Abstract
Due to the heightened intercultural communication brought about by globalisation and advanced
communication technologies, the ability to respond in culturally sensitive ways when interacting with
other cultures is becoming increasingly important. A cultural variation that can easily lead to
miscommunication is the practice of expressing opinion. Cultural variations in expressing opinion
could be particularly pronounced between the East and the West. While expressing one's opinion is
considered an equal right in the West, it is not held in the same light in most Asian societies. One
possible reason for this is that Asian societies had different traditions of opinion formation and
expression in the past. In most Asian cultures, opinion-formation was considered mainly the
responsibility of those who were influential or in a position of authority. Also, the value attached to
group harmony discouraged people from expressing opinion, particularly when it is critical of others. It
is likely that this reluctance to express opinion which is common in day-to-day oral interactions is also
manifest in writing. The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which culture-specific modes
of opinion expression are used in Asian writing and how they are different from the way opinion is
expressed in English
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 154-163 |
Journal | Internet Journal of Language, Culture and Society |
Volume | 38 |
Publication status | Published - 2013 |