Literates Working Among Oral Cultures

Dr. David Sills

What is a People Group?• A people group is a “significantly large

grouping of individuals who perceive themselves to have a common affinity for one another because of their shared language, religion, ethnicity, residence, occupation, class or caste, situation, etc. or combinations of these.”

• “The largest group within which an idea can spread as a without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance.”

Nigeria by Political Boundaries

Nigeria by Ethnolinguistic Boundaries

The numbers have faces, and the faces have names.

• There are 27,000 ethnic groups in the world

• Every day 40,000 children die of hunger and starvation-related diseases

• 6,000 persons die from the lack of clean drinking water

Brazil’s kids

• Twelve million children live on the street

• Seven million children work full time• Half a million girls under sixteen are

prostitutes, many sold in coastal cities as part of a vacation package

• One in three Brazilian children will die before the age of fifteen

During the Last Hour

• 1,945 children died of preventable causes

• 1,625 children were forced to live on the streets because of death or abuse ...

• 115 children became child prostitutes ...• 66 children under age 15 were infected

with HIV ...• 23 children were killed in war ...

Missionary Math• Of the 6,913 known languages, only

411 have a Bible, 1,068 have a NT, and many have only portions.

• 70% of the Unreached ethnic groups are preliterates.

• 75% of Evangelical churches are located in the 20% of the world that is highly literate.

• Since Gutenberg, Christianity has walked on literate feet.

World Population Breakdown

• Here's one way to think about our various peoples: imagine the planet's entire population as a village of 1,000. The breakdown would be:

• 584 from Asia124 from Africa95 from East and West Europe84 from Latin America55 from the former Soviet Union52 from North America6 from Australia and New Zealand

Nonverbal Communication“Nonverbal communication is an elaborate code that is written nowhere, known by none, and understood by all.” –Edward Sapir

• Importance of Nonverbal Communication:– All types of communication without words– Mehrabian & Ferris and Mehrabian & Wiener analysis of meaning communicated through facial and vocal expressions:

• Facial Expressions: 55%• Paralanguage (the way the words are said): 38%• Verbal (the words themselves): 7%

– Other research suggests that about 2/3 of the meaning in an interaction is conveyed by nonverbal communication

Nonverbal CommunicationImportance of Nonverbal Communication: 5

Reasons: 1. Nonverbal communication is present

everywhere2. Nonverbal communication usually comes

first3. Nonverbal communication is especially

likely to be trusted4. Nonverbal communication can lead to

misunderstanding, especially when verbal messages are missing or limited

5. Nonverbal communication is especially important in intercultural communication situations

Nonverbal CommunicationNonverbal communication messages

may:– Contradict verbal communication

messages– Complement verbal communication

messages– Substitute verbal communication

messages– Regulate verbal communication

messages– Accent or moderate verbal

communication messages

Nonverbal CommunicationBody Movements:

• Four main types of kinesic communication:1. Emblems- Body movements that can be

translated into words that are used to intentionally transmit a message (hand gestures)

2. Illustrators- A type of kinesic behavior that accompanies what is said verbally (pointing)

3. Regulators- Kinesic behaviors that control turn-taking and other procedural aspects of interpersonal communication (gaze)

4. Affect Displays- Kinesic behaviors that express emotions (smile)

Nonverbal CommunicationTypes of Nonverbal

Communication– Proxemics is nonverbal communication involving space– Time:

• Chronemics- the way in which time affects communication

• Organization of time:– Technical time- the scientific development of the

atomic clock (nanoseconds)– Formal time- the process of separating units of

time into days, weeks, and months– Informal time- within a culture the more loosely

defined concepts of approximation– Touch: Haptics is nonverbal communication involving

touching

Nonverbal Communication– Voice: Paralanguage is vocal communication

other than verbal content– Artifact: An individual’s clothing, wedding

ring, personal possessions, etc…– Physical Appearance: Rule-governed cultural

preferences dictate the elements of appearance that are considered physically attractive

Culture of Language

• Verbal style to impress (Latino, Arabic)• Verbal styles to assert and control

(German, Irish, Israeli, Turkish)• Verbal style that expresses tolerance for

ambiguity (Swedish, Asian)• Verbal style that uses tolerance for silence

(Japanese and many other Asian)• Verbal style that expects high information

(USA, other Western countries)

What Causes Illness?

• Evil spirits• Germs• Imbalance of energy• Soul fright• Curse• Broken relationships• Bad luck

What causes good things?

• God (gods) favor you• Blessed because you did something

good• Good karma• Fate• Good luck• Natural outcome of hard work

What causes hardships?

• Punishment for doing wrong• Part of life to be expected• God trying to get someone’s

attention• Fate• Don’t exist unless you think they do• Natural outcome of one’s lifestyle

What is the purpose of life?

