It is no mystery that the language community in rural Alaska and urban Alaska differ in more ways than one, for instance many of us raise our eyebrows to signify a yes, but someone in Anchorage may not understand this emblem.
We are all comfortable in our atmosphere's, with our own cultures, beliefs and values, but when we are pulled out of our own comfort zone's and placed in an unfamiliar place it can be a bit unnerving. I myself am quite accustomed to helping the elderly, and was once in line in a gas station and the person at the register was obviously older and not as quick and agile as the people who made up the line and I was quickly disgusted at all of the complaining the other patrons were doing of her being slow, and felt compelled to step in and help her.
Both urban and rural members of each community can take simple steps to communicating more effectively with the other.
1) take it upon yourself to learn about the different cultures and subcultures that you are not knowledgeable about. Doing so will help each group to speak and understand those who speak a little different than what you are used to.
2) Be aware of the situation that is present during the conversation. Being considerate of how you converse with others will help you to to mindful of how some people speak differently than what you are used to such as. slower, faster, different accents. One such example I can recall is being at fish camp and someone dropped a spear in the river. it was drifting away and everyone was in a panic trying to rescue it. Someone not familiar with the accent of the lower Yukon people did not understand them saying "spear" because to her ears they were saying "spare" and she kept asking "spare what" until i clarified by saying "spear" dragging out the long "e" for her.
3)Respect the differences in speech and customs. No ones words are wrong, and no ones customs are to be shamed. "when in Rome do as the Romans"
4) If you unsure, paraphrase. Doing so not only is a soft way of asking if you got the message correctly, it will also give the person talking a chance to clarify any misunderstanding correct it if needed.
5) show that you are listening, that way if you are slow in responding, it does not seem as though you ignored the speaker entirely. Try not to speak until someone is done talking.
The next time you feel as though you don't understand someone at all, try following a few of these steps, I would also love to hear any steps you feel may help in bridging the gap in communication between rural and urban Alaskans or any stories of miscommunication you want to share!
Happy days!
-Carole
Communication makes or breaks us as a society. I love that you share some of the differences in dialect and body language. I think a big key is patience on both parties. Sadly, it seems as compassion was lacking in the case of the gas station clerk and her line. Unfortunately, people are so rushed they forget to stop to help their fellow man, regardless of their background. I love reading the Pay It Forward pages when people share their random acts of kindness. Giving back to someone without recriprical expectations is one of the best feelings I have ever had. I find myself sometimes asking young children when I'm explaining certain rules and consequences "Do you understand what I'm saying?" and if I don't get a head nod, or a yes, I try to clarify why a certain consequence is attached to a certain action (such as not sharing toys will result in that toy going in "time-out" and another activity must be found until a time when everyone has had a chance to think about their actions and try to play together with the toy next time, for example)... Communication barriers are important to overcome not only for different races, but also different generations. :) Again, great post, great food for thought! ~Peace, Love & Progress
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