Communication Between Cultures

many Muslim nations, some segments of the population are very rich and others are

extremely poor.

Even with the caveats just discussed, the study of cultural patterns is a worthwhile

endeavor. However, when engaged in any intercultural interaction, you should keep

in mind that you are dealing with an indi-

vidual, and that individual may or may

not demonstrate the cultural characteris-

tics generally attributed to the larger

cultural group.

Choosing Cultural Patterns

Scholars from various disciplines have compiled a variety of cultural pattern typolo-

gies. In almost every case the objective has been to discover characteristics that would

help to identify and understand dissimilar cultural values. Clearly, there is a degree of

overlap among the different classification systems, but each has its own merits. For

obvious reasons we have selected cultural pattern typologies that are most commonly

seen in works by intercultural communication scholars. Also, we have included

Minkov’s four cultural dimensions and Gelfand’s study of tight and loose cultures, which

represent some of the most contemporary research. Thus, the remainder of this chapter

presents a comprehensive examination of the following seven value taxonomies:

• Kohls’list ofvalues Americans live by


• The Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck classification ofvalue orientations


• Hall’s categorization ofhigh-context and low-context orientations


• Hofstede’s set ofvalue dimensions


• Minkov’scultural dimensions


• Gelfand’s research ontight and loose cultures


• Ting-Toomey’s explanation and application offace and facework
  As you go through these different typologies, two assumptions should become
  apparent.First, values presented in cultural patterns are points lying along a contin-
  uum rather than polar opposites. The rationale is simple—cultural differences are usu-
  ally a matter of degree. Second, there is a great deal of commonality and some
  duplication among the different cultural patterns. In fact, many of the patterns dis-
  cussed here are also part of other taxonomies.

Applying Cultural Patterns

For each of the seven cultural value typologies discussed in this section we have

endeavored to provide a brief theoretical explanation of the individual values along

with applied examples.

Kohls’“The Values Americans Live By”

The diverse, multiethnic population that characterizes, and strengthens, the United

States makes the task of constructing an overall set of values quite challenging.

This problem is acknowledged in Charon and Vigilant’s statement,“Listing American

REMEMBER THIS

Cultural patterns are broad generalizations used to character-

ize a culture’s values.

Kohls’“The Values Americans Live By” 205

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