Borat's Disconnect Between Kazakhstan Culture And American Culture

Secondly, Borat’s disconnect between Kazakhstan’s semiotics and America’s semiotics adds even more complexity to the shift from high to low context communication (Lotman, 2001). To illustrate, when Borat is being walked to his room by hotel staff, he begins to unpack his luggage while standing inside the elevator (Cohen & Charles, 2006). In response to his confusing action, the hotel attendant clarifies with Borat that his room is not inside the elevator but rather, on a designated floor (Cohen & Charles, 2006). Essentially, Borat’s disassociation from the word “room” is caused by the semiotics of Kuzcek where people live in homes and sheds that consist of one large room rather than the average American house structure. In another instance of semiotic disconnect, Borat purchases a vehicle to travel across America, however, he ignores traffic rules and causes chaos during busy-daytime streets (Cohen & Charles, 2006).

In Borat’s case, the theory would state that “We need to agree that a red light means stop for it to have meaning and impact. If not, misunderstandings occur” (Woyzbun, 2016). Evidently, Borat fails to understand the semiotics of basic traffic symbols and signals while driving in America because driving in Kazakhstan is not regulated by traffic signs. Instead, people are meant to drive in respect to each other and avoid collisions; drivers regulate themselves. Therefore, Borat applies Kazakhstan’s semiotics of driving to American streets and wreaks havoc by disregarding common traffic