3    High-context and Low-context Communication
3.1 Definition of High-context and Low-context Communication
Hall (1976) pided cultures into two categories: high-context cultures and low-context cultures. A high-context communication or message is one in which most of the information is already in the person, while very little is in the coded, explicitly transmitted part of the message. A low-context communication is just the opposite; i.e., the mass of the information is vested in the explicit code. He maintains that although all cultures contain some characteristics of both high and low variables, most can be placed along a scale showing their ranking on this particular dimension (see Table 1). Table 1 shows clearly that Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Native Americans are representatives of high-context cultures; German, Swiss, and American are representatives of low-context cultures.

In high-context cultures, people are very homogeneous with regard to experiences, information networks, and the like. High-context cultures, because of tradition and history, change very little over time. These are cultures in which consistent responses to the environment. “As a result,” Hall (1990) says, “for most normal transactions in daily life they do not require, nor do they expect, much in-depth, background information.” Meaning, therefore, is not necessarily contained in words. In high-context cultures, information is provided through gestures, the use of space, and even silence. Meaning is also silence. Meaning is also conveyed through status (age, sex, education, family background, title, and affiliations) and through an inpidual’s informal friends and associates. In high-context cultures, so much information is available in the environment that it is unnecessary to verbalize everything. For instance, statements of affection, such as “I love you,” are rare because the message is conveyed by the context (Porter, Samovar & Stefani, 2011).
Table 1 Cultures Arranged Along the High-Context and Low-Context Dimension (Hall, 1976)
HIGH-CONTEXT CULTURES
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Japanese
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Chinese
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Korean
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African American
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Native American
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Arab
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Greek
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Latin
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English
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French
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American
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German
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German-Swiss
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LOW-CONTEXT CULTURES

In low-context cultures, the population is less homogeneous and therefore tends to compartmentalize interpersonal contacts. Hall (1990) says this lack of a large pool of common experiences means that each time they interact with others they need detailed background information. In low-context cultures, the verbal message contains most of the information and very little is embedded in the context or the participants. This characteristic manifests itself in a host of ways. For example, the Asian mode of communication is often indirect and implicit, whereas Western communication tends to be direct and explicit—that is, everything needs to be stated. Westerners are more prone to making very explicit statements and have little capability with nonverbal forms of expression. While high-context cultures tend to be more aware of their surroundings and their environment and do not rely on verbal communication as their main information channel (Porter, Samovar & Stefani, 2011).

Chaney and Martin (2002) also mentioned in International Business Communication that messages exchange in verbal languages in high-context communications are less important than indirect expressed nonverbal languages and cultural elements; while languages used in low-context communications are usually direct, clear and accurate, the only propose of all ways of expression is to convey the right meanings, vague communications are regarded as waste of time. Therefore, high-context and low-context cultures decide the amount of message needed by successful intercultural communication (Hong Luan, 2006). 中美跨文化交际中的高低语境文化对比研究(3):http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_4259.html