Let us look now not only athowcultures teach, but alsowhatthey teach about the
use of time. To accomplish this, we will examine two cultural perspectives: (1)infor-
mal timeand (2)monochronic and polychronic classifications.Informal Time
Informal time is usually composed of two interrelated components—punctuality and
pace.Punctuality. Rules that apply to punctuality are taught implicitly and explicitly. On a
conscious level, young children are taught the importance of being prompt. They are
told that a lack of punctuality equals being inconsiderate, lazy, and discourteous. In
addition to these conscious messages, there are numerous messages sent and learned
on an unconscious level. You would probably have some difficulty remembering
where you learned some of the following informal rules:- The boss can arrive late for a meeting without anyone raising an eyebrow.
- A secretary arriving late might receive a reprimand in the form of a stern glance.
- A rock star or a physician can keep people waiting for a long time, but the warm-up
band and the food caterer had better be at the event on time.
You know these“rules”abouttime but cannot point to the moment you learned
them, as they operate below the level of consciousness. The imperatives about time
are also often linked to a culture’s worldview. For example, in the Western percep-
tion, response to time can be traced to the Judeo-Christian worldview. We see time
beginning with the Creation and ending with the Second Coming or the arrival of
the Messiah.^146
Experience tells you that in the United States, most members of the dominant cul-
ture adhere to Benjamin Franklin’s pronouncement that“Time is money.”Think of
what is being said about the use of time in these common expressions:“Don’t put off
until tomorrow what you can do today,”“He who hesitates is lost,”and“Just give me
the bottom line.”For U.S. residents,
time is fixed and measurable, and where we
feel seconds ticking away, we attach much
significance to schedules. We measure our
efficiency according to our ability to meet
deadlines and cross off items on our checklist
by the end of the day. Getting things done
on schedule has a value in itself.^147
As mentioned, cultures vary in their punctuality standards. Argyle highlights a few
of those variations:
How late is“late”? This varies greatly. In Britain and America, one may be 5 minutes late
for a business appointment, but not 15 and certainly not 30 minutes late, which is perfectly
normal in Arab countries. On the other hand, in Britain it is correct to be 5 to 15 minutes
late for an invitation to dinner. An Italian might arrive 2 hours late, an Ethiopian after,
and a Javanese not at all—he had accepted only to prevent his host from losing face.^148
Status relationships can influence punctuality in Japan. As Nishiyama points out,
“The time usage in Japan is usually determined by the status relationships between
REMEMBER THIS
Cultures vary in how they perceive punctuality, the amount of
time they set aside for socializing, whether they value a fast or
slow pace of life, and the importance of work versus leisure
time.328 CHAPTER 9•Nonverbal Communication: The Messages of Action, Space, Time, and Silence
Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).