Since Edward T. Hall arranges cultures on a continuum going from low-context to high-context communication, he seems to suggest that a low-context culture cannot be high context. However, his descriptions of cultures argue against this proposition. For example, he describes the high-context way that the Japanese communicate with one another but the low-context way they communicate with Westerners. Also, the karaoke bar is a Japanese innovation which is popular with other Asian nations (e.g., S. Korea and Malaysia) presumably because it allows for the expression of low-context behavior and serves as an emotional outlet for such rules-focused and high context cultures. Even when businesspeople from a high-context culture entertain their counterparts from a low-context culture in a karaoke bar, they tend to move away from high-context behavior toward low-context behavior.
Which response is the most pragmatic (reasonable) response?
A) We can't really accept Hall's basic formulation about low-context and high-context cultures because he appears to contradict himself.
B) Hall's framework is just a starting point for us to begin the discussion about communication contexts.
C) Hall's continuum is too rigid and fixed and the more discerning person would rationalize that a cultural group cannot be both.
D) While it is possible to describe the dominant profile of a culture as either low context or high context, we must realize that cultures can be both low context and high context but in different situations and contexts.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

While Hall's framework of low-context and high-context cultures can be a useful starting point to understand cultural differences in communication, it is important to recognize that cultures can display both low-context and high-context tendencies in different situations and contexts. Therefore, Option D is the best choice as it acknowledges the complexity of cultural communication and encourages a more nuanced understanding of cultural differences.