ABSTRACT
Scholars of language and social psychology in Asian nations often invoke Confucianism to explain Asian communication patterns (Chen, 1993; Chen & Chung, 1994; Cheng, 1987; Oliver, 1971; Yum, 1988). Others have linked Confucianism and language use in social life, showing how it has influenced Asian cultural concepts important to communication, such as the Chinese concepts of kuan-hsi (relation) (Chang & Holt, 1991), pao (reciprocity) (Chang & Holt, 1994), and mien-tzu (face) (Cheng, 1986), as well as the Korean concept of uye-ri (righteousness) (Yum, 1987) and the Japanese idea of ningensei (human beingness) (Goldman, 1994). This is hardly surprising, given Confucianism’s effect on various Asian societies (Bond & Hwang, 1986; Chan, 1963; Cheng, 1986; Fung, 1983; Goldman, 1994; Hofstede, 1991; Okabe, 1983; Triandis, 1995; Tu, 1985, 1996; Yum, 1988).
