5.1 The Language of Time
Hello, everyone. In the last section, we learned a lot about one form of communication — verbal communication. Today, we will begin to learn another form we often use in daily life, that is, nonverbal communication.
According to Samovar and Ross’s research, in face-to-face communication 65% of the information is communicated through nonverbal means（Samovar, 1981; Ross, 1974）. According to Levine’s study, in the communication of attitudes, 93% of the message is transmitted nonverbally, whereas only 7% of the speaker’s attitude is transmitted by words (Levine, 1981). These statistics show that the majority of our communication is nonverbal.
But, what is nonverbal communication? L. A. Malandro defined it as the process by which nonverbal behaviors are used, either singly or in combination with verbal behaviors, in the exchange and interpretation of messages within a given situation or context (1983). To put it simply, nonverbal communication between people is communication through sending and receiving wordless clues.
You may ask: how could people communicate without words and what are nonverbal behaviors and wordless clues? About the first question, my answer is: “Of course, they can.”
Do you know this guy(Chaplin)and this guy(Mr. Bean)? When you watch their film, you could get what they intend to express just with the help of their behaviors, facial expressions, gestures and so on. These elements are all nonverbal behaviors. They help people to communicate without the use of words.
Then, what else can function like them? Look at here. The major types of nonverbal communication include — the language of time, the language of space, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, posture, paralanguage, etc. In this section, we’ll focus on these 4 to learn.
Next, let’s go into the first one ---the language of time.
Time is an important concept in nonverbal communication. Suppose you are invited to an American friend’s house for dinner at 6 p.m. What is the proper time for you to arrive? Another situation, if you make a business appointment with a manager from India at 9 a.m. When will he arrive?
Today’s class would help you to find answer. We will learn the topic from these 3 aspects
First, let’s get to know about definition of time.
The language of time refers to the ways how people understand time, organize time and react to time. To a large extent, it determines their ways of living, daily schedules, speech speeds, and so on.
People’s perceptions of time vary from culture to culture in the process of nonverbal communication. Unfortunately, most people are not fully aware of this, which may result in confusion and conflict.
As Novinger states, “When people of two different cultures ‘use’ time differently, their interaction can generate misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and ill will.” (see Cross-cultural Communication) Thus, it’s really necessary for you to know what is appropriate or inappropriate with regard to time.
In the following part, we are going to explore the language of time from time orientation and time system.
Time orientation refers to the importance the members of a culture assign to the passage of time.
To get to know it could help you to understand the behaviors of people from different time-oriented cultures. According to Samovar and Porter, time orientation is classified into three groups: past-oriented, present-oriented and future-oriented.
In the Past-oriented Cultures, (1) People regard previous experiences and events as most important; (2) They place a primary emphasis on history and tradition; (3) They show great respect for parents and the elderly. China is a typical example of this time orientation. So it is easier to understand why there are so many films and TV plays about history and historical events in our country.
The second orientation is Present-oriented. (1) People in present-oriented cultures regard current experiences and immediate moments as most important. (2) These cultures tend to be more impulsive and spontaneous than others. (3) They often have a casual, relaxed lifestyle because they are always aware of ways to appreciate the simple pleasures arising in daily activities.
The last one is Future-oriented cultures. (1) In these cultures, what is to come is most valued and people believe things will always be better in the future. (2) Current activities are accomplished not for their own sake but for the potential future benefits. For example, one goes to university, studies for examinations, and works hard primarily not because one enjoys doing so, but more importantly, because these activities might lead to a rewarding future career. (3) They welcome innovation and change, and have less regard for past social, cultural or organizational customs and traditions. You can find these characteristics in the U.S. dominant culture. They also explain why most Americans attach importance to innovative consciousness and creative ability.
People from different cultures have different time orientations. The table can help you know more about it.
Owing to the differences of time orientations, misunderstandings may occur between people. For example, (1) Present-oriented people might view past-oriented people as too tied to tradition. (2) Present-oriented people might view future-oriented people as passionless slaves to efficiency and materialism. (3) Future-oriented people might view those from present-oriented cultures as self-centered, inefficient, and short-sighted.
A thorough understanding of the differences is beneficial for communicating with people from different cultures and avoiding misunderstanding.
In addition to time orientation, another concept we can not ignore is time system.
Edward T. Hall(1976) elaborated on two time systems: Monochronic Time (M-Time) and Polychronic Time (P-Time). Before learning the details, let’s watch a video first.
Now one question for you: “Why was there no one, except Harry, who arrived on time?” Think about it.
You would get the answer after learning the characteristics of the two time systems.
M-Time and P-Time represent two distinct approaches to organizing and utilizing time.
The prefix “mono” means “single” or “one”, so one characteristic of Monochronic Time is to focus on one thing at a time. M-Time people take time commitments, deadlines or schedules seriously and stick to plans. In such a system, time is regarded as a commodity, something to be sold, borrowed, wasted, saved or spent.
Northern American, Western and Northern European cultures are typical M-Time cultures， such as Germany, Canada, Switzerland, and the United States.
People from P-Time cultures live their lives quite differently from those on M-Time cultures. They do many things simultaneously, that is, they can interact with more than one person or do more than one thing at a time. Besides, time for people is more flexible and more human-centered, so appointments may be quickly broken and plans are easily changed.
Arab, African, South and Southeast Asian, and Latin American cultures are P-Time cultures, such as Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Philippines, Pakistan and India.
Based on the above information, you know the conflict in the video resulted from the different perception of the use of time or punctuality.
In American culture, people are always on time for scheduled activity, especially on business Americans are expected to arrive at meetings on time or even earlier, while for parties and dances, they may arrive a little late. Being late within 5 minutes for an appointment is considered acceptable, but you should never be late for 15 minutes.
However, Mexico belongs to a P-Time culture. As we have learned, people there have no pressure about time. And they do not stick closely to schedules. To be 15 minutes late or more is not only acceptable, but something normal and natural.
So far, you have learned a lot about two time systems. Look at here, try to match the following descriptions with monochronic people and polychronic people respectively.
Now, let’s look at the complete table. With its help, you can have a clearer mind about the predictable patterns between cultures with differing time systems.
Ok, today we have learned about the language of time from three aspects: Definition of Time, Time Orientation and Time System. Hall says “Time talks. It speaks more plainly than words.” Pay attention to it in your intercultural communication.
