ten primary message systems: a means to constructing a cultural context edward t. hall

Ten Primary Message Systems: A Means to Constructing a Cultural Context

Edward T. Hall

Communication 440/690 Panama 2015

Cultural Context

» The cultural context represents an accumulated pattern of values, beliefs, and behaviors shared by an identifiable group of people with a common history and verbal and nonverbal symbol systems

A Contextual Model of Intercultural Communication


Primary Message Systems


Dimensions of Cultural Variability

» Individualism – Collectivism» High-Low Context» Value Orientations» Power Distance» Uncertainty Avoidance

Interaction

» The most basic of human activities• Talking • Living in groups

» Lies at the hub of culture

Association

» Complex organisms are really a society of cells, each with a function• Begins when two cells have joined

» The issue is one of organization• Pecking order

Subsistence

» Nutritional requirements• How does one eat and go about getting food

» This Primary Message System includes everything from food to a country’s economy

» Work is a key dimension of subsistence• Work and stigma?

Bisexuality

» (Not contemporary elided usage of the term) Sexual reproduction and sexual differentiation, the combinations of genes.

» Sexual differentiation is not about physiology» Gender is socially or culturally constructed

Temporality

» Life is full of rhythms and cycles» Tempos of speech» Time to eat» Time often an obvious cultural message

system

Territoriality

» Taking possession, use, and balance of life and usage of space

» History of mankind is often described as one group trying to get space from another

» Status and space

Learning

» Behavior modification, adaptive mechanisms, and the various patterns of learning as agents of culture.

» Tied to when animals became warm-blooded• Had to adapt to environment

» Learning by doing or watching or being told

Play

» Joking relationships, intimately interwoven with learning, competition primarily as displayed in the west versus vast continuum among various cultures with wider spectrum of vast degrees of enjoyment.

» Competition as play

Defense

» Through warfare, religion, medicine and law enforcement, internal or external dependencies, cross-culturally various degrees of contemporary compartmentalization.

Exploitation of Resources

» Elaboration or materials, in dress, tools, toys, books, signs of status, etc.

» Furniture takes the place of squatting» Telephone carries a voice over long distances» Clothes


I A F G T S L P D U

Interaction AI FI GI TI SI LI PI DI UI

Association IA FA GA TA SA LA PA DA UA

Food IF AF GF TF SF LF PF DF UF

Gender IG AG FG TG SG LG PG DG UG

Time IT AT FT GT ST LT PT DT UT

Space IS AS FS GS TS LS PS DS US

Learning IL AL FL GL TL SL PL DL UL

Play IP AP FP GP TP SP LP DP UP

Defense ID AD FD GD TD SD LD PD UD

Use of Resources

IU AU FU GU TU SU LU PU DU

ten primary message systems: a means to constructing a cultural context edward t. hall

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