PART I

a) The word culture from the Oxford Dictionary means the ideas, customs, and social
behavior of a particular people or society. On the other hand, in the Macmillan Dictionary,
culture means a set of beliefs, ideas, and ways of practicing the behavior of a particular
organization or group of people. In the meanwhile, intercultural means that it took place between
cultures, or derived from different cultures. Competence means the ability to do something
successfully. To put it in the complete sentence, intercultural means that the knowledge, skills
and attitudes of a person have in order to cope or to get along with other people from different
and various cultures. Intercultural competence is very important as it will create a good
communication in the community although there are people from different cultures within the
conversation. According to Vuckovic (2006) in her article Inter-cultural communication: a
foundation of communicative action, someone who might not have the competency in a
conversation with different culture might have the misunderstanding of the conversation or he or
she might digest or comprehend the information being given in a different way. There are five
main factors influencing the competency in intercultural communication which are
communication style, perception, culture, personality and identities.
Amongst the five factors, roles and identities is one factor which plays a huge role in
ensuring a communication in intercultural conversation went well without causing a
misunderstanding. Role is a position that a person has within a community and identities are the
values being put into it. The other meaning of identity is the character or the fact of being who a
person is. Both roles and identities are very important because a role without identity might
cause different perception in a cultural or intercultural communication. For example, in a
Western country, we might be meeting or having an experience of riding a bus to anywhere in the
city. Without understanding their culture, we might have a first impression that the bus driver
might want to flirt in us when they suddenly ask whether we are in the good health or not
because it is not very common in our culture. However, once we got to know that it is their
culture to greet everyone, we will start to understand that it is one of their identities of being
friendly. Thus, that is why to make ourselves to be part of the intercultural roles and identities,
we should make ourselves familiar with the cultures or at least we are able to create a context
that the person in that culture will be able to involve themselves. As according to Erickson, he

described the process of identity development as one in which the two identities of the individual
and of the group are merged into one. He also placed cultural identity at the core of the
individual and yet also in the core of his or her common culture. This means that he really
emphasized on having cultural identity as to develop a common sense within a community and to
make them as one group.
Moreover, that is also why it is important to have an identity of in-group and out-group
within a community conversation. This is to ensure that everyone participates well in the
conversation and that everyone will feel that they are belonged to that group. This sense of
belonging is very important as there will be no feeling of inferiority complex or not being
accepted among each members of the group. Moreover, for having the sense or feeling of roles
and identities, then one will be able to feel belonged or to be part of the context. For example,
this person A is a Chinese who has a high proficiency in English has suddenly been transferred to
Kelantan. In Kelantan, the people rarely use English and they use Kelantanese Malay all the
time. So, as in order to make himself in-group and accepted by the community there, A learned
on how to use the Kelantanese Malay there.

b) Self-reflection means that the act of reflecting or commenting on the action or

something that one has done in a particular action. In the study by Vuckoviv (2006), it is found
that culture plays the most important and biggest role in one being self-reflective. Being able to
give self-reflection does not mean that it is the person himself who is going to reflect or
comment on himself but it also involves the other person in giving the feedback. Thus, it is
important for us to act naturally without being acting for people to start commenting on you. In
every culture, it reflects on how does a person really act in a self-reflective way. A self-reflection
given has always being affected by the culture itself. As according to Markus and Kitayama
(1991), they have done a research study on the differences between independent and
interdependent self and it is found that some cultures are much more concerned with the self than
others and this will impact on their inclination to engage in self-reflective behaviors. On the othe
other hand, as according to Peter Anderson (2000) who works on intercultural differences in
nonverbal communication manage to identify State as one of four sources of influence on
interpersonal behavior while the other three are Culture, Situation, and Traits. State on the other
words refers to our self-reflection, as being emphasized before. There is a U.S psychologist
named David Merrill (Merrill & Reid, 1981) who has created one approach in the 1960s of
managing oneself flexibly and has been broadly used as one of the social styles models. Merrill
has made a research which later led him to identify two dimensions that he considered the most
important for understanding intercultural in communicative behavior which is the assertiveness
(directive vs. indirect) and responsiveness (focus on emotion or task). This has actually agrees to
the Vuckonvivs research or study that we need to be aware and concern on the aspects of our
intercultural communication that we need to be attentive to.
The self-reflectiveness is to be said as tremendously being affected by the factor of roles
and identities in a culture. We cannot solely depend on our own reflection of ourselves. But still,
it is just too weird to go around and looking for the reflections of ourselves from the community.
So, by the culture itself, we can observe and gain a conclusion on someones self-reflection out
there. The interaction or context being created with other people can actually create a situation of
which behavior to be preferred, prohibited or obligated. Without this kind of reflection, we
cannot simply assume ones culture just by having the first look or through a talk about them by
someone else because we might create a wrong reflection or perception on them. We cant also
have a random reflection on ones culture just by having a conversation of one of the culture

