covering various aspects of the high-versus-low context concept, including social orientation, responsibility, confrontation, communication, commitment, and dealing with new situations. Since a high-context culture is based on fewer, deeper relations with people, there are many unspoken social rules and understandings within the culture. Trompenaars' Cultural Dimensions Model & Examples | 7 Dimensions of Culture, Hofstede's Uncertainty Avoidance | Culture, Example & Index, Developing an Audience-Centered Presentation, Methods to Increase the Accuracy of Impressions, Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation | Hofstede, Culture & Concept, Cross-Cultural Interactions & Relationships in Agile Organizations. A few predominantly high-context cultures include Japan, China, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa. The continuum pictures how people communicate with others through their range of communication abilities: utilizing gestures, relations, body language . Traditionally, Western cultures are known for being more individualistic or communicating with a low context style. In, Meyer, C. (2017). copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. In high-context cultures (such as those in Japan, China, Korea, and Arab countries), communication relies heavily on non-verbal, contextual, and shared cultural meanings. [32] Since all sets of cultures differ, especially from a global standpoint where language also creates a barrier for communication, social interactions specific to a culture normally require a range of appropriate communication abilities that an opposing culture may not understand or know about. These countries are quite explicit and elaborate without having prior knowledge to each member's history or background. [35], The concepts of collectivism and individualism have been applied to high- and low-context cultures by Dutch psychologist Geert Hofstede in his Cultural Dimensions Theory. After you have finished with this lesson, you should be able to: To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. When individuals from high-context and low-context cultures collaborate, there are often difficulties that occur during the exchange of information. "[28] In such cultures, people are highly perceptive of actions. High vs. Low Power Distance Cultural Communications | What are High and Low Power Distance Cultural Communications? France. [39][40] In high-context cultures, facial expressions and gestures take on greater importance in conveying and understanding a message, and the receiver may require more cultural context to understand "basic" displays of emotions. The following high-context culture examples are a few global cultures where these rules, as well as other characteristics of high-context cultures, apply predominantly: For additional context, a few examples of low-context cultures beyond the United States include Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Finland, and Denmark. Power Distance Index & Examples | What is Power Distance? High-context cultures are collectivist, value interpersonal relationships, and have members that form stable, close relationships. Information has to be explicit and detailed for the message to be conveyed without distortion. Yolanda has taught college Psychology and Ethics, and has a doctorate of philosophy in counselor education and supervision. The same applies for the other characteristics in varied countries. The study suggests that in high-context cultures, such as China and Korea, people tend to be more socially oriented, less confrontational, and more complacent with existing ways of living compared to people from low-context cultures like the US.[23]. Contexts in source publication. 3. High-context cultures are more likely to be intuitive, contemplative, and concerned with the collective. In this context, we will discuss those topics also. Russians employ a communication style that relies on environmental, non-verbal, traditional, and symbolic cues when communicating. Cultures and languages are defined as higher or lower context on a spectrum. As such, what is said is what is meant, and further analysis of the message is usually unnecessary. 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). In the 1970's, anthropologist Edward T. Hall coined the phrases "high-context culture" and "low- context culture.". It describes the level of explicit information and the importance of context in a given culture, indicating the range of communicative abilities (verbal messages, gestures, etc.) These are some important high-context culture characteristics to look out for. Culture is a combination of our thoughts, roles, manners, values, etc. [2], Website design among cross-cultural barriers include factoring in decisions about culture-sensitive color meanings, layout preferences, animation and sounds. The general terms "high context" and "low context" (popularized by Edward Hall) are used to describe broad-brush cultural differences between societies. The aim of this report is to evaluate the concept of different communication cultures through the application of Hall's high and low-context model of culture. [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. This is in contrast to lower-context cultures in which the shared experiences upon which communication is built can change drastically from one generation to the next, creating communication gaps between parents and children, as in the United States.