Chronemics
By Nolan DeBord
Chronemics as defined in our text is
the concept of time and the rules that govern its use. (Intercultural communication in contexts) Many cultures see time very differently than
others. It is not so much the physical concept
of time but rather the idea or concept itself.
Out text has broken down this concept into two different
orientations. Those orientations are monochromic
and polychromic time orientation.
Monochronic is the idea that time is set along a continual linear model
where we take intervals of this time to set aside for certain things. This is where the Mono is used in the definition
of monochronic. Mono meaning one, and in
this case that is distinguished as one thing happening at a time. The second concept is polychromic. polychronic is a holistic model. In a holistic model more than one thing is
being considered in the entire system.
So in this case multiple events are contributing to the circular idea of
time.
Time in the U.S. is monochronic. We see time as an extremely important part of
our lives. Time itself defines our
schedule and when thought about can define our lives as a culture. We stress punctuality and tending to the matter
at hand. An example that I can pull from
my own life would be my schedule when attending active training in the
Army. Time literally controls every
aspect of my day. I am given a schedule
and am held accountable to that schedule and being there on time. If you’re on time you’re late, is what I was
always told. Being 15 minutes prior to
everything was the only way to be sure you would not miss anything and being
late can mean serious consequences in the military. Some people join the military to gain
citizenship in our country. You could
clearly see the cultural differences in regards to the concept of time during
my first couple weeks of basic training.
Our book describe how the polychromic orientation of time differs from
our in the U.S. Punctuality is not
stressed and the objective of that time slot is not always stressed as it is in
our culture. An example given in the
text describes how the Middle East uses a more polychronic orientation of
time. With this concept punctuality is
not stressed nor is the objective. I
think this difference is also seen because the U.S. is more individualistic compared
to eastern nations where they focus more on their relationships.
With my major being Business
Administration I feel that communication is extremely important and a much need
skill in the business world. With a lot
of our services being exported around the world intercultural communication can
be just as important. The concept of
chronemics can be important when working for a corporation that does
international business. This knowledge can
create understanding and flexibility when engaging with other cultures and
essentially make a person more efficient in the business world and this is what
I hope to achieve.
References
Martin,
J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2009). Intercultural Communication in Contexts
(5th Edition ed.). New York, NY: McGraww-Hill
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