community. Lets say if we went to a Western country and have a conversation with a Malay
people there who have been living there since baby, he might tell you the culture that he or shes
having with the Western people. In other word, the culture has been changed despite of the way
he or she dress and talk. So, choosing a context in a culture is very important as we should be
having a correct self-reflection on them.

PART II
a) I have chosen the topic on different learning style in using English language of the
Malay and Indian culture as the subjects are both students. For me, the topic is
suitable for the subjects as they are close to the students life. The Malay interviewee
is Syamimi while the Indian is Faiza. Faiza is a Muslim though shes still practicing
the culture of Indian such as her speech and choice of food. Her family is from India
and they still practiced their culture very well. Syamimi is one of the students in
International Islamic University Malaysia and she is from Terengganu, Malaysia. At
the end of both conversations, we can see that Syamimi and Faiza have a lot of
difference even in their learnings as their culture taught them so. Even when Im with
other Faizas friends, they declared that they are actually using the same learning
styles. However, there are yet still similarities that they shared in both cultures. It is
approved that culture does affect ones way of living and learning as well.

b) i. Transcriptions for Intercultural Communication

Farhana

: Ok bismillahirrahmanirrahim, Im from Tesl, so basically well have an

interview in learning English language. So, my first question is, how many years have you
learned English?
Faiza

: For me, its been around 15 years.

Farhana

: So, how old are you now?

Faiza

: Right now, Im 21, Ive been learning English since I was 6. Its since school

right? Everyone starts it at school.

Farhana

: Yeah, but some may not go to the kindergarten and they may not know English.

Is English your mother tongue?

Faiza

: No, my mother tongue is Bangoli. English is my second language.

Farhana

: So, youre been using Bangoli language at home.

Faiza

: At home, I speak Bangoli but outsides with friends, sometimes Bangoli, but in

reality is Bangoli, with family is Bangoli.

Farhana

: Here?

Faiza

: Over here all the time is English, right?

Farhana

: Cool. Do you think that the factor of years learning English plays an important

role in the proficiency?

Faiza

: For me, its more about practice. If youre just learning for the test, it doesnt

help in speaking at all. It depends if youre hanging around with people who speak English, itll
also helps to interact and everything. So I think practice is more important in learning.
Farhana

: Do you think that English is a difficult subject to be learned?

Faiza

: For me, any language, I hate grammar. Thats why Im majoring in Literature,

not Linguistics. Im doing BENL in literature. For me, in grammar, the more I studied, the more
confused I get. For me, I love more practical based learning, so even for us, we started very early
in schools, so my English is more of a practice based learning, you know, practical based
learning. I learned it like my own mother tongue. Like you learned Malay, you dont go through
the grammar first and then learn, right?
Farhana

: Right.

Faiza

: You learned by listening to your parents and all that. So for me, I dont like the

grammar part, part from that learning is easy for me.

