Harmony and common ground: Aikido principles for intercultural training
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Greet Angèle De Baets
Abstract
This paper investigates the added value of aikido, a martial art, as an embodied pedagogy for intercultural communication training: what is the potential of bringing the physical practice of aikido into the intercultural communication classroom, emphasizing experiential discovery instead of traditional didactic ex - planations? To this end, we conducted a benchmarking study identifying the core principles of aikido. We interviewed twenty aikido experts worldwide and performed a qualitative content analysis of the transcribed interview data relying on NVivo software. First, and foremost, our findings show fundamental similarities between aikido interaction and intercultural interaction. They reveal a shared significance of focused interaction by consciously seeking harmony and co-creating common ground. Second, we demonstrate that the aikido pedagogy teaches harmony and common ground through (i) multisensory learning practice and (ii) somatic discovery by training physiological and mental tranquility. Our conclusion is that aikido has potential as an embodied pedagogy for intercultural communication training.
Abstract
This paper investigates the added value of aikido, a martial art, as an embodied pedagogy for intercultural communication training: what is the potential of bringing the physical practice of aikido into the intercultural communication classroom, emphasizing experiential discovery instead of traditional didactic ex - planations? To this end, we conducted a benchmarking study identifying the core principles of aikido. We interviewed twenty aikido experts worldwide and performed a qualitative content analysis of the transcribed interview data relying on NVivo software. First, and foremost, our findings show fundamental similarities between aikido interaction and intercultural interaction. They reveal a shared significance of focused interaction by consciously seeking harmony and co-creating common ground. Second, we demonstrate that the aikido pedagogy teaches harmony and common ground through (i) multisensory learning practice and (ii) somatic discovery by training physiological and mental tranquility. Our conclusion is that aikido has potential as an embodied pedagogy for intercultural communication training.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
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1 Understanding common ground
- The interdependence of common ground and context 7
- Understanding common ground as a cognitive object 25
- From laboratory to real life: Obstacles in common ground building 59
- Presupposition failures and the negotiation of the common ground 81
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2 Emergent common ground
- Grounding emergent common ground: Detecting markers of emergent common ground in a YouTube discussion thread 105
- Co-constructing emergent common ground: The role of the intercultural mediator 135
- The co-construction of common ground through exemplars unique to an ESL classroom 163
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3 Common ground building
- Mutual knowledge and the ‘hidden common ground’: An interdisciplinary perspective on mutual understanding in intercultural communication 197
- The linguistic code as basis for common ground building in English as a foreign language 219
- ELF disagreement as an interactional resource for doing interculturality 237
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4 Common ground in different discourses
- Working offline: Common ground in written discourse 263
- Metapragmatic expressions as common ground builders in intercultural business communication 281
- Harmony and common ground: Aikido principles for intercultural training 305
- Contributors to this volume 337
- Index 339
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
1 Understanding common ground
- The interdependence of common ground and context 7
- Understanding common ground as a cognitive object 25
- From laboratory to real life: Obstacles in common ground building 59
- Presupposition failures and the negotiation of the common ground 81
-
2 Emergent common ground
- Grounding emergent common ground: Detecting markers of emergent common ground in a YouTube discussion thread 105
- Co-constructing emergent common ground: The role of the intercultural mediator 135
- The co-construction of common ground through exemplars unique to an ESL classroom 163
-
3 Common ground building
- Mutual knowledge and the ‘hidden common ground’: An interdisciplinary perspective on mutual understanding in intercultural communication 197
- The linguistic code as basis for common ground building in English as a foreign language 219
- ELF disagreement as an interactional resource for doing interculturality 237
-
4 Common ground in different discourses
- Working offline: Common ground in written discourse 263
- Metapragmatic expressions as common ground builders in intercultural business communication 281
- Harmony and common ground: Aikido principles for intercultural training 305
- Contributors to this volume 337
- Index 339
