Part One Defining Culture
一． 讨论题
1. How do you think culture and communication are related?
2. What are the barriers you experienced in intercultural communication? And how did you
handle them?
3. Work in groups to decide which of the following belong to overt culture and which to covert:
A. What and how people eat B. How to keep healthy C. How to raise children D. How to do business E. How to use time
F. How to introduce people
G. How to participate in ceremonies
H. Rules for facial expressions and eye contact I. Rituals J. Etiquette K. Work speed
L. What is right or wrong, beautiful or ugly, clean or dirty, good or bad, etc. M. Theories of disease, sin, death, god or gods, sanity, self, etc.
4. Can you add more to the above list? Which of them do you think are more likely to cause problems in intercultural communication? And why do you think they are?
二、分析、解答题
Please read the following example (taken from Scollon & Scollon, 2000) and study how communication is affected by culture.
Two men meet on a plane from Tokyo to Hong Kong. Chu Hon-fei is a Hong Kong exporter who is returning from a business trip to Japan. Andrew Richardson is an American buyer on his first business trip to Hong Kong. It Is a convenient meeting for them because Mr. Chu‘s company sells some of the products Mr. Richardson has some to Hong Kong to buy. After a bit of conversation they introduce themselves to each other.
Mr. Richardson: By the way, I‘m Andrew Richardson. My friends call me Andy. This is my business card.
Mr. Chu: I‘m David Chu. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Richardson. This is my card. Mr. Richardson: No, no. Call me Andy. I think we‘ll be doing a lot of business together.
Mr. Chu: Yes, I hope so.
Mr. Richardson (reading Mr. Chu‘s card ) : Chu, Hon-fei. Hon-fei, I‘ll give you a call tomorrow as soon as I get settled at my hotel.
Mr Chu (smiling): Yes, I‘ll expect your call.
When these two men separate, they leave each other with very different impressions of the situation. Mr. Richardson is very pleased to have made the
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acquaintance of Mr. Chu and feels they have gotten off to a very good start. They have established their relationship on a first-name basis and Mr. Chu‘s smile seems to indicate that he will be friendly and easy to do business with. Mr. Richardson is very particularly pleased that he has treated Mr. Chu with respect for his Chinese background by calling him Hon-fei rather than using the western name, David, which seems to him an unnecessary imposition of western culture.
In contrast, Mr. Chu feels quite uncomfortable with Mr. Richardson. He feels it will be difficult to work with him, and that Mr. Richardson might be rather insensitive to cultural differences. He is particularly bothered that Mr. Richardson used his given name, Hon-fei, instead of either David or Mr. Chu.
How do you account for their different impressions? Does culture play a role in the communication between these two men?
三、思考题：
1. We have learned some characteristics of culture. For example, culture is learned. Culture can be learned through diverse ways, proverbs being one of them. Now study the following proverbs and decide what value(s) they represent, which of them are still strong in the American culture and the Chinese culture respectively, and which don‘t apply any longer. Proverbs
1. Blood is thicker than water.
2. Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. 3. Too many cooks spoil the broth. 4. The early bird catches the worm.
5. God helps those who help themselves. 6. Haste makes waste. 7. Time is money.
8. A man‘s home is his castle.
9. Think three times before you take action.
10. Modesty makes you progress; conceitedness makes you lag behind.
2. Read the following and think about the questions:
Some years ago, several international businessmen were on a conference cruise when the ship began to sink. ―Go tell those fellows to put on life jackets and jump overboard,‖ the captain directed his first mate.
A few minutes later the first mate returned. ―Those guys won‘t jump,‖ he reported.
―Take over,‖ the captain ordered, ―And I‘ll see what I can do.‖ Returning moments later, he announced, ―They‘re gone.‖ ―How‘d you do it?‖ asked the first mate.
―I told different things to different people. I told the Englishman it was the sporting thing to do, and he jumped. I told the Frenchman it was _____; the German that it was a command; the Italian that it was ______; the Russian that it was _____; so they jumped overboard.‖
―And how did you get the American to jump?‖
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―No problem,‖ said the captain, ―I told him he was ______!‖ Questions:
1) Can you decide to whom each of the following words was actually used by the captain?
