Intercultural communication and the community of practice in a South African sport team

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aims to investigate the impact of individual sociocultural and linguistic differenceson the creation of a successful sports team on and off the field. The specific team of interestfor this particular study is the Western Province amateur cricket team, based in Cape Town,South Africa. The sociocultural and linguistic differences of the participants were examinedusing theories focusing on intercultural communication and the various strategies that can beput in place to overcome the barriers of intercultural difference within a sports team. To thisend the linguistic repertoires of participants were captured through the use of languagebiographies. The study further investigates how participants consider themselves to be a partof the team's community of practice (CofP), and seeks to identify obstacles in terms ofacquiring and maintaining membership of this CofP. The data is analysed with the use ofthematic analysis (TA) methodology. In total 17 members of the Western Province amateurcricket team participated in the study, two coaches and 15 players. They are speakers ofEnglish, Afrikaans and isiXhosa. Questionnaires which elicit both personal and linguisticbackground information, as well as information on perceived linguistic competence, were usedfor data collection. Along with the questionnaires, structured interviews which aimed todetermine language preferences in receiving feedback and level of comfort whencommunicating with speakers of different languages and from different cultures, wereconducted. The questionnaire and interview data reflect the linguistic preferences of theparticipants, however also show that all participants conform to the team's lingua franca inorder to understand and communicate openly without misunderstanding. The study shows thatsociocultural and linguistic differences can act as a barrier to a sports team's dynamic andenvironment, but these barriers can be overcome to create a successful and cohesivecommunity of practice on and off the field.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University