Question

Intercultural Communication in Contexts by Judith N. Martin Thomas K. Nakayama
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Answer 1

Martin and Nakayama define nonverbal communication as a type of communication that goes beyond speech (267). In their book, the authors reveal to the readers that there are two types of nonverbal communication. The first type consists of facial expressions (such as smiles and frowns among others), gestures and silent conversations (prejudice, stereotyping and overt discrimination) among others.The second type evolves around the concept of cultural spaces, which refers to the sociocultural perspectives formed by our identities as a result of location (Martin and Nakayama 267). Of particular interest is cultural space as described and discussed by the authors.Cultural space refers to nonverbal communication cues we adopt as a result of our environment’s cultural background. It is an acknowledged fact that sociocultural influences play a significant role in the formation of an individual’s identity. Where we come from, who we socialize with and our life experiences influence how we react to new environments and people with different backgrounds.Martin and Nakayama assert that our homes, neighborhoods and religious affiliations are examples of cultural spaces (267). By using various examples, the authors reveal that these settings influence how we interact and view people from different cultural settings. In essence, the authors give logical explanations as to why we react differently to strangers who act, speak or behave differently from what we are used to.However, the authors assert that travel and migration can change one’s cultural space. This is attributed to the fact that these two aspects require people to move to new environments. As a result, they have to change various personal aspects in order to adapt to these environments. For example, the authors give a real life situation whereby one travels from an English speaking region to one where people speak French.