Because an understanding of the cultural value orientation leads to more effective communication with people from different cultures, this paper examines how the difference of cultural value orientations affects the communication process. The paper explores the dissimilarities of value orientations between Chinese and American families from the perspective of communication. The paper focuses on five sets of cultural value orientations of the family: relational orientations, positional role behavior, authority, kinship, and ancestor worship. Chinese and American families are compared and contrasted for each set. The paper concludes that: (1) there is a close relationship between human language and culture; (2) proverbs are useful to illustrate the cultural value orientations within the Chinese family system; (3) present intercultural communication research pays too much attention to the communication process and ignores the concept of culture itself; (4) when studying cultural value orientations, a person should understand several inherent limitations; and (5) cultural value orientations change over time. (Eight figures are included, and 12 references are appended.) (MS)