Silence in Intercultural Communication
Author: Ikuko Nakane
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Published: 2007
Total Pages: 264
ISBN-13: 9789027254108
DOWNLOAD EBOOKHow and why is silence used interculturally? Approaching the phenomenon of silence from multiple perspectives, this book shows how silence is used, perceived and at times misinterpreted in intercultural communication. Using a model of key aspects of silence in communication linguistic, cognitive and sociopsychological and fundamental levels of social organization individual, situational and sociocultural - the book explores the intricate relationship between perceptions and performance of silence in interaction involving Japanese and Australian participants. Through a combination of macro- and micro- ethnographic analyses of university seminar interactions, the stereotypes of the 'silent East' is reconsidered, and the tension between local and sociocultural perspectives of intercultural communication is addressed. The book has relevance to researchers and students in intercultural pragmatics, discourse analysis and applied linguistics.