[18]. In. - Definition & Assessment, Bipolar vs. Borderline Personality Disorder, Atypical Antipsychotics: Effects & Mechanism of Action, What Is a Mood Stabilizer? Most notably, members of either culture must recognize and make an effort to understand the values and characteristics of other cultures so that miscommunications may be avoided. . High-context communications, as well as low-context interactions, are important to understand from many perspectives. Intercultural communication. References Gudykunst, W. B., & Ting-Toomey, S. (1988). [26] The terms high- and low-context cultures are not classified with strict individual characteristics or boundaries. When a part of these groups, a low-context individual may be more drawn to interpersonal relationships with others than focusing on their own accomplishments and do not require information to be elaborated because they maintain an understanding of group behaviors. [3] Low-context cultures do the opposite; direct verbal communication is needed to properly understand a message being communicated and relies heavily on explicit verbal skills. Establishing relationships is an important part of communicating and interacting. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Hofstede, G. (1984). Examples of low-context cultures include the United States, Australia, and many European countries. In contrast, high-context cultures use facial expressions, body language, and gestures in a nuanced manner. Once again we return to the differences between high-context and low-context cultures. Cultural contexts are not absolutely "high" or "low". Oxford University Press. Beyond Culture. Generally, the situation, people, and non-verbal elements are more important than the actual words that are communicated in a high-context culture. What is culture? Both the speaker and listener act under the assumption that all relevant information has been explicitly stated. The low-context websites had multiple images of individuals, while the high-context websites contained images and animations of groups and communities.[42]. The Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice states that, "high context defines cultures that are relational and collectivist, and which most highlight interpersonal relationships. These problems can be separated into differences concerning "direction", "quantity" and "quality." 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Published: 2020/12/03. [13] Not all individuals in a culture can be defined by cultural stereotypes, and there will be variations within a national culture in different settings. A simplified example mentioned by Hall is that scientists working in "hard science" fields (like chemistry and physics) tend to have lower-context cultures: because their knowledge and models have fewer variables, they will typically include less context for each event they describe. 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. High context is where the groups of people or societies in which individuals have had close links in the course of a long period. Your email address will not be published. (The pedestrians example) 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. [22], The concept of elaborated and restricted codes was introduced by sociologist Basil Bernstein in his book Class, Codes and Control. [30], Hall links language to culture through the work of Sapir-Whorf on linguistic relativity. Both often take many aspects of the other's cultural communication abilities and strengths into account. On one side of the dimension, we have high context cultures, which depend on greater context when communicating. Communication Differences in Low-Context vs. High-Context Cultures, Comparing Communication Styles in Low- and High-Context Cultures, Additional Resources for Determining Cultural Contexts, Ethnocentrism and Cross-Cultural Competence, Additional Resources for Understanding Trompenaars Dimensions, Three Prototypes: Dignity, Face, and Honor Cultures, Ethnocentrism, Culture Shock, and Cultural Relativism. [32] Awareness of miscommunication between high- and low-context cultures within the workplace or intercultural communication settings advocates for collected unification within a group through the flexibility and ability to understand one another. 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. In contrast, low-context websites had lesser animation and images, focusing instead on the information. What are the effects on the communication process? ), Hall, E. T.; Hall, M. R. (1990). Create your account, 10 chapters | The following are illustrative examples. All the advice on this site is general in nature. [14] However, understanding the broad tendencies of predominant cultures can help inform and educate individuals on how to better facilitate communication between individuals of differing cultural backgrounds. By contrast, a low-context culture is characterized by information being communicated primarily through spoken language, as well as rules being explicitly and directly stated. Body language, tone of voice, and personal status are a few notable characteristics that are valued in a high-context culture. ", Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 23:13, http://db19.linccweb.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/rowmandasj/high_context/0, "Intercultural Communication on Web sites: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Web sites from High-Context Cultures and Low-Context Cultures", "The Influence of High- and Low-Context Communication Styles On the Design, Content, and Language of Business-To-Business Web Sites", "The Influence of High-/Low-Context Culture on Perceived Ad Complexity and Liking", "Communication Style and Cultural Features in High/Low Context Communication Cultures: A Case Study of Finland, Japan and India", 10.1002/(SICI)1520-6793(199809)15:6<507::AID-MAR2>3.0.CO;2-A, "Communicational Features in High/Low Context Organizational Culture: A Case Study of Romania and Russia", "low-context and high-context communication", https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/dictmedia/communication_intercultural_communication/0, "Communication: