ABSTRACTION AND CONCRETENESS

As a framework is vital to be the basis of any discussion, this paper is now going into details of the working parameters of the framework. The framework is actually a systematic division of cultures in this world into two major categories, and thus it is not a simple dichotomy of cultures. This will be explored in greater

detail below. The idea of the framework derived from Buber [in 1949] (2010),

Coyle (1988) and D’Cruz and Steele (1999). Buber deals with the ideas of two

types of human relations in ‘I and Thou’ where he claims that human relations

are divided into two kinds; I-It and I-Thou. He feels that in I-It people are more

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interested in a relationship that is detached emotionally between the

participants. The relations exist in a medium of time and space which suggests N

that every relation will be dependent upon these two aspects. Meanwhile, the I- I

Thou relationships are more concerned with ‘real’ relationship where people

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depend upon each other, and are interested in a lasting relation. There is no

medium for the relationship to exist. It can be anywhere and everywhere as long

as people in the community want it (Buber, 2010). P

Scholars interested in the field of culture and communication further analyse

these notions; amongst these are Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov (2010), Hall

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(2004), Brislin and Yoshida (2003), D’Cruz and Steele (1999) and Coyle (1988).

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However, the interpretation of ideas between the writers differs. For the most

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part, Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov (2010) deal with the two types of groups –

the concrete and abstract relations as binaries. They name them the

individualistic and collectivistic groups (responding to their dimensions of individualistic and collectivistic groups (responding to their dimensions of

Coyle (1988) elaborates on the notions first introduced by Buber. She adds that characteristics of the two types of relations are different, and thus explain why people from the respective cultures (that is why the needs to alter the relations into cultures, societies or groups are vital because the relations exist in the context of society, cultures or groups themselves) differ. Coyle’s research would have one to conclude that the people from the I-It relations/cultures are more distant, lack closeness and warmth and operate in an atmosphere of individuality. On the other hand, she claims and sums up that people in the I- Thou relations/cultures have a special bond that binds them together thus making them aware of the need to be depended upon one another and to operate independently in and within the community (Coyle, 1988). In addition, she feels that the work of Buber has relevance to the social and psychological renewal because I-It and I-Thou can be integrated (Coyle, 1988).

D’Cruz and Steele (1999) have placed cultures on a continuum with the more

abstract culture at one end and the more concrete culture at the other. This

placement on the continuum tells scholars and readers alike that the two types 85

of cultures actually have relations, and the relations are manifested along the

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7 continuum. Another characteristic of a continuum is that every point on the 8

continuum possesses both elements of the two poles. This means, if point B is N

situated nearer to the abstract pole, it will have more of the abstract

characteristics and less concrete characteristics. Further, no one culture S G

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(marked by the points on a continuum) is a purely concrete or purely abstract

culture. Each culture possesses elements of both the concrete and the abstract. CE

The relevance here is marked by the word “more” to denote the orientation of a

culture. For instance, this paper would refer to a particular culture as a “more” N E

abstract or concrete culture, thus denying the claim that the culture is a solely

and purely concrete or abstract culture. Due to changes happening in a culture

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and particularly with the globalisation of nations, it may move towards the

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opposite pole. Such movement explains why some cultures show evidence of

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having confirmation of different values: some older and some new. These

characteristics of culture become important in the discussion of cultures and

societies because they are able to explain some changes in the community.

D’Cruz and Steele (1999) add further characteristics to both abstract and concrete cultures. Basically, they believe that the abstract culture is more egalitarian in nature. This means that all people in the community have equal access to almost everything. Attention should be paid so as not to violate the privacy of others since everybody is equal and has his/her own individual rights. People in this community thus value individuality and prefer to exercise their independence. Furthermore, they also value autonomy and encourage that everyone works on their self initiative power. The opposite is true for the more concrete culture. They operate within the hierarchical manner. It means that they will have to respect and value the authority of the superior. Such relations are in the cases of mother-daughter relationships, ruler-follower relations, and the likes. The most striking characteristic is that people in this culture have a stronger sense of belonging and group identity. This is because they operate within the parameter of group work/orientation. People in this more concrete culture will value the rights of the groups more than the right of individuals.

An example of how to use the cultural continuum will be demonstrated below. Hazidi (1998) uses the cultural continuum to explain the characteristics of words in the more concrete and more abstract societies. In his discussion, each language has its own word characteristics, and with the use of Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM), cross cultural communication is facilitated.

The Issues

How does this framework fit into the cultural elements of language studies,

communication and values? Through this framework, this paper may explain the 85

conflicts in Malaysian society at the edge of globalisation and Information

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Communication Technologies (ICTs) era. Based on the discussion of abstract and

concrete cultures on a continuum, Malaysia is considered a more concrete N

society. This is because the people are practising the values of hierarchical

relationship; seeking opinions from their elderly and authority, and portraying a S G

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stronger sense of belonging and identity by group orientation and teamwork

spirit. CE

Language studies in Malaysia may be affected by the ‘over’ exposure of English

language in the Internet because people will have to acquire two or more

languages if they want to preserve the national language and master the

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technology world. Being one of the more concrete cultures, Malaysia needs to

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shift its position on the continuum and open to the possibilities of acquiring

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another language for the good of all. The conflicts of communication today can

also be better explained by the cultural continuum. When people from two

different cultures communicate, the possibility of miscommunication is high.

This is because they are brought up, introduced and trained with different sets of values. Since many foreign workers are now residing in Malaysia, Malaysian society may have to look or tap into itself and understand the differences. In addition, with the spread of the usage for social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, the need to connect with others will require online chatters to understand the differences and similarities that they have with other online chatters.

As mentioned previously, all cultures are neither exclusively abstract nor concrete – there should be essences of both characteristics in each culture. A more serious issue is that whether efficient and effective communication can be achieved?; Will technology transfer be done smoothly without false information flowing free too? Unequal amount of information can contribute to miscommunication, so does lack of understanding of one another.

It is also possible for values to clash because the foreigners who come to work in Malaysia are mostly from the abstract world. The foreigners who come from the advanced countries in Information Technology and more abstract cultures are mostly the elite-foreigners, meaning they are the ones who lead companies and make decisions. Thus conflicts might occur with Malaysians who receive different training and values since Malaysia is a more concrete society. Even though some of the locals were trained abroad, the quality of concreteness in them is still high (Mansor Abu Talib, 2010). Again, all parties involved must

carefully look into themselves – first understanding and respecting their own

selves and then understanding and respecting each other. 85

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Given all these, where are Malaysians now on the cultural continuum? This

paper argues that Malaysians are fast approaching the middle of the continuum N

but the percentage of concreteness is slightly higher than the abstraction. This

can be illustrated by the activity of ‘gotong-royong’ that is still practised in some S G

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parts of the country. Nonetheless, within this too, the involvement in the activity

mostly includes the older generation, not the younger ones. With the advent of CE

globalisation, everyone is trying to be competitive; something that Malaysians

learn from the West. But this does not mean that significant values must be

forgotten. The best approach is to always keep the roots of self and at the same

time adopt positive values from the more abstract society.

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ABSTRACTION AND CONCRETENESS