Farhana

: Ok, for the next question it will be like many sub questions, but ok, how do you

think you can understand the English lessons better? Firstly, do you think you learn better when
you are taught by visual aids such as pictures, diagrams and charts?
Faiza

: How do I understand it better?

Farhana

: I mean, by learning through the visual aids, like diagrams?

Faiza

: Can you teach the language by using diagrams?

Farhana

: Yeah, sure, like for example, maybe in schools, even the children, they prefer to

learn by pictures.

Faiza

: Depends on which state of learning youre talking about, like right now, I dont

need graphs and all that, diagrams or anything, so right now Im not learning English, Im
practicing, Im using English. So for me, right now, I dont think Ill need graphs or diagrams
and all that. But I understand when someone speaks in English, thats fine.
Farhana

: So, how do you learn English right now? Like improving your English?

Faiza

: It depends on your fluency and everything. Right now, I dont think of charts and

graphs and everything. I think it is more towards listening to other people, and practicing it with
them.
Farhana

: Ok, because, as for me myself, were still learning to improve ourselves of

course, maybe by watching dramas in English, movies.

Faiza

: I think, another thing is by reading novels, but not graphs and diagrams, and

charts, I dont like them.

Farhana

: So, you think that you learn better by textual aids.

Faiza

: Ok, one is through listening. For you, its through visual right? You want to see it

in the movie. For me, listening is through conversing with friends, and talking to other people,
thats number one. Number two is books, novels.
Farhana

: In terms of doing the work in groups, do you prefer peer grouping or do you

prefer to do your work alone?

Faiza

: Peer grouping.

Farhana

: Ok, in term of your learning style, do you develop your own style of learning

English and did not stick to the same style? Like sometimes, maybe you prefer to be like
listening, and sometimes you feel like bored, and changed your style.

Faiza

: I think I always have my own style of learning because I preferred reading books

more, and talking to people more, rather than you know, going to the grammar books, and
diagrams, and studying because I think that gets me confused more. But why I read storybooks
and novels is, when you read, youll see that sometimes you think that you feel something but
you dont know how to express it in English but someone has already expressed it in such a nice
word and the way they give their expressions in a novel, novel helps you to imagine, like you can
really visualize the character, and you can see how they are saying it. And I think that helps me a
lot and I think in terms of vocabularies, in terms of how to express myself, so for me, reading
novels, not textbooks. I dont like textbooks.
Farhana

: Can you learn in a surrounding with noise and music?

Faiza

: For me, if Im learning English, trying to read or trying to learn something, I

would like quiet surroundings. I cant multitask in that. I cant be listening to a too loud music
and concentrate on what Im doing, for me it has to be in nice environment. Even this is worse.
Farhana

: Ok, Does your learning style change as you grow up?

Faiza

: Childhood, the books are more simple and right now, the books are more

complex.
Farhana

: So, since you were small, you like to read?

Faiza

: I really love to read, well, I used to read like storybooks, fairytales and all that

but right now, its more towards novel and articles and everything.
Farhana

: In this university, which of the lecturers way of teaching give you the best

understanding? How did he or she teach you in class? Is there any?

Faiza

: Depends. Because some lecturers, they just come and they read the slides. Or

they are reading from the books, and you dont feel like they are interacting with you. You dont
feel like they are talking to you. You feel like they are just talking to the wall, talking to
themselves. I dont like that way of teaching, I prefer the kind of teaching where the lecturer
makes you feel that hes looking at you, that hes listening to you, that he cares what you say, that
interactions that goes around, I like that kind of teaching.
Farhana

: So, do you think that it is important for us to have our own specific learning

style?
Faiza

: Everyone learn in their own way. There is no general way of learning. So at the

end of the day, everyone will figure out whats best for them. For you, watching movie is the
best, for me reading novel is the best, for her maybe learning grammar works the best, for him
maybe talking to his friends works best. So its all depends on what works best for you and you
have to figure out by yourself. So yes, it is very important.
Farhana

: Alright, lets say if you are to become a lecturer one day, which style do you

think is the best to teach the students with various style of learning?
Faiza

: I think I will be more interactive and creative. And Ill make them do stuffs than

just learn stuffs, theyll have to do it, to figure it out, those things that you do that will make you
remember all your life, that maybe youll remember the incidents, so because of someone makes
you remember the incident and I want to become that kind of lecturer, that has the measure in
your life, that can shape your life, than just a person who comes to you in one semester and you
dont even remember his name, not like that. I want to be someone that has an effect on you.
Farhana

: So, do you wish to become a lecturer?

