March blog

 The text book, A Critical/Cultural Introduction by John T. Warren and Deana L. Forsett, discusses the concept of articulate contact. The authors define this as the language in our world It is the concept of negations between people to create a meaning. The authors discuss how we need the language to create an understanding of things that are represented. The authors next discuss how the language is constructive. It produces meaning contexts and relationships. The language helps us move through the world as it makes our word. The language is a tool in which society can communicate and interact with each other. Without the language, the communication would be challenging. The language is important. If you were in a different country, there is a feeling of being lost without the concept of the countries language. It has an impact on how society functions. There needs to be a form of language to move around the society.

Ken Makovsky discusses, in the Forbes magazine, the ability to communicate in a foreign country. Makovsky shares how the business language can be misinterpreted due to the nuance. This can lead to a misunderstanding within the business world. He also discusses how the words that we use can be misunderstood due to the cultural bias. This article has a formal relation to the articulate contact and language. The words that we use have a different meaning or interpretation depending on the culture. Each culture has its own unique way of interpreting the meaning. From Makovskys article he shares the example of how a Dutch businessman and a British business man use the same tone of words to present an idea yet the words are interpreted in a different fashion. This is related to how each country uses the language in the context that fits their own culture.

Another way that the it is important to understand the articulate contact is using awareness on how we express our language in front of others. Makovsky discusses how different countries have different approaches towards how they give and receive feedback. He uses the example of the Chinese manager that is trained to never criticize a colleague in front of others in a public setting. The other example is how the American culture is taught how to wrap positive message around negative messages.  The third example is how the French are taught to give criticism in a passionate manner and to provide positive feedback in a sparingly fashion.

 The main idea is that we need the language to survive within our own culture. The other concept is that it is important to be aware of the differences that each culture has when it comes to communicating with each other and others in the society.