A Study of the Differences Between Chinese and American Languages and Cultures
from the Perspective of High and Low Context Culture
---a Case Study of the Film the Wedding Banquet
Introduction
Economy’s developing and globalization’s accelerating facilitate the communication of different languages and cultures. Nevertheless, the discrepancies between different cultures and languages hinder cross-cultural communication. Therefore, investigating the discrepancies between different cultures and languages can eliminate the impediments to cross-cultural communication.
According to Hall, cultures differ on a continuum that ranges from high to low context. High-context cultures prefer to use high-context messages in which most of the meaning is either implied by the physical setting or presumed to be part of the individual’s internalized beliefs, values, norms and social practices. Low-context cultures prefer to use low-context messages, in which the majority of the information is vested in the explicit code. Hall regards American, German, Swiss and Nordic cultures as low-context cultures, while Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Latin American and African cultures as high-context cultures.
The Wedding Banquet is a film directed by Ang Lee that reflects the language and cultural differences between China and the United States. It centers around Gao Weitong, a Chinese-American citizen, and his gay boyfriend, Simon. Weitong’s parents are eager to have a grandson, therefore urging Weitong to get married as soon as possible. Hence, Weitong gets his tenant, Weiwei to pretend to be his girlfriend, but his parents come to the United States to hold a wedding banquet for them, during which period, the conflicts between Chinese and American cultures and languages are exposed. This paper will elaborate the discrepancies between Chinese and American cultures and languages from the perspective of implicitness/explicitness, indirect/direct verbal interaction and group sense/individualism.
Differences Between Chinese and American Cultures and Languages in The Wedding Banquet
1.Implicitness V.S. Explicitness
High-context culture implicitly embeds meanings at different levels of the socio-cultural context, whereas low-context culture overtly displays meaning through direct communication forms.
伟同父：哎呀!已经来打搅了，怎么还好意思要他破费呢?
（0h, no. We are already your guests. We can't accept gifts, too! ）Simon：这是我的一点心意。高伯伯，你心脏不好，血压高，有了血压器可以未雨绸缪，随时检查，看看自己有没有危险。（Just a little something. You, and high pressure. all times.） 伟同父：......
引文翻译Simon：高妈妈，这是专门给老年女人用的营养面霜。每天睡前擦一点，可以防 止脸皮松驰。（This facial cream, for old ladies. Put every night,
游园惊梦 影评stop wrinkles.）
伟同母：你是要我青春永驻? （You want me to be forever young.）正大传奇
Simon：对，永远不老...老...老化。（Yes. Never ld.）
伟同母：......
In High-context culture, “已经来打搅了，怎么还好意思要他破费呢?” demonstrate Chinese people’s modesty and politeness, whereas American people regard these words as Mr. and Mrs. Gao’s dissat
isfaction with the gifts, since in low-context culture, American people are accustomed to overtly and directly expressing their gratitude.
The moment Simon mentions “you have heart problems and high pressure”, the smile on Mr Gao’s face vanishes and he gradually lowered his head. And immediately Simon mentions “old ladies”, Weitong stares goggle-eyed at Simon, with one hand on his waist, which reveals his astonishment and awkwardness. Afterwards the instant Simon mentions “get old”, Mrs. Gao casts a glance at Mr Gao, with smile displaced by embarrassment on her face, simultaneously Weitong looks away and nudges Simon to warn him to stop talking. Mr. and Mrs. Gao’s unhappiness and silence demonstrates that Simon’ s words breach Chinese language habits of implicitness and politeness. 2.Indirect Verbal Interaction V.S. Direct Verbal Interaction
High-context culture values indirect verbal interaction and is more able to read non-verbal expressions, whereas low-context culture values direct verbal interaction and is less able to read non-verbal expressions.
伟同：Simon，嘘...
Simon：What difference does it make? They don’t even speak English. I can say whatever the fuck I
断离伤
want in my own in my own fucking language.
伟同母：是不是我们待太久了？
伟同父：吃你的饭！
伟同母：是不是伟同忘了付房租啊？
Knowing Weiwei is pregnant with Weitong’s child, Simon argues with Weitong and Weiwei. Despite the fact that Weitong reminds Simon of his parents’ presence, Simon still uses language to display his wrath, demonstrating American people’s inclination towards explicit and direct verbal interaction. By contrast, under such circumstance, Mrs. Gao apprehensively conjectures, and Mr. Gao pretends to be calm, keeps silence and also urges Mrs. Gao to have dinner in silence, which indicates Chinese people’s inclination towards implicit and indirect verbal interaction.
3. Group Sense V.S. Individualism
Permanent Personal Relationships V.S. Transitory Personal Relationships
High-context culture values group sense and tends to cultivate and establish a
permanent personal relationships, while low-context culture values individualism and tends to develop transitory personal relationships.
老陈：就这点儿菜！那怎么行啊？我已经交代厨房给您们添两个菜。
( You ate so little? I ordered two more dishes for you.）
老陈：今天是不成敬意，改天我一定好好请请师长、太太，跟大少爷。
横膈膜
（Next time, I’ll treat you all to a whole dinner.）
Simon’ s friend: Hope you don' t mind us stealing away Simon for the evening.
Weitong: of course not！(当然不会!)
Simon’ s friend: Pascal' s waiting in the car. (哈斯科在车子里等)
伟同母: 赛门有朋友啊?我还以为他没朋友呢!
(Simon has friends? I didn' t think he had any. )
Mr. Chen used to be Mr. Gao’s driver. Although he has become a hotel-keeper now, he is still extremely reverent and respectful to his old general, Mr. Gao, which indicates that the majority of Chinese people value permanent and steady personal relationship, and have strong group sense.
Nevertheless, it can be inferred from Mrs. Gao’s words “I didn't think he had any friend” that Simon does not have an intimate relationship with his friends, showing that Simon and some Americans value individualism.
Conclusion
Language is the carrier of culture, which in reverse reflects language. Based on Hall’s theory of high and low context culture, this paper researches The Wedding Banquet and investigates the the differences between Chinese and American languages and cultures from the perspective of implicitness/explicitness, indirect/direct verbal interaction, group sense/individualism and permanent/transitory personal relationships, and finds that there indeed exist many differences between high and low context culture. Fortunately, these conflicts can be eventually settled. In the end of the film, Weitong’s father gives Simon the red packet, and his mother greets Simon’ s families,
revealing that they tacitly accept Simon as their son’s lover. Hence, it can be concluded that the differences and conflicts in language and culture can be definitely understood and reconciled in communication and interaction, the key to which is that people with distinct cultural backgrounds should industriously surmount the barrier and bias in cross-cultural communication.
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