Faiza

: InsyaAllah.

Farhana

: Okay, I wish you the best because I think thats all for my questions. So thank

you very much.

Faiza

: Thank you too.

i.

Farhana

Transcriptions for Monocultural Communication

: Ok bismillahirrahmanirrahim, Hi Mimi. So can you brief yourself? Your name,

your course and year of study?

Mimi

: Waalaikummussalam. My name is Nur Syamimi Inani, second year first

semester, major in Usul Fiqh.

Farhana

: Okay, so my first question is, how many years have you learned English?

Mimi

: 18 years since 5 years old.

Farhana

: Okay, so is English your mother tongue or first language?

Mimi

: No.

Farhana

: So is there any other language that you use at home?

Mimi

: Arabic.

Farhana

: Yeah, since you are taking Arabic course. Okay, do you think that the factor of

years learning English plays an important role in the proficiency?

Mimi

: I dont know how to say but yes, it is. Because I think that the more you learn

the language, the more years you learn it, the better youll be.
Farhana

: Yeah, correct. Okay, do you think that English is a difficult subject to be learned?

Mimi

: Yes, for me, yes it is difficult, better in Arabic. I think Arabic is much easier than

English.

Farhana

: Where did you learn English? At school or at home? Or by your friends?

Mimi

: At school, I think.

Farhana

: Okay, by the teachers-lah, of course?

Mimi

: Yes.

Farhana

: Okay, next, how do you think you can understand the English lessons better?

Firstly, do you think you learn better when you are taught by visual aids such as pictures,
diagrams and charts?
Mimi

: Yes.

Farhana

: So, you prefer learning using the visual aids?

Mimi

: Yes.

Farhana

: Next, do you think you can learn better by games in which you move in class,

with your friends?

Mimi

: No, I dont like games. I prefer visual aids like pictures..and songs,like that.

Farhana

: So, you dont like playing games in the class? Since youre small?

Mimi

: Yeah, Im a serious person. I dont like to play in the class.

Farhana

: Oh really? Okay. Do you think you can learn better by listening rather than

reading or writing?
Mimi

: Yeah, listening is.

Farhana

: So, what are the examples of listening tools?

Mimi

: English songs, movies. But movie, youre watching. (laughs)

Farhana

: Okay, acceptable. Do you think you learn better by speaking and having

communicative activities?
Mimi

: No, because Im not so expert in English, so that I will feel inferior to speak in

English.
Farhana

: Okay.

Mimi

: I have no confident in myself.

Farhana

: So, if there are like activities which involve speaking, you will

Mimi

: Yeah, I will avoid it.

Farhana

: You will avoid it? Okay, fine. Alright, so when it comes to group activities, or

group works, do you prefer to make it in group or you like to study alone?
Mimi

: I prefer to study in groups.

Farhana

: So, you do have your study groups?

Mimi

: I know that Im not so good and expert in English, so I prefer study groups so

that they will help me improving my English skills and whatsoever.

Farhana

: What if it in other language, do you still prefer to study in groups?

Mimi

: Yeah.

Farhana

: So, study in groups is also one of your learning style?

Mimi

: Yes.

Farhana

: Okay. Do you learn better by preparing dialogues and doing puzzles, or

preparing activities by doing it?

Mimi

: Preparing dialogues, not so because it involves speaking and then it is difficult

for me. I dont like it. I do like puzzles because it challenges your mind.
Farhana

: Next, do you develop your own style of learning English and did not stick to the

same style? I mean, from time to time?

