The document discusses various constraints involved in communication across cultures, including system constraints required for communication, ritual constraints that govern social interaction, and nonparticipant constraints that block communication noise. Ritual constraints reflect cultural assumptions and expectations, and differ across language groups in terms of what asides and diversions are considered appropriate, such as whether personal anecdotes are allowed. When hosts introduce guests to a group, they aim to establish that each member has value to contribute and make the guests feel comfortable joining an unfamiliar group.

1. System
constraints
refer to the components
required for all
communication system.
Ritual
constraints
refer to the social
constraints that smooth
social interaction.

2. They offer vast possibilities of
cross cultural comparisons
pinpointing various differences
in cultural assumptions and
expectations.
Ritual constraints present a
culture-specific reflection of
individual system
constraints.

3. Bracket signals help separate ´off-line´
(side) talk from ´on-line´ talk – they
mark the beginning of a side
sequence (by the way) and a return to
the main message (well, anyway). In
writing, the bracketed asides are
conventionally marked off spatially
(footnotes) or by punctuation.
Nonparticipant constraints block up
sources of communication noise with
potentially disrupting effects. As a
result, nonparticipants must compete
for the admission to ongoing
communication by gazing steadily or
intently, waving, asking for a
permission to enter conversation,
etc..

4. Bracket signals differ across
language groups and the
appropriateness of allowing
asides or side sequences
also differs. In academic
discourse, for example,
some language groups
allow for what might be
called a very ornate style,
where personal comments,
anecdotes and illustrative
side sequences are valued.
In other language groups,
no such diversion is allowed.
Footnotes or notes may be
allowed, but side sequences
and markers that provide
ways of tracing back to the
original thesis are not
allowed.

5. When our host draws us into a
group, introduces us and tells us
something about the others, he or
she is trying to build a bridge by
establishing that we do indeed
belong to the group and that each
member of the group has something
of worth to contribute.
Most of us do not feel
comfortable attending a party
where we know practically no
one. Though we may know the
conventional signals for joining
the group, we may not be sure
our entry into the group will be
seen as valuable.