The Effects of High and Low Context Perception on Second Language Acquirers

Chinese students with bilingual backgrounds have relatively different receptivity to specific behavioural content under the influence of different linguistic contexts (Chinese and English).

Abstract

There is a difference between high-context and low-context cultures, which will bring difficulties to cross-cultural communication, and the study of the difference between high-context and low-context cultures is bound to have important guiding significance for cross-cultural communication and foreign language learning. With the acceleration of globalisation, people have come into contact with the cultures of countries with different contexts and have been subjected to culture shock to a certain extent. In this paper, we start from the comparison between high-context and low-context cultures to explore the cultural conflicts brought about by different contexts and the acceptance of specific behavioural contents under the influence of different linguistic environments (Chinese and English).By analysing the deep philosophical, ethical, and linguistic backgrounds that give rise to conflicts, ways and principles of conducting successful intercultural communication are drawn out.