COMPARISON OF UDMURT, ESTONIAN, AND FINNISH DIALOGUES: CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNICATIVE BEHAVIOUR

Abstract. This study aimed at locating Udmurt culture in the continuum of high- and low-context cultures using the parameter of time-patterning to analyse radio dialogues. The results were compared with the findings of research on the communicative behaviour of Estonians and Finns (Pajupuu, 1995a). In theoretical works on inter-cultural communica-tion low-context communication compared to high-context communication is claimed to show no long pauses, a higher speech tempo and frequent interruptions of interlocutors. Characteristics of Estonian and Finnish dialogues allow referring Estonian culture to low-context and Finnish – to high-context cultures. Udmurt culture with respect to the low rate of interruptions of interlocutors found in the study could be referred to high-context cultures; however, the dialogues displayed very short pauses. Analysis of other types of dialogue, in addition to radio dialogues, is necessary to obtain more data on the communicative behaviour of Udmurts