跨文化交际复习资料 Unit 1&2
Reviewing Papers for Intercultural Communication
Unit 1&2
I. Keywords
(1) Sender/Source: A sender/source is the person who transmits a message.（信息发出者/信息
源：信息发出者/信息源指传递信息的人。）
(2) Message: A message is any signal that triggers the response of a receiver.（信息：信息指引起
信息接受者反应的任何信号。）
(3) Encoding: It refers to the activity during which the sender must choose certain words or
nonverbal methods to send an intentional message. （编码：编码指信息发出者选择言语或用非
言语的方式发出有目的的信息的行为。）
(4) Channel/Medium：It is the method used to deliver a message. （渠道/媒介：渠道/媒介指发
送信息的方法。）
(5) Receiver: A receiver is any person who notices and gives some meaning to a message. (信息
接受者：信息接受者指信息接收者是指注意到信息并且赋予信息某些含义的人。)
(6) Decoding: It is the activity during which the receiver attaches meaning to the words or
symbols he/she has received.（解码：解码指信息接受者赋予其收到的言语或符号信息意义的
行为。）
(7) Feedback: The response of a receiver to a sender’s message is called feedback.（反馈：反馈
指信息接收者对信息源信息所做出的反应。）
(8) Noise: It is a term used for factors that interfere with the exchange of messages, including
external noise physiological noise, psychological noise and semantic noise.（干扰：干扰指妨碍
信息交流的各种因素。包括外界干扰，生理干扰，心理干扰和语义干扰。）
(9) Context: A context is the setting or situation within which communication takes place ,
including physical context, social context and interpersonal context.（语境：语境指交际发生的
环境，包括自然语境，社会语境和人际语境。）
II. Definition of some terms
1. Culture: From intercultural perspective, culture is a system of shared beliefs, values, customs,
behaviors and artifacts that the members of a society use to cope with the world and with one
another that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning.
2 Intercultural communication: It refers to the communication between or among people from
different cultures. More precisely, it is the communication between people
whose cultural perception and symbol system are distinct enough to alter the communication
event.( 跨文化交际：跨文化交际指的是那些在文化认知和符号系统上存在差异的人们之间的交际。这些差异足以改变整个交际事件。)
3. International communication: it takes place between nations and governments rather than - 1individuals; it is quite formal and ritualized. (国际交流：国际交流是指发生在国家和政府之间而非发生在个人之间的交际；此种交际非常正式和仪式化。)
4. Interracial communication: It occurs when the sender and the receiver exchanging
messages are from different races. (跨种族交际：跨种族交际是指交流信息的信息源和信息接
受者来自不同的种族的交际。)
5. Interethnic communication: It is the communication between or among people from
different ethnic groups in a country or culture.（跨民族交际：跨民族交际是指来自一个国家或
文化内部的不同民族群体的人们之间的交际。）
6. Intracultural communication: it is defined as communication between or among members
of the same culture.（文化内交际：文化内交际是指同一文化内部的成员之间的交际。）
III. Key Points
(1) The 3 characteristics of culture
Culture is coherent
Culture is learned
Culture is the view of a group of people
3 things culture does
Culture ranks what is important
Culture furnished attitudes
Culture dictate how to behave
(2) The nine components of communication.
(3) The definition of intercultural communication.
(4) The forms of intercultural communication.
International communication, Interracial communication, Interethnic communication, Intracultural
communication.
IV. Difficult Points
(1) Distinct perspective definition of Culture
(2) The characteristics of Communication.
(3) How to understand Communication
(4) Relationship between culture and communication
References:
1) Culture is a powerful human tool for survival, but it is a fragile phenomenon. It can be defined
from distinct perspectives；
From Intellectual Perspective
From Anthropologic Perspective
From Psychological Perspective
From Social Perspective
From Intercultural Communication Perspective
2） The following are some of the most distinctive features listed in the literature on
communication.
Communication is dynamic Communication is an on-going activity. In any communication event, the sender and the
receiver of messages constantly shift from being encoders to decoders and the messages also
change in each turn of interaction.
Communication is interactive
Communication is always done in two ways: the source sends messages to the receiver and
the receiver responds to the message received and sends his message or response to the source.
Thus the source and receiver are in a reciprocal situation attempting to influence one another in
the process. What the influences are and how the influences function are among the major
concerns of intercultural communicators.
Communication is both verbal and non-verbal
Speech is only one of the channels that messages are transmitted. We do not have to say
everything we intend to communicate in words. We use our body, signs, and even clothing to
show
others what we have in our minds. According to statistics most part of our communication is done
by non-verbal means.
Communication can be either intentional and unintentional
Intention is not a necessary condition for communication to take place. A sigh of frown
accompanying speech, if noticed by the receiver, may also carry unintended messages to the
receiver. For the two parties involved in the communication process, any behavior of one
interlocutor, intentional or unintentional, can produce certain effects and generate certain
meanings to the other. To complicate the matter, very often we are unconscious of the message
sent and the effect it has produced. Therefore, unexpected results may arise.
Communication is rule-governed
Though communication is a complex process, there are still rules for speakers to follow as to
how messages are constructed and interpreted. The patterns, however, are crucially defined. To
study communication and intercultural communication in particular is , to a large extent, to
discover the patterns that regulate communicative behavior of the interlocutors. If the patterns are
shared and understood, any communication will become easy and effective.
Communication depends on the use of symbols
Symbols or codes are the basic ingredients of communication. Symbols may take the form of
written or spoken words, body signs, Braille, an object like a picture or a dress, color, and many
other symbols that represent certain meanings to whoever recognize them and make sense of
them.
All cultures use symbols, but they usually attribute different meanings to the same symbol and
may use different symbols to mean the same. Competent intercultural communications, therefore,
must learn to “read” the symbols used by their interlocutors and understand the exact messages.
Communication is irreversible
Communication can not be retrieved---- the message delivered and interpreted by the receiver
can never be taken back. Though we can modify our message, the effect produced by the original
message still remains. The implication is that improper communicative behavior may have serious
consequences.
Communication takes place in both a physical and a social context
Communication does not take place in a vacuum. We interact with other people within
specific physical surroundings and under a set of specific social factors. The physical surroundings
