In addition to the language differe

In addition to the language differences that occur when two different systems of symbolic code are used, language differences also may be present even when the same symbolic code is used—for example, when both participants speak fluent English. As described earlier, people can speak with different accents, different vocabularies, and different rates of speech, to name only a few of the many behaviors referred to by the term language (see Bradac, 1990). These kinds of language differences present participants with other sorts of difficulties. When the New York businessman interviews the West Virginian job applicant, he comprehends with little difficulty what is being said. Chances are, however, that he probably will not feel completely at ease during the interaction or afterward when he decides the other person’s fate of employment. Sadly, these feelings may come regardless of what the applicant has said. The applicant may be thoroughly qualified for the job, and he may answer all interview questions satisfactorily, but the words running through the businessman’s mind may be the same as those heard by June Tyler during a closed door meeting with a senior partner in a law firm, “Be careful about hiring anyone with a mountain accent” (Pasternak, 1994, p. A16). The discomfort felt by the businessman when faced with this fully qualified job applicant is an example of a second class of difficulties that can be brought about by language differences. These are not difficulties of comprehension; they are difficulties of fair evaluation and equal treatment, and they present a larger challenge to intercultural communication because people tend to be less aware of them.