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5. Do you believe that the language a person speaks affects that person’s worldview? Why or why not?
Many studies suggest that people who speak different languages organize and view their worlds differently. It seems plausible given that the way we speak and the words we choose often tell others what we think and believe about the world. Sometimes we might even think that if someone says a certain thing, that they must believe it, which often reflects something about their world or environment. The strongest ways that language affects our worldviews are represented by what we say and what we perceive or expect. For example, commenting about someone’s lateness all the time gives others insight into your beliefs about tardiness. In turn, others will expect that you won’t be someone who shows up late for an event!
6. Given the diversity of verbal styles in different cultures, is it possible not to offend someone when you are communicating cross-culturally? Why or why not?
The principles of “I” messages and perception-checking give us good strategies in our style of communication to not offend others who speak different languages. By asking for clarification and being open-minded about differences in other cultures’ communication styles, we can effectively communicate with empathy, compassion, and mindfulness. The difficult issue is that for many of us, language barriers cause us to become frustrated quickly because we may not know how else to communicate with another person cross-culturally. In this case, we must be conscious and aware of our communication goals in order to ensure that we remain effective when interacting with people of different cultures.