intercultural communication", "Managing conflict in global teams: 4 keys to leveraging cultural differences in diverse teams", "International communication 101: staying on the right side of culture", "Individualism, Collectivism, High And Low Context", "Discovering cultural differences (and similarities) in facial expressions of emotion", "The Human Face as a Dynamic Tool for Social Communication", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=High-context_and_low-context_cultures&oldid=1141991389, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 23:13. Communication cultures differ societally between high-context and low-context cultures, a concept first described by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his 1976 publication Beyond Culture. They place a high value on interpersonal relationships and group members are a very close-knit community. Bernstein, B. "Understanding cultural differences. For example, in one country a cow is seen as leather, in another one - as a deity and in another one as dinner. We cite peer reviewed academic articles wherever possible and reference our sources at the end of our articles. (2014, May 9). Two Types of Reflective Writing Assignments, Additional Resources for Improving Writing, Consistency in comparatives and listed elements: Parallelism, Hofstede Insights country comparison tool, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oYfhTC9lIQ, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQvqDv4vbEg, https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/42958_2_The_Cultural_Context.pdf, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, Tend to prefer indirect verbal interaction, Tend to understand meaning at one level only, Tend to understand meanings embedded at many sociocultural levels, Are generally less proficient in reading nonverbal cues, Are generally more proficient in reading nonverbal cues, Communication in highly structured messages, provide details, stress literal meaning, Communication is simple, sometimes ambiguous, messages; understand visual messages readily, Define cultural context (Guffey et al., 2013, p. 64), Contrast communicate styles for low-context and high-context cultures (Meyer, 2017, p. 59), Explain how cultural differences can affect workplace communication (Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau, 2014). Learn more about our academic and editorial standards. [30][32], Families, subcultures and in-groups typically favour higher-context communication. Conflict Styles and HighLow Context Cultures: A Cross-Cultural Extension. succeed. Due to this shared understanding, high-context cultures are slightly more informal. Watch this video from international business expert Erin Meyer [1]. They are considered less direct, and they put a lot of weight on gestures and body language to draw significance from messages. By comparison, low-context cultures refer to cultures whereby most communications take place through verbal language and rules are directly written out or stated for all to view. There are strong distinctions made between individuals who are members of the ingroup and those who are not members in high-context cultures. Most of the contexting categories simply have not been researched enough to make firm conclusions. Wurtz, Elizabeth (2005). According to Hall's theory, the Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents a lower context culture. High-context cultures rely heavily on non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, etc. We have close, personal relationships with our relatives. In contrast, take a look at the ads on the front page of Weibo, which is considered China's version of Facebook. In Low Context Culture it is normal to be self reliant and yet have many relationships. A conclusion may be implied but not argued directly. It relies on the straightforward use of language, without depending much on nonverbal cues. This concept was introduced by Edward T. Hall, an anthropologist back in 1976. Meaning is determined not by what is said but by how it is said and by how social implications such as the communicators status and position come into play. Hall, E. T. (1976). Negotiators basically say what they mean. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. [37] Because individualistic cultures may value cultural diversity, a more explicit way of communicating is often required to avoid misunderstanding. Individualism may lead to communicating to all people in a group in the same way, rather than offering hierarchical respect to certain members. Words: 825. [14] Groups that are able to rely on a common background may not need to use words as explicitly to understand each other. Overall, this study provides further evidence to support the high versus low-context culture concepts with Chinese, Korean, and American participants. Guffey, D. Lowey, K. Rhodes, K., & P. Rogin. The American legal system, for example, relies on low context communication. Flowery language, humility, and elaborate apologies are typical. In other words, people communicate explicitly in low-context cultures. Meanwhile, in low-context cultures, more explicit speech is needed in order to allow the listener to fully understand the message. Having a firm grasp on what constitutes high- and low-context, particularly in a communication setting, will truly help you better understand each . Wurtz found something similar while analyzing website design. London: Routledge. Rules are not directly or explicitly written or stated. In addition, Hall identified countries such as Japan, Arabic countries and some Latin American Countries to practice high-context culture; "High context communication carries most of its information within physical acts and features