Revolutionary forbidden chic insured
2) If there had been a Chinese businessman on board, what should the captain say in order to make him jump overboard?
3) What do you think of the story? Does it tell you something that is true of people of those different nations?
Part Two Communication and Culture
一、讨论题
1. Study the following two versions of the same spoken discourse presented in a business meeting between a Hong Kong Chinese and an Anglo—North American businessman. Decide in small groups, which one might be given by a Chinese and which by an American. Why？
A. Because most of our production is done in China now, and it‘s not really certain how Hong Kong will be like after 1997, and since I think a certain amount of caution in committing to TV advertisement is necessary because of the expense. So, I suggest that we delay making our decision until after Legco makes its decision.(Scollon & Scollon, 2000)
B. I suggest that we delay making our decision until after Legco makes its decision. That‘s because I think a certain amount of caution in committing to TV advertisement is necessary because of the expense. In addition to that, most of our production is done in China now, and it‘s not really certain how Hong Kong will be like after 1997.( Scollon & Scollon, 2000)
2. Can you find some cases in which ―是‖ in Chinese does not mean ―yes‖ in English?
3. How would you put the following into Chinese?
a) Do you like the new school?
Yes, I will.
b) Please don‘t say that. --- Yes, I will.
c) I know what he wants. --- Yes? ---Money! d) Waiter! --- Yes, sir.
e) Yes? --- I‘d like two tickets, please. f) Everything will be all right soon, yes?
Saying ―no‖ seems to be more complicated. Sometimes ―no‖ may mean ―maybe‖ given the right time and circumstances. This is quite important in interpersonal relations and in politics. Look at the following sex-biased joke: What‘s the difference between a lady and a diplomat? When a diplomat says ―yes‖, he means maybe. When a diplomat says ―maybe‖, he means no.
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When a diplomat says ―no‖, he‘s no diplomat. When a lady says ―no‖, she means ―maybe‖. When a lady says ―maybe‖, she means ―yes‖. When a lady says ―yes‖, she‘s no lady all!
4. What are you going to do if you are in the following situations? Why or why not? A. When you are offered a drink the taste of which you find very unpleasant. B. When your friends ask if you will go to a picnic with them and you do not feel
like going.
C. When you are asked about the meaning of an English word that you do not
know.
D. When you are asked whether you agree with a professor‘s idea about learning
English that you do not quite appreciate
E. When you find yourself in class unable to answer the question the teacher asks
you.
F. When someone asks for your finished homework to copy and you do not like to
comply.
G. When you are asked by your parents about your problems in your studies and
you do not really like to.
5. Why do people in countries like Japan and China often refuse to say ―no‖ directly? 6. What problems may arise in intercultural communication because of such indirect ways of saying ―no‖?
二、思考题
1. The following are two letters, one in Chinese and the other in English. Compare them to see if there is similarity in their discourse patterns.
尊敬的节目主持人：
我作为贵台英语教学节目和《你喜欢的歌》节目的忠实听众已有好几年的历史了。我认为贵台的这两个节目办得非常好。
请让我做个自我介绍：我是一名中学生，今年十八岁，我的家乡是一个边疆小城，文化活动办得也不错。由于我是喜欢学习英语，所这方面的电台节目比较注意，但是因为中央人民广播电台的英语节目比较深奥，不适合我学习，所以我一直从贵台的英语节目里得到听力、会话能力训练。这种训练使我受益匪浅。随着课程难度一步步的提高，我深感没有一本教材，学习回遇到很多困难。因为这个原因，我抽出时间给贵台写这封信，希望能得到一本贵台英语节目的教材。教材的费用请来信告知。
另外，我希望得到贵台印制的年历，并祝您们的节目办得更加有趣。
Dear Professor X,
How are you? Please pardon me for bothering you while you are so busy. But there is one thing on which I need your help.
