Chronemics Chronemics is the study of people's attitudes and use of time. In some cultures, people place a high value on time and use time as a basis for decisions. In other cultures, time is less significant. Less of a factor in decision-making processes. Some societies see time as circular. The past, the present, and the future form one continuous circle. Events, such as planting and harvesting, the sun and the moon, the four seasons, and life and death. Many other events in life simply move through the cycle of time without a definite beginning or end. Little pressure or anxiety about the future. Circular attitudes about time emphasize the present moment. Many Native Americans have this cultural perception of time. Other societies perceive time as linear. Attention primarily focused on the future. Factual and technical information used to advance and make changes from the present to the future. Present behaviors are linked. To future outcomes, successes, or failures. The Japanese, Western Europeans, and North Americans tend to see time as linear. Time is culture based. Euro-Americans, North Americans and western Europeans, in general, are clock bound. African, Latin American, and some Asian-Pacific cultures, including the traditional Hawaiian culture, are not clock bound. Time is based on personal systems. Americans overseas often irritated by a general lack of concern for time commitment among residents of some countries. In Mexico and Central America, tours may be late. Guides may fail to indicate the correct arrival and departure times. In other countries, such as Switzerland, a traveler can set his or her watch by the promptness of the trains. In Britain, Germany, and North America, one may be five minutes late for a business appointment. But not more than fifteen minutes late. In Arab and Latin American countries, arriving thirty minutes late is normal and acceptable. Perceptions about punctuality and tardiness, manners and rudeness throughout different cultures. Chronemics studies the use and the value of time from many different cultural values and perceptions. [Adapted from Berko, Wolvin, Wolvin, Communicating. Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998, pp. 121-122.]
