[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. High-context cultures promote the development of ingroups. High-context cultures are related to connotation. Examples of low context cultures include: Scandinavia; Germany, and the US. The difference between High and Low Context Culture is that Low Context Cultures (Individualistic Cultures) do not need a lot of additional (Contextual) information to engage in " communication ". For example, in one country a cow is seen as leather, in another one - as a deity and in another one as dinner. An understanding of external cultures also leads to a better acceptance of diversity, a reduction in confusion and anxiety from misinterpreted communications, and a more effective means of intercultural collaboration. (1971). This article was peer-reviewed and edited by Chris Drew (PhD). What is a high-context culture and how does this communication culture differ from a low-context culture? Conclusion The dynamics of relationships within High and Low context cultures are very different. Primarily use non-verbal methods to relay meaningful information in conversations, such as facial expressions, eye movement, and tone of voice. Low-context cultures also want these communications to revolve around basic questions, like: What's happening? In his work, "Beyond Culture", Hall described these two different types of cultural relationships as they applied to information. The law is important! Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. For high-context cultures, language is a kind of social lubricant, easing and harmonizing relations that are defined according to a group or collectivist orientation where we rather than I is the key to identity. This study is a result of a cross-cultural examination between students from the United States, a low-context culture, and Mexico, a high-context culture, to study the reasons people communicate in each culture. In high-context cultures, language may be used to assist and maintain relationship-building and to focus on process. Meyer defines low-context cultures as cultures where people communicate and receive messages at face value. The verbal and nonverbal cues of low vs. high-context communication can be . The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau. for only $11.00 $9.35/page. The low-context websites had multiple images of individuals, while the high-context websites contained images and animations of groups and communities.[42]. Cultural contexts are not absolutely "high" or "low". Both the speaker and listener act under the assumption that all relevant information has been explicitly stated. In high cultures, much of the communication is understood by the group either by non-verbal coding, which refers to common body language; distinct in-groups and out-group's, which refers to the cohesiveness of the group; and covert and implicit messages, which refers to what we refer . 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. It is important to note that no culture is low-context or high-context in absolute terms but a mix of both. Neuliup, J. W. (2011). Communication Research Reports. [4] The model of high-context and low-context cultures offers a popular framework in intercultural-communication studies, but has been criticized as lacking empirical validation. 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]. 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. What is culture? While in high context cultures, communication is done primarily through nonverbal mediums and gestures, in low context cultures, information is vested explicitly so that there is no risk of confusion. For an outsider, it is easier to enter into low-context cultures because one does not need to be aware of the shared history/values of the group. High-context cultures, on the other hand, depend on both the spoken words and the context of the situationincluding the shared values/assumptions of the groupto convey meaning. Trust must be developed before business transactions can begin. In the 1970's, anthropologist Edward T. Hall coined the phrases "high-context culture" and "low- context culture.". Contents show Low Context Culture Definition Edward T. Hall describes low-context culture as one in which: According to Hall's theory, Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents lower context. [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. 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. When it comes to emails, texts, and online messaging, low-context cultures use it to fire off quick, frequent messages. Their communication is less-task oriented, and their decision-making is driven by relationships, shared experiences, and emotions. In S. Thompson (ed. In a low-context culture, communication occurs through explicitly spelled out and defined words, and listeners just have to interpret spoken or written words as they are. High vs. Low Power Distance Cultural Communications | What are High and Low Power Distance Cultural Communications? The ways by which humans communicate are based heavily on the context of what is being spoken, the individuals involved, and the setting in which the communication takes place. High-context cultures are those that communicate in ways that are implicit and rely heavily on context. Identify your style Before implementing effective communication practices across cultures, identify your own style: High context cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French. - Uses & Side Effects, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community, Japan, China, Korea, and many other countries in Asia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, and some other countries in South America, Tribal groups and most nations in Africa, such as Kenya, Iraq, Iran, and other countries located in the Middle East. Low-context countries, on the other hand, relied more on linear processes and verbal communication. High-context cultures are collectivist cultures. Low-Context Culture Communication & Examples | What Is Low-Context Culture? Due to this shared understanding, high-context cultures are slightly more informal. Culture and Interpersonal Communication. The American legal system, for example, relies on low context communication. If you want to appear polite, you need to be willing to greet strangers and thank . Anchor Press/Doubleday. Also remember that although cultures are different from one another, no culture or cultural characteristic is better or worse than any other. Reviewers ensure all content reflects expert academic consensus and is backed up with reference to academic studies. