Intercultural competence: subject matter and particular nature

B.Zh.Zhankina, Kh.K.Zhankina 
310 
Вестник Карагандинского университета 
Thus, even the initial analysis of the phenomenon of intercultural communication gives grounds to 
judge the complexity, ambiguity of the phenomenon. Therefore, there is occurrence and emergence of vari-
ous theoretical and methodological concepts expected. In modern science there are following trends in the 
theory of intercultural communication known: 
 Uncertainty Reduction Theory (Initial Interaction Theory); 
 Integrative communication theory (theory of cross-cultural adaptation) 
 Coordinated Management of Meaning 
 Rhetorical Theory 
 Constructivist Theory 
 Theory of Social Categories 
 Conflict Theory (Face Negotiation Theory) 
This is the list of main concepts developed in the theory of intercultural communication. 
In the most general form intercultural communication is an interaction of individuals, groups or organi-
zations belonging to different cultures. In this context the decisive factor is the question of the importance of 
cultural differences, the ability to recognize them, understand and properly take them into account in the 
communication process. In order to achieve mutual understanding in this process there is a need for a certain 
set of knowledge and skills common to all communicants, which in theory of intercultural communication is 
called intercultural competence. 
Unlike the phenomenon of competence, the concept of intercultural competence does not have such a 
high degree of scientific elaboration. According to A.P. Sadokhin, intercultural competence has not yet be-
come a subject of special studies. 
In foreign literature, the term «intercultural competence» arose during the formation of intercultural 
communication as an independent scientific discipline. In the context of attitude to a different culture and 
overcoming ethnic and cultural centrism, intercultural competence started to be regarded as «a set of analyti-
cal and strategic skills, expanding interpretational range of the individual in the process of interpersonal in-
teraction with the representatives of other culture». 
It should be noted that K. Knapp and A. Knapp-Potthoff are not alone in this interpretation of the con-
cept of intercultural competence. Like them, a number of foreign researchers come to its definition from be-
haviorist point of view and believe that behavioral qualities of personality make up competence in communi-
cation with representatives of other cultures. Among these qualities there are:
 respect and a positive assessment of another person without prejudice; 
 positive response to a different behavior; 
 accepting interlocutor’s point of view, the ability to empathize; 
 tolerance for eventuality; 
 ability to cope with the unknown and uncertain situation [2]. 
However in this structure of intercultural competence there are not language and cultural facts included, 
i.e. the diversity of cultural situations in which a person may be in the process of communication with repre-
sentatives of other cultures is not taken into account. In fact, the presence of these behavioral qualities only 
can not ensure the formation of intercultural competence. But this does not mean that they can not be consid-
ered as part of a general model intercultural competence. 
Later K. Knapp suggested an improved and modern model of intercultural competence, which he de-
fined as «the ability to achieve equally successful understanding with the representatives of other cultures 
and communication communities and representatives of their culture». He singled out the following features 
this ability: 
 understanding that communicative activity and behavior depends on culturally defined cognitive 
schemes; 
 knowing models and communicative actions, their interpretation in one’s own and a explored culture 
and language; 
 willingness to accept intercultural context of communication; 
 knowing a variety of communicative behaviors in intercultural interaction; 
 general knowledge about the relationship between culture and communication, including dependency 
of mindset and behavior on the specific features of thinking of the culture, as well as the differences 
between cultures, which are determined by these features; 
 a set of strategies to stabilize the interaction, i.e. to cope with tension and problems emerging in the 
communication process [2]. 

Intercultural competence: subject… 
Серия «Педагогика». № 2(78)/2015 
311 
The main advantage of this approach is the highlighting such an aspect of intercultural competence as 
the ability to understand native and other cultures. Establishing connection between thinking and behavior 
appears to be another positive aspect. In general, K. Knapp’s model is basically focused on behaviorist as-
pect of communication with different culture. 
In structural terms, the concept of intercultural competence is in the range of scientific interests of the 
British scientist M. Byram, a professor of the University of Durham. Many Western scholars consider as a 
reference point his model of intercultural competence consisting of five elements (attitudes, knowledge, 
skills of interpreting and relating, skills of discovering and interaction, critical awareness of culture or politi-
cal education) [3]. 
Such definitions are systemic in nature, and to understand them, it is to analyse all components of the 
theoretical construction of the «intercultural competence» as it combines and accumulates a great many qual-
ities and skills. In this regard, it is necessary to admit that it is impossible to describe this notion in brief. 
From the author’s point of view, in order to communicate successfully in a different culture it is neces-
sary to know the language, the country's history, art, economy, society, i.e. have comprehensive knowledge 
about the culture of this country.
By the mid 80s Western science has developed the idea that intercultural competence can be learned by 
mastering the knowledge gained in the process of intercultural communication. Knowledge of this kind was 
divided into specific, defined as information about a particular culture in the traditional aspects, and general, 
which include possessing such communication skills as tolerance, active listening, knowing common cultural 
universals. 
Despite this division, intercultural competence is associated with both types of knowledge. Therefore, 
in the Western scientific literature, this phenomenon is considered, firstly, as the ability to form a cultural 
identity of someone else that involves learning much information about a different culture (up to the com-
plete abandonment of the native cultural identity); secondly, as the ability to achieve success in contacts with 
representatives of different cultural communities, even in dim knowledge of the basic elements of the culture 
of their partners. 
Summing up, it is possible to identify two approaches to the concept of intercultural competence, which 
have emerged in Western science: 
 the first concept contains the idea of practical improvement of intercultural communication, coopera-
tion and coexistence and mutual understanding; and this concept is aimed at mutual understanding of 

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