Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T14:54:27.907Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

7 - (Mis/Non)Understanding in Intercultural Interactions

from Part II - Key Issues in Intercultural Pragmatics Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 September 2022

By
Jagdish Kaur
Edited by
Istvan Kecskes
Istvan Kecskes
Affiliation:
State University of New York, Albany
Get access

Summary

Intercultural interactions in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) are increasingly becoming the norm as speakers of diverse first languages and cultures find themselves needing to communicate in both personal and professional domains for any number of reasons. The chapter provides an overview of ELF pragmatics research that is focused on how multilingual, multicultural speakers in real-world settings achieve mutual understanding through the effective use of ELF. Specifically, the chapter examines the pragmatic strategies that speakers deploy to preempt misunderstanding as they conjointly negotiate and construct shared meaning. Practices that enhance explicitness and clarity, such as repetition, rephrasing, topic negotiation, and the insertion of a parenthetical remark that provides additional information, reveal how speakers who anticipate difficulty in understanding, possibly arising from linguistic variability and cultural difference, increase efforts to minimize mis/non-understanding. Using data extracts from relevant ELF studies, the chapter illustrates how speakers in these intercultural interactions accommodate their interlocutors and the context of communication to arrive at shared understanding.

Keywords

ELF interactionmisunderstandingintercultural communication strategieslingua francarepetitionrephrasingclarity
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Intercultural Pragmatics , pp. 164 - 186
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baird, R., Baker, W., and Kitazawa, M. (2014). The complexity of ELF. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 3(1), 171–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bazzanella, C. and Damiano, R. (1999). The interactional handling of misunderstanding in everyday conversations. Journal of Pragmatics, 31(6), 817–836.Google Scholar
Björkman, B. (2011). Pragmatic strategies in English as an academic lingua franca: Ways of achieving communicative effectiveness. Journal of Pragmatics, 43, 950–964.Google Scholar
Björkman, B. (2014). An analysis of polyadic English as a lingua franca (ELF) speech: A communicative strategies framework. Journal of Pragmatics, 66, 122–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bremer, K., Roberts, C., Vasseur, M-T., Simonot, M., and Broeder, P. (1996). Achieving Understanding: Discourse in Intercultural Encounters. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Bührig, K. and ten Thije, J. D. (2006). Beyond Misunderstanding: The Linguistic Analyses of Intercultural Communication. Philadelphia: John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cogo, A. (2009). Accommodating difference in ELF conversations: A study of pragmatic strategies. In Mauranen, Anna and Ranta, Elina, eds., English as a Lingua Franca: Studies and Findings. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 254–273.Google Scholar
Cogo, A. (2010). Strategic use and perceptions of English as a lingua franca. Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 46(3), 295–312.Google Scholar
Cogo, A. (2012). ELF and superdiversity: A case study of ELF multilingual practices from a business context. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 1(2), 287–313.Google Scholar
Cogo, A. (2015). English as a lingua franca: Descriptions, domains and applications. In Bowles, H. and Cogo, A., eds., International Perspectives on English as a Lingua Franca: Pedagogical Insights. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 1–12.Google Scholar
Cogo, A. and House, J. (2017). Intercultural pragmatics. In Barron, A., Gu, Y., and Steen, G., eds., The Routledge Handbook of Pragmatics. London: Routledge, pp. 168–183.Google Scholar
Cogo, A. and House, J. (2018). The pragmatics of ELF. In Jenkins, J., Baker, W., and Dewey, M., eds., The Routledge Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca. London: Routledge, pp. 210–223.Google Scholar
Cogo, A. and Pitzl, M.-L. (2016). Pre-empting and signaling non-understanding in ELF. ELT Journal, 70(3), 339–345.Google Scholar
Dascal, M. (1999). Introduction: Some questions about misunderstanding. Journal of Pragmatics, 31(6), 753–762.Google Scholar
Dascal, M., and Berenstein, I. (1987). Two modes of understanding: Comprehending and grasping. Language and Communication, 7(2), 139–151.Google Scholar
Firth, A. (1996). The discursive accomplishment of normality: On “lingua franca” English and conversation analysis. Journal of Pragmatics, 26(2), 237–259.Google Scholar
Firth, A. (2009). The lingua franca factor. Intercultural Pragmatics, 6, 147–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gass, S. and Varonis, E. (1991). Miscommunication in nonnative speaker discourse. In Coupland, N., Giles, H., and Wiemann, J. M., eds., Miscommunication and Problematic Talk. London: Sage, pp. 121–145.Google Scholar
