Comments on: Intercultural communication over coffee

By: Carlos John Manapat

Carlos John Manapat — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 17:50:51 +0000

Between the “cap” over the cappuccino, the presence of cultural differences towards intercultural communication presents an interesting lesson to explore the unprecedented creativity of English in various environments. I have thought of such a story through my experiences adapting to the language of niche online discussion boards. Such an effort has evolved the creativity of the speaker as it has transcended to a new dimension as we see it.

By: Jose Daniel Cabrera

Jose Daniel Cabrera — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 18:27:24 +0000

Thank you for sharing your experience, Dr. Shiva! Regarding cross-cultural communication, I sometimes doubt my English language abilities when thinking about situations where I have to interact with foreigners and people who I do not culturally belong to. They might use slang and terms I am not familiar with, but as you have stated, this isn’t a result of my inability to express myself with the language. It instead is just merely a result of not being versed on how they communicate.

By: Zion Bishop Ortiz

Zion Bishop Ortiz — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 14:35:26 +0000

Right on, Dr. Shiva! Over the years, this scenario is still prevalent, especially among tourists who are non-native English speakers. With the continuous evolution of the English language, newer words appear every now and then and can really be confusing for us non-native speakers. Despite being an English major who has experienced talking to native speakers on an everyday basis in a role-playing game, I still find some of their vocabulary bewildering — to the point where I have to sometimes silently search for its meaning really quick on google to somehow be able to relate to what they’re talking about.

By: Kenneth Dizon

Kenneth Dizon — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 10:26:19 +0000

What a very intriguing story, Dr. Shiva! It is true that language is every changing and dynamic. I experience these types of situations with my relatives who are native English speakers, but that the end of the day despite the different cultural background we still understand one another.

By: Kaela Madrunio

Kaela Madrunio — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 07:06:59 +0000

Such a riveting sharing, Dr. Shiva. I, myself, a member of Generation Z and a coffee lover at that, didn’t have an idea that “cap” is a shortcut for cappuccino. The English language has definitely evolved through time and I’m sure you can attest to that. I have realized that even being a native speaker of English does not guarantee that miscommunication will not occur in such situations. How fascinating!

By: linguisticslover

linguisticslover — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 03:12:43 +0000

This was such an interesting read, Dr. Shiva. As someone who is also not an English native speaker, I also do experience some deficiencies in the language even though I’m an English major. This was such an eye-opener of how culture really differentiates people from people, and English, as well as other languages, tends to change over time. This really made me think that all of this is just made up just like how language is made up too.

By: Maybelle Go

Maybelle Go — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 16:18:01 +0000

Hello Dr. Shiva and thank you for this article. I agree that it was indeed an unfortunate experience that you had encountered in this experience, but I do not think that it was a cultural issue. I just think that it is due to the dynamic characteristic of language. Reading the article reminded me of a scenario not long ago, where I was trying to teach my cousin new slang. Since I am significantly younger than my cousin by more than a decade, when I speak to her I would unconsciously use slang that I use when I speak to my friends, and I decided to ask my cousin if she knew what they meant since it didn’t feel like she got the joke I was trying to say. When she said no, I decided to teach her some of the slangs that I notice people using on a daily basis for fun. From this experience, I really learned how dynamic language is, and as someone who is fluent in both English and Mandarin Chinese, I can say that with my experience, I encounter new words and slangs almost weekly or monthly. It’s fun because there is the joy of getting to learn something new.

By: Edwin Tatel III

Edwin Tatel III — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 15:31:45 +0000

This is definitely an interesting topic! Cultural differences are truly evident in how we use language; it is also crucial to note the difficulty of learning new terms when you are not in the setting where those words are utilized. Thank you for sharing!

By: Eric Estefan B. Badong

Eric Estefan B. Badong — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 08:24:26 +0000

Good day Dr. Shiva! While I was reading your article, I just got reminded of three important concepts on Intercultural communication. Context, Culture, and Communicative Competence. As language researchers, it is always important for us to understand the different contexts in which a word or term may be used in different kinds of places or geographical areas. Since different speakers or communities of people have or may have different contexts when they use particular words which may be different from how we use it on our own context in our places. Next would be culture. One thing interesting about intercultural communication is that aside from it being linguistic in nature, at the same time it is also anthropological that is why culture is one of its important aspects for we are to encounter different people who came all the way from different backgrounds, contexts, and even upbringings which makes them different, unique, and of course interesting to meet and learn from as well. And lastly, Communicative Competence. This aspect is very important knowing that we meet pluralities of people that is why to be flexible enough with the proper diction, usage, and richness in vocabulary are always important so as to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, and possible violence as far as as communicating with various people is concerned.

By: Eriz Parazo

Eriz Parazo — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 18:47:51 +0000

This was such an interesting read, Dr. Shiva! I was initially left puzzled by the usage of “cap” as well. The contextual process to be able to arrive at a shared meaning could sometimes really be a struggle when it comes to communicating across cultures.

By: Shiva

Shiva — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 00:17:26 +0000

In reply to Adrianne. Thank you Adrianne for your important input! I'm glad that you've found the post interesting and helpful, and indeed a great takeaway message from Ingrid's book! All the best with your journey in this field and raising awareness by sharing your insights and learnings :)

By: Shiva

Shiva — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 00:12:43 +0000

In reply to Marvi Quirong. Thanks Marvi! You're absolutely right! that's why intercultural communication learning is so important as it allows individuals to interact effectively and respectfully :)

By: Shiva

Shiva — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 23:56:04 +0000

In reply to Janica Recuenco. Thanks, Janica! Glad that you've found the article interesting and that you could relate to the experience. Lucky you and other students who are learning from such a knowledgeable academic in the field! Dr Tenedero is amazing and I'm sure you'll learn a lot in her classes :)

By: Shiva

Shiva — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 23:48:39 +0000

In reply to Francesca Fernando. Thank you Francesca! I'm glad you found the article useful. Intercultural Communication training and education is indeed incredibly important to help everyone adjust their communication to avoid misunderstanding and promote clarity and harmony. All the best with your studies and learning journey :)

By: Shiva

Shiva — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 23:38:00 +0000

In reply to Eazel. Thank you, Eazel! I'm glad that you've found the article interesting and useful. All the best with your journey in this fascinating field :)

By: Nicole M.

Nicole M. — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 06:44:09 +0000

Thank you for sharing your experience, Dr. Shiva! I admit that I am also quite unfamiliar with “cap” being an abbreviation for “cappuccino” and would’ve been left confused as well, despite being an avid coffee-drinker. Seeing what makes the same language different for various people is quite interesting and demonstrates a unique kind of diversity; like yes, different languages exist and have unique expressions that embody concepts unique to that culture, but seeing the way that a widely used language, such as English, can be different from itself is very fascinating. Of course, it gives way to a lot of misunderstandings, but I think that it also gives us an opportunity to learn from a different perspective, like being shown a new way to use a tool that you have used your whole life.