On Linguistic Approach To Intercultural Communication Studies

Due to its interdisciplinary nature, intercultural communication has had a variety of approaches since it became a subject, such as those of anthropology, communication, linguistics and semiotics, among which linguistic approach is of great importance. Though studies with linguistic approach are popular both at home and abroad, the author has found that these studies seem to lack a profound theory for guidance and few take a comprehensive approach. Therefore, based on the present scholarship in the relationship between language and culture and in the covert cultural theory first proposed by Edward Hall and then developed by Prof. Gu Jiazu, the author tries in this thesis to give comprehensive as well as systematic analyses to the key and knotty points of intercultural communication from nearly every aspect of linguistics, including pronunciation, grammar and lexicon in internal linguistics, and sociolinguistics, ethno-linguistics, rhetoric, metaphor and memetics in external linguistics. In each aspect, the covert culture is put in the central place. It can be said that intercultural communication should be approached by revealing the covert culture which is concealed in language and which is focused on the concepts of people in different cultures. Therefore, linguistic approach should be highly valued in intercultural communication studies.