such as avoiding eye contact or even the shrug of a shoulder. The reverse holds true for High (Collectivistic) Context Cultures. Because directness may be thought of as disrespectful, discussions in high-context cultures can be circuitous, circling key issues rather than addressing them head-on. In high-context cultures, communication cues are transmitted by posture, voice inflection, gestures, and facial expression. Studentsshould always cross-check any information on this site with their course teacher. Anchor Press/Doubleday. Low-context cultures tend to be logical, analytical, action-oriented, and concerned with the individual. Guffey, M. E., Lowey, D., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P. (2013). An experiment performed by the University of Glasgow shows that different cultures have different understanding of the facial expression signals of the six basic emotions, which are the so-called "universal language of emotion"happiness, surprise, fear, disgust, anger and sadness. Effectively communicating within this culture, therefore, requires messaging that is perceived as objective, professional, and efficient. But the fact that contexting has not been empirically validated should not necessarily be construed as a failure of the theory. - Dosage & Side Effects, Anxiolytic: Definition, Medications & Dependence, What is Citalopram? Trust High context cultures and situations may extend significant trust to members. In high-context cultures (such as those in Japan, China, and Arab countries), the listener is already "contexted" and does not need to be given much background information [3]. High context cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French. Teachers can illustrate the differences between high- and low- context cultures by providing examples of behaviors. How Do I Format and Cite Long Direct Quotes? The results show significant differences between the American, Chinese, and Korean samples on 15 out of 16 items, with 11 items significant at the .01 level, one at the .05 level, and three at the .10 level. For instance, a study has argued that both Japan and Finland (high-context cultures) are becoming lower-context with the increased influence of Western European and United States culture.[22]. ", "Communication: intercultural communication. [19] This has been expanded to further countries by Sheposh & Shaista. Gudykunst, W. B., & Ting-Toomey, S. (1988). [42] The images found on the websites used in the study promoted individualistic and collectivist characteristics within the low-context and high-context websites, respectively. China, Japan, Turkey, and Mexico are some countries that lean towards high-context. A high-context culture is a culture or society that communicates dominantly through the use of contextual elements, such as specific forms of body language, the status of an individual, and the tone of voice employed during speech. "[29] A similarity that the two communication styles share is its influence on social characteristics such as age, gender, social class and ethnicity. [24] The table shows the major differences and similarities between individual queries. 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). Examples of low context cultures include: Scandinavia; Germany, and the US. These include specific forms of body language, the social or familial status of an individual, and the tone of voice employed during speech. The preferred way of solving problems and learning is in groups. Conclusions are explicitly stated. So the poor cow's life depends on the country, where it was born: whether it is going to be worshipped or to end up on someone's . Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. High-Context and Low-Context Cultures: Understanding the Differences May 17, 2022 May 17, 2022 Reading Time: 5 minutes Read More High-Context and Low-Context Cultures: Understanding the Differences Your message needs to be clear and precise. High-context cultures include close-knit groups of people, while low-context cultures are generally more diverse. [1] "High-" and "low-" context cultures typically refer to language groups, nationalities, or regional communities. Unlike low-context cultures, high-context cultures prioritize the group over the individual (Hofstede, 1984). For example, the body language and methods of communication experienced by a group of close friends in a casual setting differs greatly from a group of peers presenting at a professional business meeting. A number of unique characteristics exist to make a clear distinction between high-context vs. low-context cultures and methods of communication. In high-context cultures, there are often many opportunities for social and cultural context to explain speech, which reduces the need for words in all instances. Messages can be contextualized by assuming that the audience would think in the same manner and will follow the underlying meaning implied in someone's speech or writing as a result of these common experiences. We know that the way in which we say things at these gatherings is more important than what we say. People from low-context cultures value logic, facts, and directness. Getting the message across. Members of high-context cultures usually have close relationships that last for an extended period of time. Cultures and communication in which context is of great importance to structuring actions is referred to as high context. A person's identity in a high context society tends to be based on one's roles and experiences within the group. People within high-context cultures tend to be more aware and observant of facial expressions, body language, changes in tone, and other aspects of communication that are not directly spoken. The law is important!

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