Language, or communication, in a broader sense, is just a part of culture but a very important one because a shared language allows members of different cultures to express themselves and communicate with each other. Just as norms, expectations and behaviour, language vary across cultures, and it can change and evolve in the course of time for several reasons, e.g. new needs of the speakers of a language, technological progress, new products, just to mention a few.
The origins of human language have been discussed as a topic for centuries and there is no consensus as to when it really began. Noam Chomsky, an American linguist and often referred to as the "father of modern linguistics", states that it has been an evolutionary process that still goes on today because he speaks of a so-called Language Faculty as a special component of the human brain which is specifically dedicated to language and required for language acquisition.
Michael Corballis, emeritus professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Auckland, is challenging Chomsky's theory as he argues in his book "The Truth about Language" that gesture was crucial to the development of speech instead of a single mutation in a single human. He states that we share that ability with other animals and his idea is supported by investigations of sign languages developed by deaf children who start to babble with their hands just as hearing children do with their mouths.
Languages are constantly changing and this makes it difficult to count the exact number of living languages existing in the world today. Another problem could be the definition of a language because there is a difference between a language and a dialect, or between a language and a macrolanguage. For that reason, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has set international standards toward comprehensive coverage of languages and language groups in the ISO 639 series. The language codes are used in the Ethnologue, a catalog of living languages published by SIL International, which is the registration authority for ISO 639-3. According to Ethnologue (19th edition), there are 7,097 living languages in the world.
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
2 ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE
3 MODERN LANGUAGES AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
4 LANGUAGE STATUS AND EGIDS SCALE
4.1 ENGLISH
4.2 GERMAN
4.3 MODERN STANDARD ARABIC
4.4 BASQUE
4.5 ESPERANTO
5 LANGUAGE MISTAKES IN MARKETING
6 NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Objectives and Research Themes
The primary objective of this research paper is to examine the intrinsic link between language and intercultural competence within an increasingly globalized business environment. The study aims to highlight why proficiency in foreign languages and an understanding of non-verbal communication are essential soft skills for global leaders, marketers, and international professionals.
- The relationship between culture and the evolution of human language.
- Statistical analysis of world languages and their global importance using the EGIDS scale.
- Examination of cross-cultural marketing failures caused by inadequate linguistic and cultural knowledge.
- The critical role of non-verbal communication, body language, and cultural context in international interactions.
Excerpt from the Book
5 LANGUAGE MISTAKES IN MARKETING
In the increasingly globalised world of today there is a growing need to understand the customs of different cultures and to learn and master foreign languages, especially if one works in an international environment or in the marketing department of a global company and is responsible for branding and the introduction of new brand names. There are numerous examples of things that went wrong in the translation of brand names or their application in a foreign market.
When General Motors (GM) introduced their Chevrolet Nova car in the Spanish-speaking countries, they were apparently unaware that no va means it doesn't go in Spanish. There is an urban legend which says that, as a consequence, Latin American customers shunned the car, forcing GM to remove it from the market, but this never happened. The Nova example has often been used in textbooks and presentations on cultural differences and advertising. Despite the potentially negative association, the Chevrolet Nova sold well in Latin America, even exceeding GM's sales projections for Venezuela.
Another example of yet another marketing blunder is the story of Ford's economy-class Fiera pickup truck, which was introduced in Latin America and no one made an effort to find out that the word means ugly old woman in colloquial language. Ford sold their Comet car in Mexico under the name Caliente, which literally means hot (as in temperature), but as a Mexican-Spanish slang word it also stands for prostitute.
Summary of Chapters
1 INTRODUCTION: This chapter introduces the concept of intercultural competence as a vital skill in a globalized world, utilizing Geert Hofstede's metaphor of culture as "mental programming."
2 ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE: This section explores the historical and evolutionary development of language, referencing theories by Noam Chomsky and Michael Corballis, and discusses linguistic artifacts like the Rosetta Stone.
3 MODERN LANGUAGES AND THEIR IMPORTANCE: This chapter provides a statistical overview of the world's most spoken languages, detailing their distribution and significance using data from Ethnologue.
4 LANGUAGE STATUS AND EGIDS SCALE: This chapter explains the EGIDS scale as a tool for measuring language development, followed by individual case studies of English, German, Modern Standard Arabic, Basque, and Esperanto.
5 LANGUAGE MISTAKES IN MARKETING: This chapter analyzes how cultural and linguistic oversights lead to failed international marketing campaigns, using examples like the Chevrolet Nova and Clairol's Mist Stick.
6 NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION: This chapter emphasizes the importance of body language, time, and space in intercultural interactions, noting that the vast majority of human communication is non-verbal.
7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This chapter provides a concise review of the paper's findings regarding the necessity of intercultural competence and the impact of language on business and daily life.
Keywords
Intercultural Competence, Language, Globalization, EGIDS, Linguistics, Marketing, Non-verbal Communication, Hofstede, Culture, Branding, Cross-cultural Management, Ethnologue, Translation, Soft Skills, Communication Failures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research paper?
The paper explores how language functions as a fundamental component of intercultural competence and why it is a critical skill for success in an international, globalized environment.
What are the central themes discussed in the text?
The text covers the evolutionary origins of language, statistical rankings of global languages, the measurement of language status, risks in international marketing, and the role of non-verbal communication.
What is the primary goal of the author?
The goal is to demonstrate that cultural and linguistic awareness are essential, not optional, skills for professionals to avoid failures in communication and international business strategy.
What scientific framework does the author use to analyze language status?
The author uses the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (EGIDS), which measures the development and endangerment levels of languages globally.
What topics are covered in the main body of the work?
The main body addresses the origins of human language, the hierarchy of the world's most spoken languages, specific case studies (e.g., English, Basque, Arabic), marketing blunders, and the silent language of culture.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Intercultural Competence, Language, Globalization, EGIDS, Non-verbal Communication, and Cross-cultural Marketing.
How does the paper explain the "Chevrolet Nova" marketing incident?
The paper identifies the Nova incident as a widely cited urban legend, clarifying that while the name "no va" implies "it doesn't go" in Spanish, the car actually sold well in Latin American markets.
What does the author argue regarding non-verbal communication?
The author posits that non-verbal communication—including gestures, facial expressions, and the use of space and time—accounts for 93% of human interaction, making it more impactful than the spoken word.
Why does the author differentiate between Mandarin Chinese and other languages in the statistics?
The paper highlights Mandarin as the most spoken native language by a significant margin, surpassing the one-billion speaker threshold, which distinguishes it from other major global languages.
- Quote paper
- Markus Giesecke (Author), 2016, Language as Part of Intercultural Competence. Modern Languages and their Importance, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/358199
