Communication Differences in Haiti and Chile
Most Haitians speak Creole, a French-based dialect that arose in the early 18th century. It primarily developed from contact between African slaves and French colonialists on the sugar plantations of Haiti. According to Mazzeo (2016), people with different backgrounds, different traditions, and different languages, such as Bumbas, Takwas, and Anagos, were thrown shoulder to shoulder in the plantation fields or into a common mold. The consequence of this was that people developed a cultural way of communicating. For example, Haitians use direct eye contact and active tones of voice when speaking with a friend and avoid direct contact when speaking with other people.
In Haiti, a conversation tends to be direct except when people are debating certain personal topics. Speeches were usually accompanied by a hand gesture; the conversation might get out loud but that does not necessarily indicate irritation. Framingham State College (2018) found that a Haitianis more inclined to present and tends not to be punctual unless punctuality is emphasized to be a priority. So, they do not consider it rude to be late for an appointment. Haitians also do not require much personal space than Chileans. They tend to come near to a person when speaking. Lastly, touching like kissing or embracing is acceptable in informal places except for members of the different opposite sex.
Chile, on the other hand, has several indigenous languages, such as Rapa Nui, Aymara, and Quechua. However, these indigenous languages have become minority languages since Spanish took over as the lingua Franca, after the Spanish invasion. Castillo-Feliu (2016) claims that the Spanish communication in Chile is distinctively accented because some consonants have soft pronunciations and final syllables are dropped. Their speeches contain many words adopted from Mapuchelanguages. As a result, a Chilean may refer to a word in its diminutive form to express affection and familiarity towards people or things. Pew Research Centre (2017) found that the different forms of expression indicate the degree of formality and courtesy.
Additionally, Chileans generally tend to avoid confrontations or conflicts despite their expressive ways of verbally communicating. Unlike Haitians, many Chileans introduce humor into a conversation and enjoy sharing jokes. Also, as Pew Research Center (2017) highlighted, they can be quite emotive and expressive in their communication. When speaking, at times, a Chilean may interrupt another when overcome by their interest or passion in the conversation topics. They would always change the conversation topic towards something they would like to discuss.