„Man muss sich darauf einlassen, auf die dänische Mentalität“ – Funktionale Angemessenheit in der deutsch-dänischen interkulturellen Kommunikation

Abstract

This paper is based on results of the research project National stereotypes and marketing strategies in the intercultural Danish-German communication (SMiK). In the SMiK-project, we define stereotypes as linguistically and culturally determined patterns of thinking and behaving. Such patterns affect intercultural interactions and they should therefore be taken into consideration in the teaching of foreign languages and in intercultural communication. In the SMiK-project we have developed guidelines for the adequate intercultural interaction in the German-Danish business communication. Those guidelines are based on empirical studies on German-Danish national stereotypes. In this paper, we will discuss the theoretical and methodological approach to the compilation of these guidelines and their background in studies on intercultural communication and in the Sprachkritik-paradigm (a linguistically founded critical-reflecting appraisal of language use) will be described. We hereby focus on the concepts of ‘Weltansichten’ as conceptualizations of the world, cultural awareness and functional adequacy in the intercultural communication. Finally, we give examples for the implementation of the results from an analyses of interview data in guidelines for Danish-German business communication.