Language, Culture, and Cognition in Cross-cultural Communication

It is well documented that communication styles and patterns vary across cultures. However, less is known about the process underlying these differences. Understanding why communication patterns vary is just as important as understanding how they vary because communication is by nature a dynamic and interactive process. Despite the importance of the transmission of meaning for successful communication, and the role that cognition plays in the assignment of meaning, little has been done to draw on cognitive theories to advance the field of cross-cultural communication. In this paper we draw on the attention-interpretation-message (AIM) framework of cross-cultural communication and on extant cross-cultural communication literature to elaborate on the role of linguistic structures and culture logic in influencing the cognitive processes associated with communication. We conclude with the identification of avenues for future research