ABSTRACTS

• Fengping Gao, Japanese: A Heavily Culture-Laden Language
  
• Ajay K. Ojha, Sensemaking and Identity Development: Different Fields, Similar Processes, but How?
  
• Hanne Tange, In a cultural No Man’s Land – or, how long does culture shock last?
  

• Loretta Ya-Wen Teng, A Cross-cultural Communication Experience at a Higher Education Institution in Taiwan
  

• Sabine Wilhelm, Covering the war in Iraq: Frame choices in American and German national newspapers
  

Fengping Gao

Abstract

Language and culture are interdependent. The uniqueness of the Japanese society makes Japanese language a heavily culture-laden one, which contributes much to the language barrier between Japanese and Americans. It is compulsory that many cultural concepts must be integrated into comparative studies so they can be better understood from a cross-cultural perspective, and communication between Japanese and Americans must always be carried out with culture awareness.
Key Words: uniqueness; language; culture; communication
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Ajay K. Ojha

Abstract

The following article examines sensemaking and the minority/majority identity development models as processual theories. While these theories are offered in different concentrations of Speech Communication (i.e., Organizational Communication and Intercultural Communication respectively), they are actually interrelated concepts that share similarities. Sensemaking is a process where individuals attempt to understand unknown elements because of unfamiliar/uncertain situations. Identity development is very similar to sensemaking because we have to make sense of who we are in everyday life through unfamiliarity. Sensemaking and identity development are two similar theories that impact our identity/identities within organizations. In order to articulate this connection further, I explain sensemaking and the minority/majority identity development models. I also synthesize sensemaking and minority/majority identity development noting other relevant theories.

Keywords Intercultural communication, identity development, organizational communication, sensemaking
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Hanne Tange

Abstract

This essay is an attempt to combine theories of sojourner adaptation with the qualitative results of my field work among Scottish immigrants in Copenhagen. I argue that theories of acculturation often presuppose a limited time-frame; that the usefulness of Lysgaard’s acculturation model may be questioned; and that companies lose valuable intercultural competence by recalling sojourners before they have completed their process of integration. Learning from practice, I argue that sojourners will change as a result of their stationing overseas; that the intercultural skills obtained by employees during their sojourn represent a valuable resource for international business; and that companies have an obligation to assist sojourners upon their return to their home culture.

Keywords: sojourner adaptation, process of integration, international business, concepts of identity, learning from practice.

Loretta Ya-Wen Teng

Abstract

This paper describes an online cross-cultural communication experience of a group of Taiwanese college students. Overall, students reported having more confidence in communication and gaining cross-cultural communication skills after participating in this project. The acquisition of cross-cultural communication skills was positively related to the motivation to succeed in the project and the sense of community developed within the online collaborative environment. Other positive correlations were found between (1) motivation to succeed and the development of a sense of community; (2) confidence in communication and a development of a sense of community; (3) confidence in communication and the acquisition of cross-cultural communication skills. Students’ confidence in communication was found to be positively related to students’ self-perceived English proficiency. Finally, the acquisition of cross-cultural communication skills was highly related to the acquisition of interpersonal communication skills through participating in the final project. Future strategies will be employed to motivate students in online collaboration and foster a sense of community within the online environment while taking their language barrier into consideration.

Keywords: cross cultural communication skills, online collaboration, motivation to succeed, confidence, sense of community, students English proficiency.

Sabine Wilhelm

Abstract

Coverage during conflicts with threatening potential put a pressing note on accurate information about and interpretation of events. When delivering news worldwide, national spotlights as well as cross-cultural notions are set to create unique themes of interest. Those frames - offered by mass media - are vital organizing concepts to establish public agendas. The ambiguously perceived warfare on Iraq was chosen to identify differences in American and German newspaper reports. Using a quantitative content analysis, following focuses could be examined: (a) The basal organization of war-related frames in articles, and furthermore (b) formal and linguistic disparities. Results of the pilot study show that only slight variances emerge in formal characteristics (format, images). However, the linguistic analysis of frame choices (variety, war motives, evaluation of political leaders and usage of stereotyped terms) revealed to be an expandable indicator for intercultural and intra-national discrepancies.
Key words: International war coverage, Iraq War, media frames, media bias, formal and linguistic presentation of news, cultural differences in news language
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