Crossing the Cultural Threshold: a Challenge to Users of EIL

Abstract

We are all aware that there are affinities between linguistic and cultural manifestations, but how many of us consciously recognize the relationship between language and culture? What we think about and how we think about it are processed through our language and to a great extent influenced by our culture. In order to explain this, perhaps a definition of the word "culture" is needed. I prefer to use the term "culture" as defined by Peter S. Adler as "an intertwined system of values and attitudes, beliefs and norms that give meaning and significance to both individual and collective identity" (Adler, 1977). Understanding a language involves not only a knowledge of grammar, phonology and lexis but also a knowledge of certain features and characteristics of this so-called "intertwined system of values and attitudes, beliefs and norms," that users of that language subscribe to. When we communicate internationally, we communicate inter-culturally. Can we naively assume that when we communicate in-terculturally what is necessary is just a knowledge of the medium of an international language? In the case of English, would fluency in English suffice? Experience indicates that when we communicate interculturally, we are likely to encounter factors of cultural differences in the connotative and denotative meanings of words that affect our ability to communicate. These factors are the main causes of solecisms that often lead to ludicrous misunderstandings, absurd consequences, embarrassment , frustration, mistrust, anger, discord, or breakdown of communication. It is concel'll for the cultural aspect of languages that this paper addresses. In communicating with you I am using a detective's approach. I have divided my paper into three parts. The first part consists of a series of descriptions of events that really happened. I choose to call them "encounters" rather than "stories" or "anecdotes". The encounters which follow are the result of my personal observations on how users of 216 L. E. Smith (ed.), English for Cross-Cultural Communication