Hindmarsh, J., Reynolds, P., and Dunne, S. (2011). Exhibiting understanding: The body in apprentices. Journal of Pragmatics, 43, 489–503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
House, J. (2002). Communicating in English as a lingua franca. In Foster-Cohen, S. H., Ruthenberg, T., and Poschen, M.-L., eds., EUROSLA Yearbook 2. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 243–261.Google Scholar
House, J., Kasper, G., and Ross, S. (2003). Misunderstanding talk. In House, J., Kasper, G., and Ross, S., eds., Misunderstanding in Social Life: Discourse Approaches to Problematic Talk. London: Longman, pp. 1–21.Google Scholar
Hülmbauer, C. (2009). “We don’t take the right way. We just take the way that we think you will understand”: The shifting relationship between correctness and effectiveness in In, ELF Mauranen, A. and Ranta, E., eds., English as a Lingua Franca: Studies and Findings. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 323–347.Google Scholar
Hutchby, I. and Wooffitt, R. (1998). Conversation Analysis: Principles, Practices and Applications. Oxford: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Hynninen, N. (2011). The practice of “mediation” in English as a lingua franca interaction. Journal of Pragmatics, 43, 965–977.Google Scholar
Jafari, J. (2021). Communicating Strategically in English as a Lingua Franca: A Corpus Driven Investigation. Abingdon: Routledge.Google Scholar
Jenks, C. J. (2012). Doing being reprehensive: Some interactional features of English as a lingua franca in a chat room. Applied Linguistics, 33(4), 386–405.Google Scholar
Kappa, K. (2016). Exploring solidarity and consensus in English as lingua franca interactions. Journal of Pragmatics, 95, 16–33.Google Scholar
Kaur, J. (2009). Pre-empting problems of understanding in English as a lingua franca. In Mauranen, A. and Ranta, E., eds., English as a Lingua Franca: Studies and Findings. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 107–125.Google Scholar
Kaur, J. (2010). Achieving mutual understanding in world Englishes. World Englishes, 29(2), 192–208.Google Scholar
Kaur, J. (2011). Intercultural communication in English as a lingua franca: Some sources of misunderstanding. Intercultural Pragmatics, 8(1), 93–116.Google Scholar
Kaur, J. (2012). Saying it again: Enhancing clarity in English as a lingua franca (ELF) talk through self-repetition. Text and Talk, 32(5), 593–613.Google Scholar
Kaur, J. (2017). Ambiguity related misunderstanding and clarity enhancing practices in ELF communication. Intercultural Pragmatics, 14(1), 25–47.Google Scholar
Kaur, J. (2019). Communication strategies in English as a lingua franca interaction. In Peters, M. A. and Heraud, R., eds., Encyclopedia of Educational Innovation (living ed.). Singapore: Springer, pp. 1–5.Google Scholar
Kaur, J. (2021). Applying conversation analysis to ELF interaction data. In Murata, K., ed., ELF Research Methods and Approaches to Data and Analyses. London: Routledge, pp. 161–178.Google Scholar
Kecskes, I. (2014). Intercultural Pragmatics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Kecskes, I. (2018). Intercultural pragmatics. In Liedtke, F. and Tuchen, A., eds., Handbuch Pragmatik. Stuttgart: J. B. Metzler Verlag, pp. 140–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kecskes, I. (2019). Impoverished pragmatics? The semantics–pragmatics interface from an intercultural perspective. Intercultural Pragmatics, 16(5), 489–517.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koole, T. and ten Thije, J. D. (2001). The reconstruction of intercultural discourse: Methodological considerations. Journal of Pragmatics, 33(4), 571–587.Google Scholar
Koschmann, T. (2011). Understanding understanding in action. Journal of Pragmatics, 43(2), 435–437.Google Scholar
Kurhila, S. (2001). Correction in talk between native and non-native speaker. Journal of Pragmatics, 33, 1083–1110.Google Scholar
Lichtkoppler, J. (2007). “Male. Male.” – “Male?” – “The sex is male.” – The role of repetition in English as a lingua franca conversations. Vienna English Working Papers, 16(1), 39–65. www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/views_0701_pdf (retrieved May 16, 2020).Google Scholar
Matsumoto, Y. (2011). Successful ELF communications and implications for ELT: Sequential analysis of ELF pronunciation negotiation strategies. The Modern Language Journal, 95(1), 97–114.Google Scholar
Matsumoto, Y. (2018a). “Because we are peers, we actually understand”: Third-party participant assistance in English as a lingua franca classroom interactions. TESOL Quarterly, 52(4), 845–876.Google Scholar
Matsumoto, Y. (2018b). Functions of laughter in English-as-a-lingua-franca classrooms: A multimodal ensemble of verbal and non-verbal interactional resources at miscommunication moments. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 7(2), 229–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mauranen, A. (2006). Signaling and preventing misunderstanding in English as lingua franca communication. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 177, 123–150.Google Scholar
Mauranen, A. (2007). Hybrid voices: English as the lingua franca of academics. In Flottum, K., ed., Language and Discipline Perspectives on Academic Discourse. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 243–259.Google Scholar