I am a lover of English, but for a long time I have not been able to study English systemically. Now I am staying at home on sick leave and it occurred to me that I should take it up seriously. I went to the Foreign Language Book Store in our provincial capital and had a look. I found the English textbook, which you edited, suits my level. But the store had no tapes. Could you please tell me where I can get
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the tapes through mail order and how much I need to pay? Besides, the textbook has only two volumes. Is there supplementary material to accompany them? Can I get both the books and the tapes through mail order?
I am almost thirty years old, but learned only at secondary school. I like it very much and it will be useful for future work. So I want to begin from the beginning and I wonder if the book is right for me.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Questions
1) What do you think of the two letters above? What do they have in common
though they are written in different languages?
2) When you are making a request in English, will you do it in the Chinese way or
not?
2. Guess the meanings of the following statements originally intending to convey.
A. Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do such a thing is please not to read notice. (from a Tokyo hotel)
B. The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable. (In a Bucharest hotel lobby)
C. The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid. (In a Yugoslavian hotel)
D. Our wines leave you nothing to hope for. (On the menu of a Swiss restaurant) E. Order your summer suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation. (In a Rhodes tailor shop)
F. It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man. (In a Bangkok temple)
G. Ladies are requested not to have children at the bar. (In a Norwegian cocktail lounge)
H. We take your bags and send them in all directions. (In a Copenhagen airline office)
I. It is strictly forbidden on our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose. (A sign posted in a German park) J. Specialist in Women and Other Diseases. (A sign outside a doctor’s office in Rome)
K. Take care of the steps. (A sign in a scenic spot in China) 3. What improvement will you make on the above mistranslations?
4. Have you ever found some similar cases of mistranslation in our life? If you have, what are they?
Part Three Comparing Cultural Patterns
一、讨论题
1. We know that there are quite a few questions that you are not supposed to ask in
the United States and some other western countries. It is considered impolite to
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inquire a person‘s age, marriage status, income, religious belief, choice in voting, property, and others. If one of your American friends shows you something that he has just bought, you will, of course, say ―What a nice skirt. It looks fabulous‖, or something like that but not inquire about the price. Of all the aspects, one‘s income is the top secret. People earns, except the boss. How would you account for this phenomenon? What concept is behind this? Discuss in small groups. 2. ―Face‖ is a very important concept in China. See how many phrases you can
think that contain the term ―face‖. How important is ―face‖ to you? Give some situations in which ―face‖ is concerned. What do you think ―face‖ means? Why is ―face‖ important in China? Do other nations have such concept? Discuss in small groups these answers.
二、分析、解答题
1. Read the cases and answers the questions following each one.
During the American Civil War, a very hungry young man fell down in front of a farm gate. The farmer gave him food but in return he asked the young man to move a pile of wood in his yard—in fact it was not at all necessary to move the wood back to its original place. Seeing all this, farmer‘s son was confused. Questions:
1) Why did the farmer do that?
2) What values are reflected in this story?
2. A letter to a columnist: Dear Mary,
We work in the typing pool of a large London store and are very concerned for the welfare of one of our young colleagues.
She is only 19, unmarried, and has become very friendly with a young man who works in one of the departments of the store. He pops into the typing pool to see her and there. We know that he is engaged to a girl who lives near him.
We feel for the protection of the girl, that we should complain to the general manager. But we wouldn‘t like anybody to get the sack.
Four Worried Typists The answer from the columnist:
My advice is simple: Mind your own business. The girl is old enough to know what she is doing.
Question:
What value can we see behind the letter and answer?
3. Read the following and answer the questions.
As a foreign student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Keiko Ihara was on a strict budget. She had all her tuition and books paid for by scholarships and grants and until recently was comfortably housed in the dormitory, she found a small apartment to share with a friend. Her college friends, knowing of her situation, offered
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to round up some of the necessary items for apartment living. Keiko politely declined, saying she could manage. Wanting to help out her friends found some old but still usable household appliances and furniture. Mary had an old desk that was in her garage. Ed had some chairs from his uncle, and Joe and Marion had a few extra dishes. They cheerfully brought them over one day. Keiko seemed very embarrassed, but gracefully accepted them, sincerely and profusely thanked them.
