Abstract:
This study has intended to analyses the discourse of tour guiding communication. Specifically, an attempt
has been made to investigate sources of miscommunication of local tour guides and foreign tourists
interaction the case of SMNP .To explain tour guides communication strategies the interaction of foreign
tourists the case of SMNP.To address these issues, data have been collected through interview and audio
recording of the actual guiding practice. Both the interview and audio data have been first analyzed
thematically. Main sources of miscommunications between tour guides and tourists’ interaction the case
of SMNP. This is made because tours guides’ description about the sources of miscommunication reflects
the way tour guides sense and look at the destination as particular reality. Accordingly, the findings of
the analysis show that the sources of miscommunication guides and tourists interaction for a tour guide
who involve in the discourse of tour guiding communication are wide-ranging. Specifically, conversation
analysis, speech act theory and critical discourse analysis which are considered as different approaches
of discourse analysis have been used to describe, interpret and explain the data. The study findings have
showed that local tour guides of SMNP view the discourse of tour guiding communication at the SMNP as
scientific information, participants with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and prescribed
rules and norms of behaving. As a result, individual language ability, the park related knowledge and
cultural awareness have been found as major sources of miscommunication between local tour guides
and tourists interactions of SMNP. Pronunciation, word choice and grammar have been found to be
typical language related problems. Simplification, make up and prevention strategies have been employed
to overcome language related problems, whereas providing tourists with cultural orientation has been
found to be a remedy for problems related to cultural differences As a result, local tour guides who are
knowledgeable on the destination related information and language skills have greater chance of meeting
the requirements of tour guiding profession. On-job-training related to destination knowledge, language
skills and cultural differences has been recommended for the development of local tour guides profession.
The major finding related to tour guides’ belief about the sources of miscommunication between tour
guides and tourists interactions is lack of individual linguistic ability. While tour guides who are able to
use many languages are positioned at the top that is the winner of the social game (Gee, 2011a), those
who speak few languages at the middle, and those who speak only English at the bottom of the hierarchy
of the tour guiding practice.