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Besides cultural context, personal experiences and preferences also shape communication. Culture also affects how individuals interpret other people's facial expressions. - Definition & Assessment, Bipolar vs. Borderline Personality Disorder, Atypical Antipsychotics: Effects & Mechanism of Action, What Is a Mood Stabilizer? In, Meyer, C. (2017). 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. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. The review process on Helpful Professor involves having a PhD level expert fact check, edit, and contribute to articles. A few examples of high-context cultures include China, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, and Spain; While low-context cultures are found more dominantly in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The United States, on the other hand, is considered a low-context culture, relying largely on explicit verbal explanations to keep everyone on the same page. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Since a high-context culture is based on fewer, deeper relations with people, there are many unspoken social rules and understandings within the culture. Effectively communicating within this culture, therefore, requires messaging that is perceived as objective, professional, and efficient. Cultures and communication in which context is of great importance to structuring actions is referred to as high context. Russia is a high context country with a culture that revolves around collectivism and interdependence on group relationships. 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. [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. [33] Conversely, in cultural groups with low context, where people share less common knowledge or 'value individuality above group identification', elaborated codes are necessary to avoid misunderstanding. Cultural differences in advertising and marketing may also be explained through high- and low-context cultures. High Context vs. Low Context. [6] How does her experience in Japan demonstrate what youve learned so far about the different dimensions of culture? There are smaller communities and specific settings within national/linguistic cultures, and they may exhibit different communication patterns. Hofstede, G. (1984). the study of body movement including gestures, hand, arm, and leg movements, facial expressions, eye contact, and stance or posture Low-context message a message where the message is encoded in the words used or in the verbal expression and not as much in the context Masculinity-Femininity Their communication is often indirect and requires a nuanced understanding, so outsiders might find it more difficult to enter their culture. Wurtz studied McDonalds online advertising in various countries such as Japan, Germany, the United States, etc. Cultures and communication in which the context of the message is of great importance to structuring actions are referred to as high context. A high-context culture is one in which communication may be more unspoken rather than explicit - for example, much attention is paid to body language, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues in order to discern a speaker's meaning. Rules are not directly or explicitly written or stated. [20][21], Cultural context can also shift and evolve. Meaning depends on what is said- the literal content of the message- rather than how it is said. In anthropology, high-context culture and low-context culture are ends of a continuum of how explicit the messages exchanged in a culture are and how important the context is in communication. 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. Low-context cultures tend to be logical, analytical, action-oriented, and concerned with the individual. The following are illustrative examples. Examples of high-context cultures include China, India, and many non-Western societies. Examples of high and low context cultures It can be helpful to consider a few examples of high and low context cultures. Researchers today are using it greatly to study different cultures all over the world. High Context vs. Low Context High-context is that "most of the information is either in the physical context or initialized in the person, while very little is in the coded, explicit, transmitted part of the message." (Hall). Many low context cultures are individualist so people openly express their views, and tend to make important information obvious to others. A person's identity in a high context society tends to be based on one's roles and experiences within the group. [18], Therefore, higher-context cultures tend to correlate with cultures that also have a strong sense of tradition and history, and change little over time. 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. They tend to use more slangs, idioms and are generally high pace speakers. [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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The Nine Competencies that Characterize an IEP, Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits and Obstacles, Intercultural Communication in the Workplace, Additional Resources to Help you Format your Paper in APA Style. The theory of High and Low Context Cultures puts how people communicate in a dimension. For example, resemblance is a significant trait in cultures with a high level of context. