ENG101: PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION AND GLOBALIZATION

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

1. Explain how cultural and global issues affect communication
2. Appreciate the impact of communication on society and the world

Module Contents:
1. Culturally Sensitive and Bias-free Language
2. Cultural and Global Issues Affecting Communication
3. Impact of Communication to the Society and the World

Prepared by:
Jeric z. Romero - Instructor
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Introduction
Communication and Globalization

This lesson focuses on the implications of globalization on communication. You will read
essays and expositions that will provide you with an awareness of the role and status of English
as a global language, the notion of World Englishes, and the need for standard forms in
academic and professional writing, and the importance of culturally sensitive and bias-free
language when communicating with people from different cultures and discourse
communities.

Globalization

Globalization has affected us in numerous ways. Airfare has become cheaper, and one
can travel internationally more than one could in the past. Many Filipinos have decided to
work or live abroad, with some of them migrating to other countries. The free trade of goods
and services all over the world has brought multinational companies and foreign investors to
our shores. Because of all of these factors, it is imperative to be aware of the differences
between our culture and the rest of the world's cultures. Because of the advent of the Internet,
the world seems to be shrinking continually. One can communicate internationally in a matter
of seconds, whether one is sending an email, chatting in social media, or sending a text
message. One can read about different cultures, and have access to films, academic papers,
and the like from countries around the world, and vice versa. Given this increasingly shrinking
world, one should know the difference between the kind of English that we write and speak,
and the kind of Englishes that exist outside of the Philippines.

Culturally Sensitive and Bias-Free Language

Just as important as awareness of the existence of World Englishes is that of practicing

cultural sensitivity. To write in a culturally sensitive way means to be aware that cultural
differences and similarities between people exist and that these should not be assigned a
positive or negative value via words and descriptions selected in writing. Academic and
professional writings are characterized by bias-free language. Students, scholars, professionals,
and anyone wishing to maintain harmonious communicative relations should be careful in
using words and phrases that do not discriminate against particular groups, whether in terms
of race, ethnicity. gender, social class, age, and disability. The essential point is to
communicate in a way that is respectful of diversity.

Here are some general principles to follow when referring to different groups or categories.

1. Race and Ethnicity

Racism is a form of discrimination against a person or persons of a different race. In

general, it is best to avoid identifying people by race or ethnic group. Race is an emotionally
charged topic, so it is best to tread carefully with the language used and to refer to race, as
Patricia Arinto (2009) asserts in English for the Professions, "only if it is relevant to what you have
to say." Words that reinforce stereotypes and that imply all people of a particular race or
ethnic group are the same should be avoided. For example, although the assessment is
positive in the sentence "Naturally, the Asian students won the math contest," the word
"naturally" reinforces the stereotype or generalization that Asians have superior aptitude in
math.
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Next, one must be attuned to the current terminology by which racial and ethnic groups
refer to themselves. This may be done by reading national newspapers and watching
television news, which typically are good indicators of current and preferred usage. According
to Kitty Locker and Donna Kienzler (2013), one should "refer to a group by the term it prefers,"
which means some research is required to find out about acceptable and preferred terms.
For example, for a long time. "Native American" has been considered the politically correct
term for the indigenous peoples of the Americas, over the label "Red Indian."

But today, most Native American people prefer to be referred to by their specific nation
or tribe. In the Philippine context, there have been shifts in the preferences for terms that
Filipinos of Chinese ancestry use to describe their identity: from Tsino, to Chinoy, to Filipino
Chinese.

It is also important to be sensitive to religion when referring to various ethnic groups.

Assumptions should not be made that stereotype a race, nationality, or ethnic group with a
specific religion. For example, not all Arabs are Muslims, not all Indians are Buddhists, and not
all Filipinos are Roman Catholics.

2. Gender and Sexual Orientation

Sexism refers to the prejudice and discrimination based on sex or gender. To be inclusive
of all people in general references, one should favor gender-neutral words and phrases over
gender-biased words. For example, rather than "man-made," one can say "manufactured,"
"synthetic," or "artificial." Instead of "layman's terms," one can use "ordinary terms." Neutral
words should also be chosen over words with "man" and "woman" in job titles or descriptions.
For example, if is more appropriate to use "chairperson" in place of "chairman," "fight
attendant" in place of "stewardess," and "labor" in place of "manpower." One should also avoid
sexist terms like "woman lawyer" and "male nurse" and simply use "lawyer" and "nurse." Pronouns
may also be gender-biased, for example, when the masculine "he" pronoun is used as a
generic one for both genders. Gender-biased pronouns can be avoided by (a) dropping
pronouns that signify gender and restating the sentence, (b) changing to plural construction,
and (c) replacing masculine or feminine pronouns with "one" or "you."

