SITUATIONAL CONTEXT OF THE TRANSACTIONAL MODEL IN MODERN INTERCULTURAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Abstract

The article highlights the complexity of the nature of intercultural business communication as a multidimensional sociocultural phenomenon. In many ways, the field of intercultural communication is the subject of study of an array of disciplines ranging from linguistics, sociology, language communication, philosophy, ethnology, anthropology etc. In particular, this paper deals with the notion of situational context (SC) as a chief element of the communication process. It is defined as the circumstances at which communication act takes place. There are four dimensions of SC: physical, social, chronological and cultural. Each of the following dimensions has been thoroughly examined, with a strong emphasis on the cultural component. Moreover, the object of the study has been analyzed within the transactional model of communication, thoroughly examined by the American scholars T. Gamble and M. Gamble.
The model comprises the following elements of communication: the addresser, messages, channels (medium), obstacles, situational context, the addressee.
Reflecting on the importance of SC in the modern intercultural business communication it is worth noting its significance as the criteria of the effectiveness of business interaction. The examples introduced in this paper are based on the works of Edward Hall and Erin Mayer which demonstrate the role of low-context and high-context cultures determining the cultural dimension of the situational context. According to the results, the problems of intercultural business communication are not caused by the linguistic aspect. They are to occur due to the ignorance or misperception of the situational context, in particular its cultural dimension. Since cultural patterns of behavior and belief impact our perceptions, cognitions, and actions.