Mimi

: Maybe. Yeah, depends on the situations.

Farhana

: Like you said before, you like to make activities in groups and then by listening,

yeah, okay, so the styles change, depends on the situations and activities. Alright.
Mimi

: Okay, next, can you learn in a surrounding with music or noise?

Farhana

: Never, because I prefer to study in a quiet and without any sounds and noise.

Thats my style.
Farhana

: Okay, you prefer to listen, but then you cannot bear with the noise and music

when you study?

Mimi

: I can listen to the song when Im not studying. When Im doing homework, its

okay. But when it comes to study, I cant pay the attention to what Im studying.

Farhana

: Okay, Does your learning style change as you grow up? Maybe during your

childhood, you have different style of learning and now you have different style?
Mimi

: Yes, it is different when Im in school and then college and then university,

because, such as here, we met foreigners and we tried to speak in English even though we are not
expert. I am not expert in that, but I have to.
Farhana

: Hm,hm, so it changes.

Mimi

: Yes.

Farhana

: Yeah, because you met different person. So, does the surrounding and

environment affect your learning style?

Mimi

: Yes, it is.

Farhana

: Maybe the surroundings with airconds and natural environment, so does it affect

your learning style?

Mimi

: Yeah, it affects.

Farhana

: So, right now, were studying in the university, in UIA of course, which of the

lecturers way of teaching give you the best understanding? How did he or she teach you in
class? Maybe theres a lecturer that you really love her way of teaching?
Mimi

: I love the lecturers that using different kinds of accents, because I love to hear

that, and I tried to imitate their accents in speaking English.

Farhana

: So theres a lot of lecturers who.

Mimi

: No. In this semester, theres only Psychology class, I think. Others are in Arabic.

Farhana

: Okay, the second last question is do you think that it is important for us to have

our own specific learning style?

Mimi

: Of course, because different people have different way of learning and yeah, I

think it is important.
Farhana

: Okay, the last one, if you are to become a lecturer one day, which style do you

think is the best to teach the students with various style of learning?
Mimi

: Hm, if I am not expert in something, if I cant explain something to the students

maybe, I will ask them tomaybe student-learning centered? They will have to..what they
call..not demonstrate, but doing activities by themselves.
Farhana

: Alright, so you prefer student-centered rather than teacher-centered teaching?

Mimi

: Yeah.

Farhana

: Hm, nice. Okay, so, what is your expectation towards English?

Mimi

: Expectation? Hmm.

Farhana

: Maybe you hopes that you can improve more in English?

Mimi

: Of course, I really hope that I can improve my English better than before, yes

because, yes I do love English but I think that it is so difficult to speak in English rather than
writing. I can write better than speaking.
Farhana

: Oo, okay. Thank you Syamimi for your time spent and cooperation to be

interviewed by me today. Okay, I hope and pray for the best of you. Okay, thank you again. Bye,
Assalamualaikum.

Mimi

: Welcome, my pleasure. Waalaikummussalam.

c)
Based on the research study that I have done on the monocultural and intercultural
communication with Syamimi and Faiza, I found that both of them have different style of