The following week they were each presented with a gift from Keiko. Mary got an ornate jewelry box, Ed a volume of woodcuts by a famous Japanese artist, and Joe and Marion a beautiful Japanese case, all of which were of considerable worth and value, much more than the old things they had donated to her. They all protested that she could not afford to give such elaborate gifts; they really expected nothing as the household items were not really being used and they would rather have her use them. Keiko, however, insisted that they take the gifts. In the end, they accepted the gifts, although they all felt uncomfortable as they knew she was really sacrificing to give them.
Questions
1) What do you think of Keiko insisting on giving valuable gifts to her college friends?
2) How would you feel if Keiko presented you with a gift for your help?
三、思考题
Identifying difference: Living situations
The Shinkansen or ―blue train‖ speeds across the rural areas of Japan giving a quick view of cluster after cluster of farmhouses surrounded by rice paddies. This particular pattern did not develop purely by chance, but as a consequence of the technology peculiar to the growing of rice, the staple of the Japanese diet. The growing of rice requires construction and maintenance of an irrigation system, something that takes many hands to build. More importantly, the planting and harvesting of rice can only be done efficiently with the cooperation of twenty or more people. The ―bottom line‖ is that a single family working alone cannot produce enough rice to survive, but a dozen families working together can produce a surplus. Thus the Japanese have had to develop the capacity to work together in harmony, no matter what the forces of disagreement or social disintegration, in order to survive.
For centuries and generations these people have lived in the same village next door to the same neighbors. Living in close proximity and in dwellings, which gave very little privacy, the Japanese survived through their capacity to work together in harmony. In this situation, it was inevitable that the one most central social value, which emerged, the one value without which the society could not continue, was that an individual does not matter.
Consider a flight over the United States. Looking out of the window high over the state of Kansas, we see a pattern of a single farmhouse surrounded by fields, followed by another single homestead surrounded by fields. In the early 1800s in the state of Kansas there were no automobiles. Your nearest neighbor was perhaps two miles distant; the winters were long, and the snow was deep. Inevitably, the central
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social values were self-reliance and independence. Those were the realities of that place and age that children had to learn to value.
( From W. Ouchi: ―Japanese workers and American Workers: Two Casts of Mind‖)
Questions
1. The above description of the Japanese and American living situations may account for some value differenced between the two cultures. Can you find something in the traditional living situations in China that will help explain certain characteristics of the Chinese culture?
2. Do you think people living in big and people living in small towns will surely be different in some value orientations? Why or why not?
Part Four Comparing Cultural Values
一、讨论题
1. Read the following story (taken from Levire & Adelman, 1982) and think about what happened. Then rank the five characters according to whom you approve of most and whom you approve of .least, and write to explain your first and last choice. Next, think about what made you rank them. Do you think the values that guided your choices were personal or cultural or both? Share your opinions in pairs or in small groups.
Rosemary is a woman of about 21. For several months she has been engaged to a young man named Geoffrey. The problem she faces is that between her and her fiancé there lies a river. No ordinary river, but a deep, wide river filled with hungry alligators.
Rosemary wonders how she can cross the river. She remembers Sinbad, who has the only boat in the area. She then approaches Sinbad, asking him to take her across. He replies, ―Yes, I‘ll take you across if you‘ll spend the night with me.‘‘ Shocked at this offer, she turns to another acquaintance, Frederick, and tells him her story. Frederick responds by saying, ―yes, Rosemary, I understand your problem --- but it‘s your problem, not mine.‖ Rosemary decides to return to Sinbad, spends the night with him, and in the morning he takes her across the river.
Her meeting with Geoffrey is warm. But on the evening before they are to be married, Rosemary feels she must tell Geoffrey how she succeeded in getting across the river. Geoffrey responds by saying, ― I wouldn‘t marry you if you were the last woman on earth.‖
Finally, Rosemary turns to her friend Dennis. Dennis listens to her story and says, ―Well, I don‘t love you … but I will marry you.‖ And that‘s all we know of story.
