Intercultural communication features through the lens of functional approach

Abstract

When studying intercultural communication special attention should be paid to linguistic units that facilitate effective interaction between the representatives of different cultures at the intergovernmental level. The academic study of intercultural communication dates back to the second half of the 20th century, which was driven by the congruent imperative for international contacts at the social, political, cultural, and economic levels. The purpose of this paper is to examine the features of intercultural communication in the modern English-speaking world, ignorance of which can cause cultural misunderstandings among those communicating. For the successful implementation of the intercultural dialogue, it is necessary to know the cultural code, established rules and norms of verbal and non-verbal behaviour of international communicators, who should take into account specific features of different cultures, identify models, which are determined by the historical development and geographical location of the interacting parties. Intercultural competence, which includes the ability to understand the characteristics and mentality of different cultures, fosters respect for cultural differences and empathy for other nations. The relevance of this paper lies in the need for a comprehensive study of linguistic structures that conform to the established norms and rules of intercultural communication, which are expressed in lexical means that correspond to a specific cultural code. Along with general scientific methods, this paper uses modeling, semiotic, and psychological methods, as well as structural-functional and contextual research methods. In conclusion, the authors emphasize the need to use language models within the framework of the functional approach, as this contributes to achieving the intended communicative purposes in the process of intercultural interaction.