utterances based on their cultures. It is quite obvious as both of them came from different
background of family and studies. Both of them are higher institution students. As according
to Syamimi, she is a student of Arabic Language which for her, Arabic is much easier as
compared to English to be studied. Although she has learned English for 18 years since she is
5 years old, she rarely use English in her daily context and only use it more often after
enrolling in this university. As for Faiza which is a BENL student, she came from India and
she has a very good fundamental of English conducts and use which makes her very fluent in
English. Morevover, her mother is also a professor in a university there. She admits that she
is very comfortable in using English daily as it has been a compulsory language in this
university and she has to use it to communicate with the people here. This is for the context
of language preferable by them. However, both of them said that English is not their mother
tongue or first language which makes it the first similarity of them. There are 11 questions
that I have asked Faiza and Syamimi along the 10-minute session.
There are lots of similarities and differences between Faiza and Syamimis styles of
speech as being used in their cultures. Firstly, we can observe that Syamimi always avoid to
get herself involved in a situation which will be needing her to speak much or present in front
of the others. She preferred to learn by listening and doing interactive activities such as
puzzles. It is obviously can be seen in mostly Malay culture that most of them especially in
class context. The students are too scared to answer or present in the class when being
appointed by the teachers. The teachers from different country such as Arab or the Eastern
country might find that this is something new and different from their culture as most of their
students there are very loud and brave when it comes to voice out their opinion and answers.
As according to Rehbein (2001), awareness is important in order to counter the inescapable
tendency to view the world through a lens coloured by the assumption that our own culture
has got it right and that its norms, behaviours and values are globally applicable. Thus, one
is to be aware of the culture that they are involved in or encountered to has a correct and
solid assumption in the context.
Other than that, for both Faiza and Syamimi, English is not their first language or mother
tongue. According to Faiza, her mother tongue is Bangoli and at home, she will speak using
the language with her family and while hanging out with her friends. When she grows up,
then she starts to use English more especially in this university where she has to use the

English as the medium of communication and instruction. She also used English more
whenever she hangs out with her friends. This is clearly seen that Faiza will speak in her
cultural language in order to make her in-group with her other friends. As to Syamimi, her
mother tongue is Malay language and her second language is Arabic since her parents are
Arabic teachers. English is her third language which according to her, she rarely speaks in
English her childhood, school time and during college studies. Some of the local teachers
also lack of motivation and support in encouraging the Malay students to speak in English as
they themselves usually use English language during their teaching and learning process.
Next, the usage of the English language as being mentioned by Faiza and Syamimi also
differs because Faiza are more likely to use English with her friends and Syamimi only use
the language whenever it is needed during class or any special events. Faiza also said that it
is not difficult for her to learn English. Faiza calmly said that it is all about practice which
matters the most in the learning the English language, and she really hates it when it comes to
learn the grammar. As for Syamimi, she said that it is quite difficult to learn English since
small because she rarely used that language at school and home. She would prefer to use
Arabic language because as according to her, the language is easier to be learned. Syamimi
agreed that the years of studying English play an important role in improving the proficiency
of the language but Faizas opinion is a bit different where she said that it is the practice that
matters the most and years is not that important if you are lack of practice. In this case, we
can see that as for Syamimi, talking or using Arabic did not give her much problem as it is
just like her own culture when she always used that language with her family. So, it is not as
difficult as when she is learning English because she rarely used that language since small. In
this case, ones self reflection and identities plays their roles by the parents themselves
because they are the one who inspire her to use that language. As according to Bennet (1993),
he observed in most classrooms and workshop environments that difficulties in learning the
concepts and skills of intercultural communication are nearly always attributable to a denial
of cultural differences, not a lack of appreciating similarity.
For the situation-based question, both of them shared the same way of thinking to
develop an interactive teaching way in order to ensure that every student from different
learning styles will be able to comprehend the lesson and feeling interested to learn more on
that subject in the future. For Faiza, she will make the students to do stuffs in class and make

them work interactively among them. She wished to become a lecturer with a lot of measures
to fulfill every students needs in their learning styles. As for Syamimi, she said that she
would prefer to teach students using the student-centered teaching rather than teachercentered learning whereby most of the activities are to be conducted by the students
themselves. As we can see, most of the Indian families view the English Language as a very
important language for them and it has become one of their culture though they still remained
using the Tamil language in their daily lives. However, in urban areas, we can already found
many Indian families use English as their main language as compared to Malays who are still
mostly using Malay language.
At the end of the session, both of them do agree that the surrounding and environment
affect their English learning style and what is the most important is that they both agreed that
they will develop an interactive way of teaching so that the students from every learning style
will understand the lesson better.

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