二、思考题
Can A Chinese Young Lady Become An American Woman?
Environments significantly influence one‘s cognition, effect, and behavior. One feels the impact of the different culture especially when one comes into a foreign country. Shen-Lan, who is from Taiwan, was satisfied for her first twenty-five years of life because she was surrounded by the people who have loved her and whom she
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has loved. Her friends used to ask her why she looked very happy all time. Even though her parents limited her behavior or activities because of social bias, she accepted those controls because she understood her parents really loved her. Also, her parents did everything for her, such as taking care of her, cooking for her and making decisions for her. She complied with what her parents expected. She had never left home before she came to America. When she came to America, culture shock obviously influenced her self-concept, self-esteem, and self-presentation.
In Chinese culture, she was taught to be interdependent. She had to care not only about herself but also about the people who were around her, for example parents, siblings, and friends, even neighbors. However, in American society, she noticed that everyone was very independent, and minded his or her own business, and nobody cared about one another. Because she did not want to get hurt, she knew that she had to make some changes. In her self-concept, she changed her interdependent view to an independent view.
Using a different language, the major reason for culture shock, really injured her self-esteem. Shen-Lan graduated from a well-known university in Taiwan, and she felt proud of that. When she came to America, she was supposed to be good at English, but she was not. After this realization, she tried to study hard in English to match her standards. However, she had studied English for one year, yet she did not improve greatly. She lacked self-confidence to speak English, so her self-esteem decreased.
The change in self-concept and self-esteem was reflected in her self-presentation. Because Shen-Lan wanted to become independent, and she was afraid that she disturbed others with her personal problems, so she began to isolate herself. For English, she did not give up because of her high goal to meet her own and the expectations of others. She tried to avoid talking to her friends who speak the same language though she felt lonesome. She recognized and learned the new cultural rules and expressed it through a different self-presentation.
The three social self-components of Shen-Lan: self-concept, self-esteem, and self-presentation were influenced by culture shock. Shen-Lan tried to be independent, became aware of her self-esteem, and learned American behavior. Right now, she starts to think about having a pet. Can she become an American woman?
(Source://www.umaine.edu/iei/student_life/1995_web_projects/shu-min_liu/essayshu-min.html)
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Part Five Modes of Thinking
讨论题
1．We know that Westerners tend to distinguish mind from body, people from nature, and God from humankind, while Chinese are used to looking at the world as a whole unit. Now compare the Western Medicine and the traditional Chinese Medicine. Are there any differences? Do the differences reflect to some extent different world views? If yes, try to name these two world views.
Part Six Interpersonal Relationship
一、 讨论题
1. Compare the following two cases about family relations and try to find out differences between them.
A. An Iranian student who had earned a doctorate in the United States returned home to teach in an Iranian university. He was offered positions at three universities, and had to decide which one to accept. An American friend who was visiting him in Iran noticed that the man‘s older bother had accompanied him to all the interviews at the universities, and she asked him about it. The man, who was nearly 40, explained that he would follow the advice of his brother in choosing the position. ―But why?‖ asked the American in amazement. ―Oh,‖ replied the Iranian, ―because he is the head of the family now, and I must do whatever he thinks will be best for the family.‖ B. John and Jane have two daughters. John works for a large corporation and his wife is an independent contractor. They own a big house and lead a comfortable upper middle-class life. By the time their elder daughter turned 21, John and Jane found an apartment and moved her out. This daughter now goes to college and works part-time as a waitress at a local restaurant. John told me that he didn‘t like his daughter‘s job but she assured him that it is temporary. She promised that once she finished her undergraduate courses, she would found a better job and support herself through graduate programs. Although she still depends on john and Jane for her college education, she says staying in her parent‘s house is impossible. She wants to be on her own. Having her own space with an income from her own work makes her feel independent. John and Jane are proud of what they did. They believe that all parents should let their children go out on their own once they are ready. As their second daughter is approaching her 17th birthday. John and his wife are preparing themselves to face it when the day comes for her to leave home.
