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8/3/2019 Jasmina Djordjevic The Concept of Cogno-cultural Awareness - A Prerequisite for Intercultural Communication, JKKom, Nis, 2011

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The concept of The concept of cognocogno- -cultural awarenesscultural awareness ± ±

a prerequisite for intercultural communicationa prerequisite for intercultural communication

Jasmina Djordjevic, PhDFaculty of Law and Business Studies Novi Sad, Serbia

[email protected]



IntroductionIntroduction

O f utmost importance is that weaccept to µextend ourselves to includeothers in the same envelope of awareness.¶ (Hall, 1996)



S ummaryS ummaryTopic:

Intercultural communication depends on the individual¶s ability toperceive and process cultures in an intercultural context, i.e. onthe particular level of cogno-cultural awareness that the individualcan develop.

Rationale:

1. Communication depends on a particular model of conceptualising reality (MCR).

2. Intercultural communication is the ability to switch from thesource model of conceptualising (SMC ) to an equivalent targetmodel of conceptualising (TMC) and vice versa ± ability for conceptual shifts between different conceptual mapping

systems (Mandelblit - 'Cognitive Translation Hypothesisµ, 1995) .



B asic premisesB asic premisesUsing mental capacities to makeinformed decisions about how to dealwith new or similar situations.

Cognitiveawareness

Using knowledge about one¶s own andothers¶ cultures to assist in the

performance of professional and/ oreveryday duties.

Cultural

awareness

Ability to interact effectively withpeople from different/ diverse cultural

backgrounds.

Cultural/Interculturalcompetence

Ability to switch from one model of conceptualising reality/ culture toanother model of conceptualising

reality/ culture .

Conceptual shift



P rerequisites for the conceptual shiftP rerequisites for the conceptual shift

in intercultural communicationin intercultural communication

1. Ability to create meaning for messagesfrom and/ to members of differentcultural background

2. Ability to interpret the meaning of suchmessages



A bility to create meaning A bility to create meaning

P rovide content tocommunication

The WHAT

Depends on the

linguistic andextralinguisticknowledge thatinterlocutors bringinto the process



A bility to interpret meaning A bility to interpret meaning

Apply process of understanding

The HOW

Depends on cognitive and

perceptive abilities to seerelationships ³outside thebox´, empathy to ³feel thecontent´, intelligence toread ³between the lines´.



E xample: conceptual shift with aE xample: conceptual shift with a

culture specific termculture specific termS ource model of conceptualising

P lace in an open areaP eople can say what they wantS ymbol of free speech

Target model of conceptualising

Mesto na otvorenomLjudi mogu slobodno re i tagod eleS imbol slobode govora

Equivalent/corresponding term

Mesto na uglu, slobodagovora = Ugao govornika

S p e ak

er s¶

C or n er

U g a

o g ov

or ni k

a



E xample: Conceptual shift among intelocutorsE xample: Conceptual shift among intelocutorsfrom diverse cultural backgroundsfrom diverse cultural backgrounds

T wo teams of scientists: low-context(American) and high-context(Japanese)

Discussion on education programmes

Either the Japanese start explaining orthe Americans learn how to makeconclusions by reading between the lines

Interlocutors

Issue

Shift



ConclusionsConclusions

1. µMost of us remain lonely until we meetsomeone else, who also knows that other

people are real and not the paper cutoutsthat those, who do not know, make themout to be.¶ (Hall, 1998)

2. We need µa conceptual shift from a

hierarchical perspective of culturalinfluence, compromise and adaptation toone of collaborative cross-culturallearning ¶ (Bartholomew and Adler, 1996)



THANK YOU !THANK YOU !

Jasmina Djordjevic, P hDFaculty of Law and Business S tudies, Novi S ad

S erbia

[email protected]

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