Essay preview
High context refers to societies or groups where people have close connections over a long period of time. Many aspects of cultural behavior are not made explicit because most members know what to do and what to think from years of interaction with each other.
In high-context cultures most of the information is in the physical context or is internalized in the people who are a part of the interaction. Very little information is actually coded in the verbal message.
Low context refers to societies where people tend to have many connections but of shorter duration or for some specific reason. In these societies, cultural behavior and beliefs may need to be spelled out explicitly so that those coming into the cultural environment know how to behave.
In low-context cultures most of the information is contained in the verbal message, and very little is embedded in the context or within the participants. We can easily say: in a low-context culture, most of the information must be in the transmitted message in order to make up for what is missing in the context and to members of a low-context culture, speakers in a high-context culture seem to talk around a sub...