• Serve others• Make your next life better• Make your ancestors’ lives better• Be self-fulfilled• Serve God, give God glory• No purpose other than pleasure• Reproduce

Cause of Illness & Treatment

• Evil spirits• Biology/germs• Imbalance of energy• A curse• Broken relationships

with people, nature, gods

• Soul fright

• Appease or rid yourself of evil spirits

• Medicine, surgery• Balance energy • Remove the curse• Restore

relationships• Have the soul

returned

The 10/40 Window

Afghanistan Algeria Bahrain Bangladesh Benin Bhutan Burkina Faso Cambodia Chad China Cyprus Djibouti

Egypt Eritrea Ethiopia Gambia Gibraltar Greece Guinea Guinea- Bissau India Iran Iraq Israel

Japan Jordan Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Laos Lebanon Libya Macau Mali Malta Mauritania

Morocco Myanmar (Burma) Nepal Niger Oman Pakistan Philippines Portugal Qatar Saudi Arabia Senegal Sudan

Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Thailand Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Vietnam Western Sahara Yemen

Countries in 10/40 Window

10/40 Window Statistics• Unreached and unevangelized: 95% of the

people living in the 10/40 Window are unevangelized. Many have never heard the Gospel message even once.

• Poverty: 85% of those living in the 10/40 window are the poorest of the world's poor.

• Population: 2/3 of the World’s population lives here in 1/3 of World’s land mass.

• World religions: Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism are centered in the 10/40 Window.

The Physical Need . . .• ...There are over 400 mega cities (cities with

more than 1 million people) in the world today.  300 of these cities lie within the Window.

• ...The Window contains the majority of the world's least evangelized mega cities.  Of the top 50 cities on this list, all 50 cities are in the 10/40 Window

• ...More than 97% out the poorest of the poor live in the Window.

• ...On average, people living in the 10/40 Window exist on less than $500 per person per year.

http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~samkong/mission/1040.php

The Challenge• Throwing a stone in a pond ripples that

pond only. To impact another means moving out of your comfort zone.

• Languages must be learned • Cultures must be learned • Non-verbal communication• Literates have to learn how to

communicate with oral culture peoples.

Translation Needs• There are 6,913 languages cataloged in the

world.• To learn a language that has not been reduced to

writing, develop a system, teach it to the people, translate and present a Bible takes 20-30 years depending on the language.

• Over 2,700 languages have been identified as priority languages and it is estimated that it will take 287 years to get them a Bible.

• Oral methods are essential for reaching 70% of the unreached peoples of the world today.

It’s not wrong, it’s not stupid, it’s just different!

• Ethnocentrism – is the practice of judging the values, languages, standards, characteristics, etc. of another culture against one’s home culture.– The other culture is usually seen as inferior.– Intercultural workers should recognize their

own ethnocentric tendencies.– The ugly American is alive and well!

Gestures• Okay!• Victory or peace• Pointing with index finger• How tall?• Come here• Giving the back • Pointing with feet

The twelve signal systems

• Verbal – speech• Written – symbols

representing speech• Numeric – numbers and

number systems• Pictorial – 2 dimensional

representations• Artifactual – 3

dimensional representations and objects

• Audio – use of nonverbal sounds and silence

• Kinesics – body motions, facial expressions, posture

• Optical – light and color• Tactile – touch and the

sense of feel• Spatial – utilization of

space• Temporal – utilization

of time• Olfactory – taste and

smell

CULTURE SHOCK!!!• It is inevitable but is rarely fatal.• Occurs when two or more cultures collide.– Oriental students in Costa Rica.– Hot climate cultures vs. Cold climate cultures.

• Learned worldview cues no longer function• Multilevel, multifaceted, & goes both ways.• Many have tried to define but it’s primarily

an emotional reaction to a shaken world.

Culture Shock Stages• Culture Surprise (Tourist/Honeymoon)– Sights– Sounds – Smells– Money– Customs

• Lasts from a few weeks to a few months– How long you will be there – Why you are there

Culture Shock Stages• Rejection Stage– Islands of the home culture– “Us” and “We” vs. “Them” and “They.”– Caricature and ridicule of nationals

• This stage can last from a few months to a couple of years. It depends on:– How quickly you bond with the culture.– How quickly you learn the language.– How well you can remember why you are

there.

Culture Shock Stages• Recovery– Cultural assimilation (going native)

• Sounds great but not healthy• God made you who you are

– Cultural acceptance and adaptation• Bonding with the culture, humor, friends• It’s not wrong, it’s not stupid, it’s just different.

– Culture tension/stress• Always on a slow burn. • Nationals are never accepted as equals

Culture Shock!!!• Reverse culture shock sets in when you

return home.• USA is parents’ home, not the kids’.• Prices, options, waste, wealth.• Priorities and preferences.• Phrases, clothing styles, dangers, etc.• Not fatal either, forewarned is

forearmed!