References

1. Ahmanova O.S. 2005. Slovar lingvisticheskix terminov [Dictionary of Linguistic Terms]. M.: KomKniga. (In Russ.)
2. Gak V.G. 1998. Yazykovye preobrazovaniya [Language Transformations]. M.: Shkola «Yazyki russkoj kul'tury». (In Russ.)
3. Dupont L. 2008. Reklama. 1001 sovet [1001 Advertising Tips]. M.: Popurri. (In Russ.)
4. Zagryazkina T.Yu. 2024. Aspects of French identity through the preism of language (using the example of the evolution of the lexemes pays-paysages-terroirs-villages). Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 19. Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, no 1, pp. 106–123. DOI: 10.55959/MSU-2074-1588-19-27-1-8. (In Russ.)
5. Zagryazkina T.Yu. 2025. French in Africa: Principles of study (based on Francophone studies from the late 20th to the early 21st centuries). Lomonosov Linguistics and Intercultural Communication Journal, vol. 28, no 2, pp. 73–90. DOI: 10.55959/MSU-2074-1588-19-28-2-5. (In Russ.)
6. Krysin L.P. 1988. Enantiosemiya [Enantiosemy]. In Tolkovy'j slovar inostrannyx slov. M.: Eksmo. (In Russ.)
7. Levitsky A.E., Nikulshina T.N. 2022. Svetloe/temnoe v zerkale lingvokul'tur (na materiale anglijskix i russkix narodnyx) [The dark/the light in English and Russian folk tales: linguocultural survey]. Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 19. Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, no. 2, pp. 20–33. (In Russ.)
8. Levitsky A.E. Nikulshina T.N. 2022. Chernyi v russkom i angliiskom skazochnykh diskursakh (problemy semantiki i lingvokul'turologii) [Black in Russian and English fairy tale discourse: semantic and linguocultural]. Cognitive Studies of Language, no. 2 (49), pp. 699–704. (In Russ.)
9. Leontovich O.A. 2003. Rossiya i SShA: vvedenie v mezhkul'turnuyu kommunikaciyu [Russia and the USA: Introduction to Intercultural Communication]. Volgograd: Peremena. (In Russ.)
10. Molchanova G.G. 2007. Angliysky kak nerodnoy: tekst, stil, kultura, kommunikaciya [English as a Non-Native Language: Text, Style, Culture, and Communication]. M.: OLMA Media Grupp. (In Russ.)
11. Molchanova G.G. 2014. Kognitivnaya polikodovost' mezhkulturnoj kommunikacii: verbalika i neverbalika [Cognitive Polycodeness of Intercultural Communication: Verbal and Non-Verbal]. M. OLMA Media Grupp. (In Russ.)
12. Molchanova G.G. 2015. Sinergiya vizual'nogo i verbal'nogo v xromatike (zhivopisi) kak semioticheskij kod kommunikacii [The synergy of the visual and the verbal in chromatics (painting) as a semiotic code of communication]. Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 19. Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, no. 2, pp. 7–19. (In Russ.)
13. Molchanova G.G. 2025. Derivatsionnye vozmozhnosti frazovogo ehpiteta kak istochnika porozhdeniya novykh leksem [Phrase epithet derivational possibilities as source of new lexical units]. Lomonosov Linguistics and Intercultural Communication Journal, no. 1(28), pp. 9–20. DOI: 10.55959/MSU-2074-1588-19-28-1-1 (In Russ.)
14. Molchanоva G.G. 2026. Kommunikativnye printsipy sotrudnichestva i negativnoi vezhlivosti v khudozhestvennom tekste/diskurse [Communicative cooperation and negative politeness maxima — condicio sine qua non of literary text/discourse]. Lomonosov Linguistics and Intercultural Communication Journal, no. 1(29), pp. 9–24. DOI: 10.55959/MSU-2074-1588-19-29-1-1 (In Russ.)
15. Pavlovskaya A.V. 2020. Vzaimodejstvie kultur v mezhdunarodnom obrazovanii: k voprosu o problemax mezhkul'turnoj kommunikacii v globalnom mire [Interaction of Cultures in International Education: On the Problem of Intercultural Communication in the Global World]. Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 19. Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, no. 2, pp. 52–65. (In Russ.)
16. Passov E.I. 2000. Programma-koncepciya kommunikativnogo inoyazychnogo obrazovaniya. Razvitie individual'nosti v dialoge kultur [The Program-Concept of Communicative Foreign Language Education. Development of Individuality in the Dialogue of Cultures.]. M.: Prosveshhenie. (In Russ.)
17. Passov E.I. Dialog kultur: socialny obrazovatelny aspekty [Dialogue of Cultures: Social and Educational Aspects.]. URL: http://gramota.ru/biblio/magazines/mrs/28_237 (accessed 22.02.2026). (In Russ.)
18. Raevskaya M.M., Selivanova I.V. 2025. Sposoby i sredstva translyatsii obrazov strany/gosudarstva i natsii v institutsional'nom diskurse sovremennoi ispanskoi monarkhii [National image and identity in the institutional discourse of the modern Spanish monarchy]. Lomonosov Linguistics and Intercultural Communication Journal, no. 1(28), pp. 130–145. DOI: 10.55959/MSU-2074-1588-19-28-1-9 (In Russ.)
19. Sakhnina E.L. 2025. Lingvodidakticheskie osnovy razvitiya idiomaticheskoi kompetentsii u studentov magistratury yazykovykh spetsial'nostei [Linguodidactic fundamentals of developing idiomatic competence of Master's degree students majoring in linguistics]. Lomonosov Linguistics and Intercultural Communication Journal, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 184–194. DOI: 10.55959/MSU-2074-1588-19-28-2-13 (In Russ.)
20. Ter-Minasova S.G. 2000. Yazyk i mezhkul'turnaya kommunikaciya [Language and Intercultural Communication.]. M.: Slovo/Slovo. (In Russ.)
21. Shevliakova D.A. 2026. Aktualizatsiya natsional'nogo kul'turnogo koda v ital'yanskoi mode [Activation of the national cultural code in Italian fashion]. Lomonosov Linguistics and Intercultural Communication Journal, no. 1(29), pp. 139–149. DOI: 10.55959/MSU-2074-1588-19-29-1-9 (In Russ.)
22. Sherczl V.O. 1884. Filologicheskie zapiski [Philological Notes.]. Voronezh: Tipolitografiya Gubernskogo pravleniya. Vy'p. 5/6, pp. 1–39. (In Russ.)
23. Abel C. 1884. Uber den Gegensinn der Urworte. Leipzig: Verlag von Wilhelm Friedrich. (In German)
24. Fox K. 1988. Watching the English. London: Hodder.
25. Hall E.T. 1959. The Silent Language. Greenwood, Con: Fawcett.
26. Hall E.T. 1966. The hidden dimension. Garden City; New York: Doubleday.
27. Hall E.T. 1976. Beyond culture. Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor Press.
28. Hirsh E.D. 1987. Cultural Literacy: What every American need to Know. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
29. Hofstede G. 1980. Culture's consequences. International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage Publications.
30. Kluckhohn F.R., Strodtbeck F.L. 1961. Variations in value orientations. Evanston, Ill., Row, Peterson.
31. Lewis R.D. 2006. When cultures collide: Leading across cultures. Nicholas Brealey International.
32. Miall A., Milsted D. 1993. Xenophobe's Guide to the English. Oval Books.
33. Trompenaars A., Hampden-Turner Ch. 2014. Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business. Boston; London: Nicholas Brealey Publising.