High-Context Culture

First made popular by Edward T. Hall in his book Beyond Culture (1976), this concept refers to a culture where communication is more implicit than explicit. The culture underlying the communication or surface act makes things understood indirectly, inferring the meaning and intention of words within the situational context without explicit, unwieldy, and excessive verbal constructs. Hall uses the American legal system as a prime example of both high- and low-context culture. While the court system eschews contextual interpretations with its overly explicit attempt to determine “facts,” with highly codified rules of evidence and testimony, lawyers see themselves as a group apart and tend to understand implicitly what other attorneys are saying without wordy explanations. He quotes Richard Nixon, as vice president, who used to say, “Yes, I can deal with him—he's a lawyer, too.” In other words, lawyers as a group have had similar connections and ways of communicating over a long period of time. Through this dichotomy, they see themselves unrealistically on a higher level than others and act accordingly. Hall terms this character defect as “extension transference.”

Members of a certain social class or of private clubs who elect members because of their contextual similarity, whether of birth or merit, implicitly understand certain rules of behavior. Explicit codification is not necessary for understanding communications or verbal messages. The family, religious congregations, street gangs, and the like are also examples of this type of environment. Understanding is internalized because the group accepts the members and, therefore, needs less verbal and formal communication. Long-term friendships and relationships place knowledge in situational contexts, with less need for verbal explanation. Knowledge is more implicit. One understands without excessive detail and specific details are determined unnecessary. Therefore, high-context societies are more difficult for outsiders to enter because their communication structures and contexts are shared by the “in-group”—those who internalize and accept a certain code and have a feeling of belonging. Hall calls this “internal contexting,” which allows for automatic, quick exchange of information and communication between persons of the same group, as well as relational decision making. Each person or interlocutor implicitly understands the meaning of the exchange. In such cultures, patterns of communication are difficult to articulate. As Hall puts it, “The more that lies behind [a person's] actions (the higher the context), the less he can tell you.” For more information, see Hall (1976).