High/Low Context Communication: The Malaysian Malay Style

Abstract Globalization and workforce mobilization have prompted many scholars and researchers to conduct intercultural studies. In studies on eastern intercultural communication, research focus has been on the Japanese and Chinese cultures. However, there are other eastern cultures which are less known to the intercultural scholars. Therefore, the author of this paper hopes to introduce a group of individuals who seldom appear in western literature and probably unknown to many scholars - the Malays. Using Edward T. Hall’s characteristics of high-low context communication, this essay illustrates the Malaysian Malay style of communication. Introduction When you enter a cow’s barn, moo, and when you enter a goat’s shed, bleat. (A Malay proverb, translated). The above is a traditional Malay proverb depicting advice by a mother to her daughter when the daughter was about to marry and move out to stay with her in-laws. The mother typically says very little about what she thinks her daughter should do to adapt to the new family, but the implicit meanings behind her advice were bits of wisdom for her daughter to interpret. A similar experience befalls a woman from another culture who was to marry a Malay man. This woman would need a considerable amount of time to learn and understand the new family as well as the even greater task of adapting to the culture of the man she marries. Culture plays a big role in the development of human thoughts and behaviors. Ignoring cultural differences in an interaction can potentially signal trouble. Numerous articles have been written on cultural differences, their implications, and the ways of dealing with them. One example of an intercultural difference is illustrated by gift-giving. In the article titled, “Wrong gifts may tick off potential trading partners,” Philippidis (1999) reminds readers about the consequences of a lack of understanding a trading partner’s cultural taboos. For example, presenting a clock as a gift to a Chinese is as though wishing the receiver a short life (Philippidis, 1999), but to a Malay, receiving this gift is a gesture of friendship and thoughtfulness. Another instance of the Malay culture is the use of the left hand. If someone uses the left hand to point or give something to another person, it shows disrespect for the other person. Companies that overlook the salience of intercultural communication differences might face potential relationship problems. This phenomenon can jeopardize long term ties for businesses if companies are less sensitive to cultural differences. Due to the impact on businesses and social relationships, much research focuses on understanding and explicating intercultural communication differences. In terms of research done on intercultural communication, a dearth of literature exists in work conducted in Malaysia. In the Asian region, studies on intercultural communication mainly focus on Japanese and Chinese cultures but very few can be found on other cultures such as those in countries like Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. This paper therefore aims to add information about