Mauranen, A. (2012). Exploring ELF: Academic English Shaped by Non-native Speakers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Mauranen, A. (2018). Conceptualising ELF. In Jenkins, J., Baker, W., and Dewey, M., eds., The Routledge Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca. London: Routledge, pp. 7–24.Google Scholar
Meierkord, C. (1998). Lingua franca English: Characteristics of successful non-native-/non-native-speaker discourse. Erfurt Electronic Studies in English, 7, 98. http://webdoc.sub.gwdg.de/edoc/ia/eese/eese.html (retrieved July 21, 2020)Google Scholar
Meierkord, C. (2000). Interpreting successful lingua franca interaction: An analysis of non-native/non-native small talk conversations in English. Linguistik Online, 5 (1),00. http://linguistik-online.com (accessed July 21, 2020).Google Scholar
Mondada, L. (2011). Understanding as an embodied, situated and sequential achievement in interaction. Journal of Pragmatics, 43, 542–552.Google Scholar
Mustajoki, A. (2017). Why is miscommunication more common in everyday life than in lingua franca conversation? In Kecskes, I and Assimakopoulos, S, eds., Current Issues in Intercultural Pragmatics. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 55–74.Google Scholar
Norrick, N. R. (1987). Functions of repetition in conversation. Text, 7(3), 245–264.Google Scholar
Piantadosi, S., Tilly, H., and Gibson, E. (2012). The communicative function of ambiguity in language. Cognition, 122, 280–291.Google Scholar
Pietikäinen, K. (2018a). Misunderstanding and ensuring understanding in private ELF talk. Applied Linguistics, 39(2), 188–212.Google Scholar
Pietikäinen, K. (2018b). Silence that speaks: The local inferences of withholding a response in intercultural couples’ conflicts. Journal of Pragmatics, 129, 76–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pitzl, M-L. (2005). Non-understanding in English as a lingua franca: Examples from a business context. Vienna English Working Papers, 14, 50–71. http://anglistik.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/dep_anglist/weitere_Uploads/Views/views_0802.pdf (retrieved May 12, 2020)Google Scholar
Pötzl, U. and Seidlhofer, B. (2006). In and on their own terms: The “habitat” factor in English as a lingua franca interactions. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 177, 151–176.Google Scholar
Robles, J. S. (2017). Misunderstanding as a resource in interaction. Pragmatics, 27(1), 57–86.Google Scholar
Sacks, H., Schegloff, E., and Jefferson, G. (1974). A simplest systematics for the organization of turn-taking for conversation. Language, 50(4), 696–735.Google Scholar
Samovar, L. A. and Porter, R. E. (1991). Communication between Cultures. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.Google Scholar
Sarangi, S. (1994). Intercultural or not? Beyond celebration of cultural differences in miscommunication analysis. Pragmatics, 4(3), 409–427.Google Scholar
Sato, T., Yujobo, Y. J., Okada, T., and Ogane, E. (2019). Communication strategies employed by low-proficiency users: Possibilities for ELF-informed pedagogy. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 8(1), 9–35.Google Scholar
Seidlhofer, B. (2011). Understanding English as a Lingua Franca. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Schegloff, E. (1987). Some sources of misunderstanding in talk-in-interaction. Linguistics, 25, 201–218.Google Scholar
Schegloff, E. and Sacks, H. (1973). Opening up closings. Semiotica, 7, 289–327.Google Scholar
Scollon, R. and Scollon, S. W. (1995). Intercultural Communication. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.Google Scholar
Sidnell, J. (2010). Conversation Analysis: An Introduction. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
Taguchi, N. and Ishihara, N. (2018). The pragmatics of English as a lingua franca: Research and pedagogy in the era of globalization. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 37, 80–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, T. J. (1986). Do you understand? Criteria of understanding in verbal interaction. Language and Communication, 6(3), 171–180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ten Thije, J. D. (2006). Beyond misunderstanding. Introduction. In Buhrig, K, and ten Thije, J. D, eds., Beyond Misunderstanding. The Linguistic Analyses of Intercultural Communication. Philadelphia: John Benjamins, pp. 1–8.Google Scholar
Thomas, J. (1983). Cross-cultural pragmatic failure. Applied Linguistics, 4(2), 91–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vendler, Z. (1994). Understanding misunderstanding. In Jamieson, D., ed., Language, Mind and Art. Dordrecht: Kluwer, pp. 9–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vettorel, P. (2018). ELF and communication strategies: Are they taken into account in ELT materials? RELC Journal, 49(1), 58–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weigand, E. (1999). Misunderstanding: The standard case. Journal of Pragmatics, 31, 763–785.Google Scholar
Wooffitt, R. (2005). Conversation Analysis and Discourse Analysis: A Comparative and Critical Introduction. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Zaefferer, D. (1977). Understanding misunderstanding: A proposal for an explanation of reading choices. Journal of Pragmatics, 1(4), 329–346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×