The researcher of this paper is interested in analyzing spoken discourse. Due to the absence of cross-cultural awareness there could be a high obstacle in understanding the message that is perfect linguistically. This could generally mirror pragmatic failure and in particular, in the classrooms.
This research paper therefore aims at analyzing many conversations to the language in use in different contexts for achieving the following:
- Highlighting the importance of intercultural awareness betweenEnglish speakers / learners as well as the problems caused by itsabsence.
- Analyzing different spoken discourses on pragmatic failure interms of words, sentence, discourse and Intonation.
- Defining the intercultural competence, pragmatic competenceand discourse analysis.
- Presenting the relationship between the discourse analysis andculture.
- Recommending pedagogical implications to English authors,teachers, educational policy makers and learners.
As the number of non-native speakers has become recently increasing and has surpassed the number of native speakers, the culture of non-native speakers could not be ignored in the interaction between non-native speakers to native speakers or between the non-native speakers to native-speakers. Hence, the importance of cultural dimension in communicative competence has been also increasing between English learners and speakers.
Table of Contents
1 Background of the Study
1.1 Introduction
1.2 A rationale for the choice of topic
1.3 Purpose of the Study
1.4 Significance of the Study
1.5 Questions of the study
2 Literature Review
2.1 Intercultural competence(ICC), Discourse and pragmatic competence
2.2 Cultural studies and Discourse analysis
3 Methodology
4 Data analysis of spoken discourse
4.1 Cultural words
4.2 Sentence level
4.3 Discourse level
4.4 Intonation
5 Discussion
6 Pedagogical implications
7 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This study aims to analyze spoken discourse across different cultural contexts to highlight the vital role of intercultural competence in education and address the pragmatic failures that occur when such awareness is absent.
- The importance of intercultural awareness for English speakers and learners.
- Identification of pragmatic failure across word, sentence, discourse, and intonation levels.
- Defining core concepts: intercultural competence, pragmatic competence, and discourse analysis.
- Exploring the relationship between culture and discourse analysis.
- Providing pedagogical recommendations for educators, authors, and policymakers.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1. Cultural words
Words do not only have linguistic meaning but also have cultural meaning. The cultural meaning of the word subsumes under the cultural background of the participants in a conversation. If the participants come from different cultural backgrounds, pragmatic failure will take place. That will be seen in the following short conversation between an Egyptian and American working together in Egypt.
1 John: Hi
2 Hasina: Hello
3 John: How are you today?
4 Hasina: very tired.
5 John : Why?
6 Hasina: yesterday, I worked here in the office until night.
7 John: It seems like you are a dog to the company.
8 (Hasina left him without saying any word).
Here is this conversation; in line 8 Hasina did not continue the conversation because she considered John insulting her due to the word “dog” in line 7. In Egyptian culture, “dog” means an insult to the human being, so she felt scolded when he described her with the word “dog”, however, Johan did not mean to insult Hasina but praising her because the word dog in the American culture means loyalty and faith. Here in this conversation, although the word is correct linguistically, pragmatic failure happened because of misinterpreting the word meaning according to the different use of the word in each culture.
Chapter Summaries
1 Background of the Study: Introduces the growing importance of intercultural awareness in education and sets the rationale for analyzing spoken discourse to avoid pragmatic failure.
2 Literature Review: Examines existing academic approaches to communicative competence, cultural studies, and discourse analysis to provide a theoretical foundation.
3 Methodology: Outlines the qualitative approach of using anecdotal data from real-life situations to analyze spoken discourse.
4 Data analysis of spoken discourse: Investigates specific instances of pragmatic failure categorized by cultural words, sentence structure, discourse patterns, and intonation.
5 Discussion: Synthesizes findings on how cultural differences impact communication and emphasizes the necessity for an intercultural perspective in teaching.
6 Pedagogical implications: Offers concrete strategies for educators and decision-makers to foster intercultural competence in the classroom.
7 Conclusion: Summarizes the study’s findings and calls for further research into the role of intercultural awareness in the globalized era.
Keywords
Intercultural competence, Pragmatic failure, Spoken discourse, Cultural awareness, Discourse analysis, Communicative competence, Pragmatic competence, Pedagogy, Language teaching, Cross-cultural communication, Sociolinguistics, Intonation, Cultural words, Intercultural dialogue, Language education
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The work focuses on analyzing how a lack of intercultural awareness leads to pragmatic failure in spoken discourse between people from different cultural backgrounds.
What are the central themes discussed in the paper?
Key themes include intercultural competence, communicative competence, discourse analysis, the impact of cultural norms on language, and pedagogical strategies for language teaching.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to highlight the necessity of moving from basic cultural awareness to intercultural awareness to ensure effective communication and prevent misunderstanding.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The paper uses a qualitative methodology, specifically analyzing anecdotal data and real-life conversation transcripts to identify communication breakdowns.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It covers a theoretical literature review followed by an analytical section that examines discourse failures in terms of lexicon, syntax, discourse-level norms, and intonation.
Which keywords best characterize the study?
The study is characterized by terms such as intercultural competence, pragmatic failure, discourse analysis, and language pedagogy.
How is "pragmatic failure" illustrated in the examples?
The author uses real-world scenarios, such as the misinterpretation of the word "dog" between Egyptian and American speakers, to show how linguistic correctness does not guarantee successful communication.
What role does intonation play in the communication issues described?
The study demonstrates that contrastive stress and varying pitch usage can lead to unintended emotional perceptions, such as a speaker appearing angry or deceptive when they are simply using their native prosodic norms.
What does the author propose for the classroom?
The author suggests that teachers should move beyond structural grammar to integrate intercultural perspective-taking, encourage student interaction, and avoid cultural bias in materials.
- Quote paper
- Elsayed Mahmoud (Author), 2012, Pragmatic failure of intercultural communication in higher education. A spoken discourse analysis, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/318326
