Chapter 1 INTRODUCTIONSession ALanguage is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.Language is a means of verbal communication. It is instrumental in that communicating by speaking or writing is a purposeful act.It is social and conventional in that language is a social semiotic and communication can only take place effectively if all the users share a broad understanding of human interaction including such associated factors as nonverbal cues, motivation, and socio-cultural roles. Language learning and use are determined by the intervention of biological, cognitive, psychosocial, and environmental factors.Other definitions：Language is a symbolic form of communication that involves, on the one hand, the comprehension of words and sentences and, on the other, the expression of feelings, thoughts, and ideas. The basic units of language are phonemes, morphemes, and words.from Encyclopedia BritannicaLanguage is the systematic communication by vocal symbols. It is a universal characteristic of the human species.Nothing is known of its origin, although scientists have identified a gene that clearly contributes to the human ability to use language. Scientists generally hold that it has been so long in use that the length of time writing is known to have existed (7,900 years at most) is short by comparison. Just as languages spoken now by peoples of the simplest cultures are as subtle and as intricate as those of the peoples of more complex civilizations, similarly the forms of languages known (or hypothetically reconstructed) from the earliest records show no trace of being more ―primitive‖ than their modern forms.from The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia人类特有的一种符号系统。
Chapter One IntroductionAims of this chapter:1.To define the term of intercultural communication and discuss its concepts2.to point out the complexity involved with intercultural communicationPre-class:The literature on international business is filled with examples of intercultural miscummunication and blunders, wchich show the results of miscalculating --- or simply ignoring ----the cultural dimension of internation business.To identify and analyze cultural differenes so as to avoid such kinds of misunderstanding in international communication, you need to have a basic framework for underatanding of factors that influence intercultural comunication. The purpose of this course is to help you increase your cultural awareness and sensitivity. It also intends to help you develop effective strategies in dealing with potential cultural conflicts and improve your intercultural communicative competence.Features of intercultural communication1.it’s a universal phenomenon. It occurs everA ywhere in the world. When you talk with anAmerican teacher, or send email to a foreigner, or even when you watch a foreign film or read an English novel, you are engage intercultural commnucation. As a result of this communication, whther face-to-face, communicating over the internet, watching a movie, or reading a book, if you are receiving messages from another culture, then you are involved in intercultural communication.2.The communication between cultures has bee文化一词是从日文中借鉴过来的。
