Inter cultural communication
Name
Institution
Introduction
Basically, inter culture has been regarded as a form of global communication that is used in describing the wide range of communication problems that appear within different religious, ethnic along with educational background. In regard to this, it seeks to understand how people from various cultures and countries act. In addition, studies have shown that, it engrosses understanding different languages, cultures and traditions of people from other regions which play a major role in cultural studies. For this reason; it directs the process of exchanging meaningful information across cultural boundaries (Gudykunst, 2003). This paper aims at discussing some of the values beneath the norms of marriage in my culture (Saudi Arabia) and from other cultures.
For many years, marriage in my culture has been viewed as an important traditional event that is viewed as the beginning of new life for both man and woman. In history, marriage was between related kin that had to be arranged by parents and other relatives. Although these practices have changed, parents still arrange marriages within the same background. On my opinion, such model is useful in that, wrong choices of marriage are eliminated. Additionally, polygamy is highly regarded as long as wives are treated equally. However, studies have shown that, this has attributed to high divorce rates in men in that they have a chance of remarrying (Harman, 1992). This seem to align with Indian culture who in their culture prefer arranged marriages in that many tend to enjoy their youth life without struggles of relationship. In conjunction with this, the entire issue of arranging marriage is a fundamental arrangement in that parents view it as an aspect of expressing their love to their daughters.
Nevertheless, other cultures perceive marriage differently. For instance, the western culture generally believes that an individual requires a long courtship before marriage to know whether the other partner is compatible. Chapman (2003) argues that, the fundamental reason for courtship is to ensure that an individual does not end up marrying the wrong partner. In this culture polygamy is not allowed.
My encounters with different cultures have taught me that, many cultures value marriage. However, there differences on how different cultures view marriage. For instance, Indian parents find it wiser arranging marriages for their children. On the other hand, western culture views it differently. Many find it better to choose their partner through having quality time together. Secondly, differences on how many wives a man should have tend to differ. Indian culture and my culture support polygamy marriage while western culture regards having one wife. This knowledge has changed my aspect on marriage in that I have learnt that although my culture value arranged marriages other cultures do not. In addition, it has broadened my knowledge and understanding on how other people view marriages.
By interviewing other students from other cultures I have met my module aim of knowing some of the values and norms in my culture and others. As a result, I have preserved mutual respect for the shared beliefs and differences from different cultures.
Conclusion
As discussed in this paper, it fundamental for people to find out how different cultures view marriage particularly to those whom they propose to meet. It will minimize the risk of making simple mistakes which can be avoided if everyone understands the nature of marriage from different ethnic groups. This paper is therefore is important in knowing how various cultures view marriage.
References
Chapman, G.D. (2003). Covenant marriage: building communication & intimacy. New York: B&H Publishing Group
Gudykunst,W.B(ed). (2003). Cross-cultural and intercultural communication. New York: Sage
Harman,W.P.(ed). (1992). The sacred marriage of a Hindu goddess. Chicago: Motilal Banarsidass Publisher
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