International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

It is widely accepted that communication, whether presented as a manner of acting, a style of conversing, or a fashioning of language, functions in many modes to bring individuals to some awareness of each other as members of a collective. This conceptualization of modes as signifying forms of social activity is in contrast to the more general notion of channels or means of communication (→  Communication: Definitions and Concepts ; Communication: History of the Idea ; Communicator Style ). That researchers would seek to characterize Hispanic modes of communication is not surprising given the reported growth in the number and economic power of people ascribed to that demographic in the world. For some researchers, identifying modes of communication unique to Hispanics presents an opportunity to understand cultural biases that inform interactions and relations between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. Others find implicit assumptions about such modes as the source of strained relations between groups offensive. Still others find the notion of modes generalized to bodies of people classified as “Hispanic” to be politically suspect. These thoughts underlie and inform the inquiry as it pertains to cultural communication and intercultural contact. Research identifying Hispanic modes of communication can be framed by its contests. At one level, some observed communication practices ... log in or subscribe to read full text