In Chapter 11, Hall talks about how disputes are action chains. Yoshio and Chip come from cultures that have different ways of expressing discomfort. Chip s background is white working class, and he expresses conflict directly, immediately, verbally. Yoshio tries to be quiet or give an apology. Because they have different scripts about conflict, they didn t pick up each other s cues very well.
Language is central to culture and identity.
As we discussed in class, language is a core part of who you are, a boundary between groups. Both these students generally pick friends who come from their own cultural and language background. In this case you could see how language differences created friction and distance between the roommates.