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Cultural beliefs, values, norms, and practices play an important role in the communication processes in every society. Some of these practices span entire continents, but most of them are context specific. Aspects of culture come about as a means of attaining social cohesion. Their role is to create a predictable social environment, which is fundamental to a stable society.
This paper explores how cultural beliefs, values, norms, and practices influence communication in various countries. In particular, the paper will examine the cultural beliefs of the British, the cultural values of Mexicans, the cultural norms of the Swahili in Kenya, and the cultural practices of the Japanese. This study will look at the influence of these elements in their communication processes.
English Cultural Beliefs
A cultural belief is a commonly held principle observed by a majority of the members of a given community. Cultural beliefs may come from a long tradition usually evolving very slowly over decades and centuries. Some of the beliefs come from objective observations, while others are a complex product of interaction between various elements of that society such as religion, technology, social development, and academic development.
The common feature of all cultural beliefs is that the society holds them as true in their own right, without the need for further justification. No one questions them in any serious way and changes in beliefs take time. They tend to evolve over time.
England is one of the oldest countries in existence. It has been through a long list of political transitions moving from a sovereign monarch to a ceremonial one through various transitional phases. One of the widely held cultural beliefs by the English is the need to preserve the monarchy as a symbol of national unity.
The monarch is a symbolic representation of the identity of nationhood. In real terms, it is not necessary for England to retain a monarch as part of its cultural and political formation. However, many of its citizens feel that the monarch plays a fundamental role in the identity of the England.
The Monarchy feeds a lot into the communication processes of the country. Central to this is the reference of all civil servants as being, “In his/her majesty’s service”. This tag makes civil servants appear patriotic, accountable, and proud of the honor of public service. As a cultural icon, reference to the monarch in the course of public service legitimizes the actions people take.
The society there considers it commendable for citizens to be in his/her majesty’s service. Looking at this cultural belief as an outsider makes it easy to see that the society can function without the monarchy. However, the society there believes that the monarchy is fundamental to their identity as a people hence the need to perpetuate the office.
Brazilian Cultural Values
Cultural values are a set of intangible standards, which a society expects every member to uphold. The role of these values is to define what is commendable and what every member of that society needs to aspire to do. In this sense, cultural values create the moral environment of a culture.
However, values may also inform the way a culture looks at issues such as work, the right time to marry, family relations, and other factors. Cultural values are the unspoken rules of behavior. They normally undergird the explicit moral code that governs the culture.
Brazil is the largest country in South America. In a certain sense, it is a melting pot of world cultures with its adopted citizens of Africa and European descent. In addition, there are indigenous populations. With its vastness, there is challenge in picking out a common cultural value that transcends Brazilian diversity.
However, it is instructive to note that Brazil is almost mono-linguistic. Portuguese is the first and only language for most Brazilians. The attachment to the language is so strong that Brazilians feel offended by the popular misconception among North Americans that they speak Spanish.
However, the Portuguese spoken in Brazil varies from that spoken in continental Portugal largely because of the high number of local words infused in Brazilian Portuguese. There is a variation in accents among the people groups in Brazil but the differences are not serious enough to hinder effective communication.
Brazil, despite being a very diverse country with a very rich cultural heritage, is very strong in, its linguistic values. In this sense, Brazilian insistence on its language as an aspect of its nationhood makes it a truly national value. It influences their communication in that it makes it easy for each Brazilian to communicate with other Brazilians.
Kenyan Cultural Norms
A cultural norm refers to certain elements of a culture which the members of society take as normal. These practices vary a lot and usually span the entire cultural fabric of a community. These norms may be ceremony-specific, or may simply be part of the daily existence of the members of that society. Cultural norms are normally the frontal issues a visitor will notice when they visit the culture. The norms pervade greetings, interaction, eating, and even sleep related activities.
The world views Africa as a hospitable environment from a cultural perspective. Most of the cultures there accommodate visitors and are more welcoming than cultures in other parts of the world. Kenya is one of the top tourist destinations in Africa. Most tourists agree that Kenyans are generally polite, helpful to strangers and very accommodative of visitors. In Kenya, the Swahili people stand out as the most hospitable people in the country.
Some of the communication elements in Kenya that stem from this cultural norm are lengthy greetings and informal small talk that accompanies normal discussions. Swahili people stand out as the most entertaining Kenyan people when it comes to conversational issues.
Some of the local Swahili words finding their way into international lingo include, “safari” meaning “journey”, as used in the safari rally, and as a term to refer to touring the Kenyan game parks. There is also “hakuna matata” translatable as “no problem”, “jambo”, which is Swahili for hello, among others.
The Kenyan cultural norm of hospitality makes Kenyans conversational in nature because of the need to entertain visitors and to show concern for them. It is improper to visit a Kenyan home and leave without taking a meal. This applies even if the guest arrives when the family is taking a meal. The family head will ensure that the visitor shares in what is available.
Japanese Social Practices
A social practice is a certain action that people in a specified culture take under a certain set of circumstances. This means that the society practices this act as part of its daily existence. Social practices are deliberate and rehearsed over time. Unlike values, practices are conscious acts by members of a community. It may be that the motivation for a social practice is not overt by nonetheless, a practice must be deliberate and conscious on the part of the person practicing.
Japan is one of the well-known Asian countries with a rich cultural heritage. Along with most Asian countries, Japan is an honor driven society. The worst thing that can happen to a Japanese national regardless of their social standing is losing face.
Honor is so important that failure to deliver on campaign pledges, or corporate targets, even when fully justifiable, leads to resignation from those offices. In certain cases, some people have opted to commit suicide rather than live with the failure. In Japan, it is normal for ministers, premiers, and heads of corporations to resign because of poor performance.
The fact that Japan is an honor driven society explains the body language the Japanese exhibit. People invariantly bow to each other a sign of respect. Whether on formal functions or in private residences, seniority is very important for the people.
They bow as a sign that they acknowledge they are in the presence of a senior, while the senior bows in response to acknowledge the respect offered. Japanese communication seeks to avoid making someone lose face. The Japanese do not speak directly to other people especially when the issues will make the person lose face. For instance, if a deal falls through, the Japanese tend to communicate indirectly to the other party. They do this to save the other party from losing face.
References
Corson, D., Heath, R. L., & Bryant, J. (2000). Human Communication Theory and Research: Concepts, Context, and Challenges (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Laster, K. (2001). The Law as Culture. Perth: Federation Press.
Walker, D. M., Walker, T. D., & Schmitz, J. T. (2003). Doing Business Internationally: The Guide to Cross-Cultural Success. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional.
Wharton. (2005). How Culture Affects Work Practices in Latin America. Web.
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