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Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
Lecture Notes
Chapter 12: Identity and Subgroups
Learning Objectives:
12-1: Describe and give examples of how subgroups use language.
12-1: Explain how corporations can present the same communication challenges as
cultures.
12-1: Relate cultural values to attitudes toward homosexuality worldwide.
12-1: Explain the concept of othering.
12-1: Discuss the consequences of subgroup separation and assimilation.
I. Argot
A. Specialized Vocabulary. The specialized vocabulary of subgroups has been called
jargon, cant, argot, and slang.
1. Jargon has been used to refer to the “shop talk” or technical language of an
occupational subgroup, such as doctors, lawyers, and truck drivers.
2. Cant refers to the specialized vocabulary of a nonprofessional subgroup.
3. Argot refers to words used as a secret language among members of the
subgroup.
4. Slang refers to vocabulary of subgroups known and accepted by the general
public.
B. Argot and Subgroup Identity
1. The study of argot originated with the work of David Maurer (1981) in the
1930s; before his work, observations of nonstandard language were limited to
the study of regional dialects.
2. Maurer’s studies of professional crime showed that individual criminals were
not abnormalities but fully integrated and well-adjusted members of a
subgroup.
C. Argot and Subgroup Boundaries
1. A subgroup’s argot defines the boundaries of the subgroup.
2. To be a member of the subgroup, you have to know the vocabulary.
3. A special language can contribute to feeling special, to developing a group
identity.
D. Argot and Meaning
1. Argot has specific, unambiguous meaning for a subgroup.
2. Various scientific disciplines have developed specialized argot to express
nuances of meaning precisely.
3. A limited vocabulary ensures that each work has a precise, unambiguous
meaning.
II. Subgroup Media and Values
A. Media use and values contribute to defining subgroup identity and boundaries.
B. Most important are common values or worldviews shared by members of the
subgroup.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publications, 2018
III. Examples of Subgroups
A. British Punk
1. A classic cultural studies analysis of a subgroup is Dick Hebdige’s 1979 study
of British punk youth culture.
2. Hebdige determined the origin of punk dates back to the summer of 1976 as an
alliance of diverse and superficially incompatible music traditions reproduced
on the visual level in a clothing style.
3. The first wave of self-conscious innovators were aware and committed. The
later “plastic punks” participated as a distraction from home, school, and work.
4. Some bloggers of today suggest that social media is the punk of today. Just like
punk of the 70s was raw, confrontational, and passionate, today’s social media
has become the media for independent voices.
B. Corporate Cultures
1. The phrase corporate culture became popular in the 1980s and has been
defined as “the way we do things around here.”
2. Organizations can have their own symbols, argot, dress codes, status symbols
recognized by insiders only.
3. Organizational heroes serve as models of the “ideal employee” or the “ideal
manager.”
4. Corporate rituals can take the form of myths within an organization as in how
“family” and “drama” are important myths at Disneyland.
5. The value system of an organization can be established by the personality of
the leader of the organization.
a. Companies perform better with a well-defined set of values.
b. Corporate culture became a major factor in corporate mergers.
TimeWarner and AOL would prove to be an ill-fated merger due to
differences in corporate culture.
C. Case Study: Southwest Airlines
1. Southwest Airlines was developed by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King in 1966.
2. There was overwhelming resistance from other major interstate carriers which
helped shape the character of the company.
3. Southwest corporate culture has had to evolve through the years.
4. Recruiters look for a certain “Southwest Spirit” in every job candidate.
5. The Southwest story was written as a children’s book about a small jet. The
characters resembled the founders and the colors of the jets resembled
Southwest and their competitors. It was later turned into a musical that only
played in cities Southwest serviced.
6. No employee has ever been laid off and the voluntary turnover rate has never
topped 3%.
7. Southwest celebrated its employees in an elaborate recognition program for all
employees who are recognized by customers.
8. The company emphasizes the importance of their employees and customers by
always capitalizing the E in Employee and C in Customer.