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. (2012). Some common characteristics of high-context cultures include: Though the United States has a low-context culture, we have all been placed in situations that are considered high-context. Whereas low-context cultures prefer more words (to a certain extent), high-context cultures prefer more images. Examples of high context cultures include many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, as well as some European cultures such as Spain and Italy. Low use of nonverbal elements. Guffey, D. Lowey, K. Rhodes, K., & P. Rogin. A low-context (LC) communication is just the opposite; i.e., the mass of the information is vested in the explicit code.". In Low Context Culture it is normal to be self reliant and yet have many relationships. High-context cultures are built on a sense of shared experiences and history. Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): A graph which shows the level of context in various world cultures. Guffey et al. High-context cultures rely heavily on non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, etc. [31], Between each type of culture context, there will be forms of miscommunication because of the difference in gestures, social cues, and intercultural adjustments; however, it is important to recognize these differences and learn how to avoid miscommunication to benefit certain situations. Data was gathered in India, Ireland, Thailand, and the United States where the results confirm that "high-context nations (India and Thailand) prefer the avoiding and obliging conflict styles more than low-context nations (Ireland and the United States), whereas low-context nations prefer the uncompromising and dominating communication style more than high-context nations."[16]. "[27] This implies that communication is quite direct and detailed because members of the culture are not expected to have knowledge of each other's histories, past experience or background. (2014, December 10). What are the effects on the communication process? Pages: 3. Depending on the amount of information conveyed, cultures are classified as being high-context and low-context. Settings and cultures where people come together from a wider diversity of backgrounds such as international airports, large cities, or multi-national firms, tend to use lower-context communication forms. Meanwhile, in low-context cultures, more explicit speech is needed in order to allow the listener to fully understand the message. (PDF) COMMUNICATING IN HIGH & LOW CONTEXT CULTURES COMMUNICATING IN HIGH & LOW CONTEXT CULTURES March 2016 Affiliation: Arizona State University State: In Progress Authors: Jay Klagge. 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[23] For example, Native Americans in the United States have higher-context cultures with a strong sense of tradition and history, compared to general American culture. A low-context culture is a culture in which people communicate explicitly. A few relevant examples of differences in communication between low- and high-context cultures are found in Table 1. Both often take many aspects of the other's cultural communication abilities and strengths into account. All rights reserved. Because of this, many features of cultural behavior in high-context cultures, such as individual roles and expectations, do not need much detailed or thought-out explanation. In contrast, take a look at the ads on the front page of Weibo, which is considered China's version of Facebook. Language may be used to achieve goals or exchange information. Cultural Perceptions of Communication in Organizations: Low Context and High Context. [19] This has been expanded to further countries by Sheposh & Shaista. Beyond Culture. A first step in achieving this goal is to identify one's own culture before delving into the rigors of another. 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. Low and High Context Culture. High-context communications, as well as low-context interactions, are important to understand from many perspectives. Generally, high-context cultures prefer oral communications, while low-context cultures favor written communications. Oxford University Press. China, Japan, Turkey, and Mexico are some countries that lean towards high-context. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 It can imply understanding or agreement, but it can also mean their conversea lack of certainty. They have a Bachelor's in Air Traffic Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and minored in Aviation Safety and Homeland Security. These countries are quite explicit and elaborate without having prior knowledge to each member's history or background. 9. Japan is generally considered a high-context culture, meaning people communicate based on inherent understanding. Germany, Sweden, and the United States are generally classified as low-context cultures. Context 1. . Not only is the page itself busier . High-context cultures also value group harmony above individual achievement. Lower-context culture: United States, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada and other European nations. Sage Publications. Japan and China are some of the best examples of high-context cultures, in addition to Brazil, Argentina, Spain, and many nations throughout Africa and the Middle East. 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]. Low-context cultures rely on explicit communication. Individuals in such cultures must hear or read a direct order, point, etc for it to be taken as valid. Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. 2. 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. Beyond Culture. [12] Typically a low-context culture will be less close-knit, and so individuals communicating will have fewer relational cues when interpreting messages. They also are AT-CTI certified. 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 . 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