Analysis Of The Value Factors For Sociopragmatic Failures In Sino-US Intercultural Communication

As “global villagers”, people all over the world today need to know more about theculture of their foreign counterparts. By comparing the cultural values of both the U.S. andChina, the present study aims to provide people with some information and suggestions fortheir intercultural communication activities.Values are the essential part of intercultural communications (IC) and often causesociopragmatic failures. Starting from sociopragmatic failure cases in the Sino-US IC, theauthor compares the cultural values of both Americans and Chinese accordance to Hofstede’sthree value dimensions of individualism/collectivism, power distance, and uncertaintyavoidance and illustrates how these cultural value differences cause sociopragmatic failures.Sociopragmatic failure is caused by different cultural factors of the communicators andis closely concerned with people’s value conceptions. The Chinese and American culturalvalues could be summarized as follows: group-oriented, Chinese emphasize harmony andmodesty; individual-oriented, Americans stress self-reliance and competition. In socialinteractions, Chinese tend to think for others and consider the status of the communicators onthe other side, Americans stress equality and the expression of opinions. In uncertainsituations, Chinese are inclined to avoid the uncertainty and look for stability, whileAmericans are more willing to accept it and make changes.These value differences often cause sociopragmatic failures in Sino-US families,interpersonal communications and work organizations. This thesis analyzes several kinds ofsociopragmatic failures caused by Sino-US value differences in form of address, moneyperception, friendship, modesty, respect for the older and the senior, anxiety in face ofuncertainty, attitudes toward stability in work, marriage, change, and consumptionrespectively. Analyses of how these cultural value differences cause the sociopragmaticfailures together with the cultural roots of both countries are the main body of this paper.There is no superiority or inferiority between cultures, and the aim of our comparison isto help both Chinese and American people realize and understand their value differences andhave a clearer idea about the “different others”, and then try to avoid or reducesociopragmatic failures during their intercultural communications. In this sense, the present study is practically helpful and significant to the increasing Sino-US interculturalcommunications.