| Author: | Yip, Wai-chee Vivian |
| Title: | Intercultural communication : the choices of modal auxiliary verbs in relation to power relationship within an organization |
| Degree: | M.A. |
| Year: | 2001 |
| Subject: | Intercultural communication Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Department of English |
| Pages: | viii, 87 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | In essence, both Hong Kong and Japanese use English as lingua franca in international business communication. The attention of this study is focused on the intercultural communication between Hong Kong Chinese (HKC) and Japanese (JPN) in terms of their respective usage of modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would, and ought to) via the Email communication. This study attempted to address the cultural difference of the usage of modal verbs within an organization in forms of the hierarchical power relationship amongst different position levels such as peer, superior and subordinates (lateral, upward and downward communication). Based on the information collecting from a Japanese-owned subsidiary office in Hong Kong, this report also attempted to address that cultural power distance can determine which modal auxiliary verb to use in a given situation and the acquisition of the modal is tightly linked up with the power relationship in the organization of business Email communication in particular between HKC and JPN. Data samples are taken from general Email communications and the results indicate that the acquisition of modal verbs is closely linked up with the hierarchical interaction between the interlocutors from different cultures. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b16083003.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 3.21 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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