D. Case Study: Google
1. Founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin
2. Established the “how things are done at Google”
3. Organized as a “flat” company with a small middle management and a hands-
on upper management.
4. Core employees have autonomy, but work with a single unifying philosophy.
IV. Homosexuality Worldwide
A. Attitudes About Homosexuality and Same-Sex Marriage
1. A 2013 survey of people in 39 countries found a clear majority in the European
Union believe that homosexuality should be accepted.
a. Spain (88%), Germany (87%), Czech Republic (80%), France (77%),
Britain (76%), and Italy (74%) were the most accepting.
b. Opinions are generally positive in North America and Latin America. The
most accepting were Canada (80%), Argentina (74%), Chile (68%),
Mexico (61%), and Brazil and the United States (both 60%).
2. Attitudes are negative in Africa, Asia, and Muslim nations.
3. Many countries have made same-sex marriage legal.
4. In countries with no acceptance of homosexuality, even private media use can
lead to prosecution.
B. Cultural Bases for Attitudes
1. A 1998 report by Hofstede states that the masculinity cultural dimension is
negatively related to the acceptance of homosexuality.
2. Homophobia is the irrational fear of gay men and lesbians.
3. Heterosexism--assumption that the world is and must be heterosexual.
4. Patriarchy--enforced belief in heterosexual male dominance and control.
5. A 2013 survey of 39 countries showed a strong relationship between a
country’s religiosity and opinions about homosexuality.
6. A resolution was put forward by South Africa to establish a formal UN process
to document human rights abuses against gays, including discriminatory laws
and acts of violence.
V. Sexual Orientation as a Basis for Subgroups
A. Sexual Orientation and Othering
1. Othering applies to subgroups just as it does to subcultures
2. Words used disapprovingly by the dominant culture were claimed and
embraced by the subgroup.
a. The gay liberation movement: it became “OK to be gay.”
b. The words dyke and faggot became symbols of gay pride.
c. The word lesbian changed from medical word to label of pride.
d. Queer Nation chant: “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re fabulous--get used to
it.”
3. Symbols were also given positive meanings.
a. Pink Triangle originated in Hitler’s concentration camps.
b. Rainbow flag is seen now to identify the gay community.
B. Consequences of Othering
1. Among the consequences of othering are the potential for emotional and
physical harm to those being labeled.
2. When the Stonewall riot happened in 1969, there were no policies, laws, or
ordinances prohibiting discrimination against lesbians and gay men.
3. Since the early 1990s, there has been a rise in hate crimes against gay
individuals.
4. There are no federal laws that specifically outlaw discrimination of sexual
orientation in the private sector.
5. September 2011 is when the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the military
ended.
C. Media and Othering
1. Traditional media and social media can reinforce subgroup identity in countries
with acceptance of homosexuality.
2. Literature of the 1960s and 1970s depicted gay characters as social outsiders.
Now they are depicted as positive characters.
3. Many companies recognize gays and lesbians as one of their core
demographics and actively create advertising targeting these groups.
D. Rejecting All Labels
1. Many gay men, lesbians, and people of sexualities of all kinds began to
challenge the idea of a single gay/lesbian identity.
2. Queer theory rejects the categorization of heterosexual and homosexuality.
Accepting such a label can be restrictive in defining self (Fuss, 1991; Warner
1993).
E. From Separation to Assimilation
1. Evidence of Separate Status
a. Joseph J. Hayes described “gayspeak” as the language one acquires when
entering the gay community.
b. Accepting the label gay for oneself is part of the communication process
of coming out.
2. Today, coming out is a positive act of self-expression and identity.
F. Integration or Assimilation of Subgroups
1. When gay men and lesbians have equal rights, social recognition, and
acceptance, that is, when they are fully assimilated into the dominant culture.
2. Harris (1997) wrote, if gay men and lesbians become too mainstream, what it
means to be gay will be lost.
3. Novelist Edmund White commented on the shift “you go to a pride march and
it’s just like every other civic parade with its crass commercialism.”
