6.7 Context of situation and context of culture
In addition to grammatical forms and patterns, one needs also to consider the field, tenor and mode of the context, for language is used in what is called the context of situation, which is part of what is called the context of culture.
In the context of situation the reader must identify:
- the field (What is being spoken about? The field of human activity? Is it at the beach? Going to school? Or what?)
- the tenor (What are the relationships? father to son? friend to friend? Judge to jury? Or what?)
- the mode (what are the circumstances in which the language communication takes place? Conversation? Reflection? Description? Or what?)
(Collerson, 1994)
Note that circumstances dictate the level of language used, such as: the formal, the informal, the colloquial and slang (Collerson). An example of context of situation could take place in a shop. The field could be the price of a certain item; the tenor would be a slight deference on the shop assistant part towards the customer because of a potential sale; the mode would be that of spoken inquiry: question, answer, response.
As mentioned above, context of situation forms part of context of culture. By context of culture is meant the meanings and assumptions we share as a community of people. It also incorporates “the culturally evolved expectations of ways of behaving” and getting things done (Hammond et al, 1992, p.2). For example, the buying and selling of goods will vary from culture to culture. In some cultures bartering is always acceptable but in Australia selling goods at fixed prices is the usual expectation. We must keep in mind, however, that a society like Australia has a multi-cultural strand in which different cultural assumptions interact but that in some Australian settings, it is possible for a common set of meanings and assumptions to operate.