Cross-cultural communication and culture learning in the process of sociocultural adaptation of sojourners in host societies

The article systematizes the major theoretical approaches of domestic and foreign authors to the study of essence, mechanisms and predictors of sociocultural adaptation. Sociocultural adaptation requires acquisition of new social skills and understanding of cultural norms, which are essential to solve everyday problems and interact in a new cultural environment. To adjust to a new environment, effective cross-cultural interaction is imperative, which, in turn, is impossible unless each of the participants possesses intercultural competence. The author states that referring to cross-cultural communication theory and culture learning theory will make it possible to synthesize the works of not only sociologists and psychologists, but also linguists, culturologists, specialists of crosscultural communication. Studying various aspects of life in different societies, they can provide a deeper understanding of the problems occurring during cross-cultural transitions.