Aspects Revisited

Tone of Voice

Tone of voice differs per culture, sometimes overlapping, sometimes different. If someone scrapes his throat before saying something, it may imply that he asks for attention or that he has something difficult to say.

An important cultural difference may be found in the use of silence in the conversation. People in Eastern Asia appreciate periods of silence in a conversation but people in Western Europe and North America easily feel uncomfortable. Think for instance of a detective movie in which the detective uses silence to get the suspect talking.A specific element of tone of voice is a word that has the same sound but quite a different meaning in another language. If people toast one another in a pub in the Netherlands they may say Proost! With the same pronunciation it means You stupid in Romanian.

Tone of voice across borders is difficult because of its subconscious

Language

In terms of dealing with cultural differences language is often considered the gate to the other culture. Normally people in the host country appreciate the modest effort of greeting or thanking in their language, because it shows good intentions and an interest in the other.

Within the domain of culture language is a necessary part of communication, in particular on the national level. In an organisation one may use a different language than is common in the host country (e.g. English in an international firm). Some families have specific words of phrases and an individual often uses language in his or her own way.

A language can have words for concepts that in other languages hardly exist. Not only is language important in terms of the influence of culture on the content of concepts, but also how people think about a particular concept.