3. Social Class

Class discrimination or classism is a form of prejudice against a person or people

because of their social class. An example of language with a bias against class is the American
term "white trash," which is not only a racial slur but a classist one that refers to white people,
usually from the rural Southern United States, coming from a lower social class inside the white
population. The term is negative not just because of the words that comprise it but because
of its connotation of danger; white trash people are seen as criminal, unpredictable, and
without respect for authority. In the United States and other cultures, there may also be a kind
of classism against those who are economically privileged. The rich are sometimes referred to
by the derogatory terms "preppie" and "yuppie," both of which connote not just wealth but
arrogance. There are examples from Philippine culture as well, in the informal terms "conyo"
and "jologs," both derogatory terms referring to class. The first, used to describe young people
from the upper class who speak an idiosyncratic mix of English and Tagalog, connotes vanity
and consciousness about social status. The second, now perhaps replaced by the term
"jejemon," as used in reference to an idiosyncratic spelling or writing style, is used to describe
persons who look poor and out of style.
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Classism may also appear even in more formal terminology. Sociologist/Activist Betsy
Leondar-Wright, argues in a video interview that classist terms "attribute favorable traits to the
wealthy and powerful" and "those in poverty or near-poverty are similarly cast in a
(ClassismExposed, 2014). A more sensitive vocabulary uses terms that more precisely portray
the actual circumstances of people within the class structure. For example, instead of "the
owning class," one can use "the upper class" or "the privileged class," and instead of "the
underclass," one can say "the less privileged" or describe a condition of "chronic poverty." In
the Philippines, "informal settlers" is now the more politically correct term for "squatters."

4. Age

Ageism is a form of discrimination against other people because of their age, or

assuming that older people are less physically, intellectually, or emotionally able than other
age groups. The capabilities of younger people should also not be underestimated on the
basis of their age. Again, it is important to refer to a person's age only when that information is
pertinent to what is being discussed. When referring to a generic group, one should also ask
their subjects what wordings they prefer: Do they wish to be called "older persons" or "senior
citizens"? Do they prefer the label "youths," "teenagers," or "young people"? Lastly, according
to The American Psychological Association, writers should be specific when referring to males
and females in terms of their age: females 18 years or older are women, not girls. "Girls" refers
to those in high school or younger (under 18). The same is true for "boys" and "man."

5. Disabilities

Discrimination in this area often arises because of lack of understanding and awareness.
Therefore, first, it is important to distinguish some terms that are mistakenly understood to be
synonymous. Various guides on bias-free communication and often-confused terminology are
available online. One example is "A Guide to Bias-Free Communications published by the
University of Wisconsin-Madison. It defines the terms "impairment," "disability," and "handicap"
as, respectively, (a physiological condition," (2) "the consequence of an impairment" which
"may or may not be handicapping." and (3) "the social implication of a disability; a condition
or barrier imposed by society, the environment or oneself."2 Thus, according to these
definitions, a "limp" is an impairment in which a leg or foot is damaged or stiff. A disability that
may result from arthritis is difficulty in walking, or walking unevenly and haltingly. People who
limp may be handicapped by having to climb stairs in buildings with no elevators. Other guides
from other cultural contexts may provide different definitions and examples; it is essential when
writing to do research on these definitions. Finally, when referring to people with disabilities,
the focus should be on the person, not the condition (Arinto, 2009). In Patricia Arinto's English
for the Professions (2009). she advises writers to avoid hurtful expressions such as "retards" or
even the seemingly neutral description "the mentally retarded" and to use instead "people
with mental retardation."

Similarly, instead of "the blind" and "cancer patients," one should instead use "people
with vision impairments" and "people being treated for cancer," respectively. These examples
demonstrate the importance of identity-first language or the importance of putting the person
or people first. Note the difference in the following sentences:

Disability first: The blind student used a special keyboard during the exam.

Person first: The student, who is visually impaired, used a special keyboard during the exam.
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Next, Arinto (2009) suggests considering the negative implications of usages such as
"confined to a wheelchair" and "AIDS victim." For the former, one should instead write or say
"uses a wheelchair" because wheelchairs enable people to escape confinement, while for the
latter one should use "person with AIDS" as someone who can acquire a disease without being
victimized by it. Arinto (2009) also notes that the word "abnormal" may be replaced with
"atypical" because "people who have disabilities are atypical but not necessarily abnormal"
(Arinto, 2009). These latter examples demonstrate the importance of not representing people
with disabilities as unfortunate, limited, and helpless victims.

CULTURAL ISSUES AFFECTING COMMUNICATION

In this age of globalization, workplaces are increasingly integrated. This makes
communication and cross-cultural understanding more crucial for everyone, including
executives, business leaders, workplace managers, and employees. In order to develop skills
as communicators, we must gain practical knowledge of the factors that make
communication across cultures succeed or fail. According to experts in the field, some of those
factors or issues include the following:

1. Cultural Identity
Culture can be defined as the values, attitudes, and ways of doing things that a person
brings with him from the particular place where he was brought up as a child. These values
and attitudes can have an impact on communication across cultures because each person’s
norms and practices will often be different and may possibly clash with those of co-workers
brought up in different parts of the world.

2. Racial Identity
- refers to how one’s membership to a particular race affects how one interacts with co-
workers of different races.

3. Ethnic Identity
Ethnic identity highlights the role ethnicity plays in how two co-workers from different
cultures interact with one another.

4. Gender Roles
This means that communication between members of different cultures is affected by
how different societies view the roles of men and women.

5. Individual Identity
It means how a person communicates with others from other cultures depends on his
own unique personality traits and how he esteems himself.

6. Social Class
It refers to the level of society that a person was born into or references when
determining who she wants to be and how she will act accordingly.

7. Age Identity
-refers to how members of different age groups interact with one another. This might be
thought of in terms of the “generation gap”.
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8. Roles Identity
-refers to the different roles a person plays in his or her life including their roles as a
husband or wife, father, mother or child, employer or employee, and so forth.

References:
Ariola, Mariano M. (2018). Purposive communication. Unlimited Books Library Services &
Publishing Inc., Intramuros, Manila
Uychoco M. and Santos M. (2018). Communication for society: Purposive communication.
Manila: Rex Bookstore