When we talked about the empty nest, Jane said, ―It is something hard for me to think about the change and our future, but that‘s the way it is. They are both grown-ups now and they should be on their own.‖
―They probably also have had enough from our no-this-no-that kind of talks too, and can‘t wait to get out of the house, ‖ John said.
Then I asked whether they would some day move in with their daughters as they grow older, they both said no. Before they were too old or too sick to take care of themselves, they said, they also wanted to be independent from their children! And if,
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unfortunately, they needed special care, they would move into senior homes rather than living with their daughters and grandchildren. ―There would be too much interference into our own way of life,‖ they said.
2. A famous Chinese actress married a German. One day when she was acting, her husband was there watching, saying again and again that she was the best actress. The actress‘ colleagues present asked her afterwards to tell her husband not to praise his own wife like that in public. On learning this, the German wondered what he did wrong.
Once the actress and her husband were talking with their Chinese friends at a party. Her husband politely praised a Chinese lady on her beauty. The lady‘s husband said that his wife was moderately good looking when young, but now she was old and no longer so. The lady nodded in agreement with a smile. The actress‘ husband was surprised. Discuss why the German was confused in the first situation and surprised in the second.
3. Now study the following statements and think how you would respond to each of them. Discuss in small groups.
1) Let‘s get together soon.
2) I haven‘t seen you for a long time. You must come round for dinner sometimes.
3) It‘s good seeing you. I‘ll invite you to tea later.
4) I‘m going to give a party this weekend. Come if you like. 5) How about joining us for dinner this Friday night?
6) If an American friend of yours suggests you have lunch with him, you might simply say something like this, ―I‘m afraid it‘ll have to be some place inexpensive, as I have very little money.‖ Your friend may say, ―O.K., I‘ll meet you at McDonald‘s.‖ Who do you think would pay for the meal?
4. The following is what an American wrote of a Chinese banquet (from Moser, 2000) The first six or seven dishes seemed to fill the table to overflowing, with plates precariously wedged one on top of another. With my American-bred expectations, I assumed this vast first wave of food was surely the total number of dishes to be served, and I dug in greedily, dazzled by the variety and sheer quantity. The Chinese guests around me, however, had a different reaction. They must not be very hungry,‖ I thought with a shrug, and continued my feast.
To my surprise, more dishes soon were piled on top of the already mountainous stack. Plus two or three soups, side dishes, desserts, and delicacies of various kinds, all seemingly enough to feed the entire People‘ Liberation Army. No wonder my fellow guests had merely sampled a few bites of each dish; they knew very well that these first few items were just the tip of a titanic culinary iceberg. I, however, was so stuffed after the first fifteen minutes that I could only watch in a bloated stupor as the remainder of the banquet took its course.
Can you see some characteristics of the Chinese way of entertaining guests to
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dinner from the above account?
5. An American went to a Chinese home. He was offered some tea. Just when the first cup was about to finish, more tea was added. The visitor drank the second cup. Then the cup was filled the third time. Then he drank it, then...until the visitor was quite full. Why?
二、分析、解答题
1. Read the case (taken from Zanger, 1985) and answer the questions below.
Jose and Jim worked together in a restaurant. They had become friendly because both of them were also studying. Jim was studying business, and Jose was taking English classes and planned to study engineering.
One day, as they were leaving work, Jim asked Jose, ―Jose, I need a favor. I have to go over to school, and I‘m out of money. Could you lend me a dollar so I can take the bus over there and then get home? I‘ll pay you back tomorrow.‖
―Sure, Jim. No problem. You don‘t have to pay me back,‖ said Jose, as he handed Jim a dollar.
As soon as he got out to work the next day, Jim went over to Jose and handed him a dollar, saying, ― Thanks, Jose. I really appreciated this last night. It sure was too cold to walk.‖
―Forget it,‖ said Jose, as he handed Jim back his dollar.
―Oh, no, I insist. I don‘t want to take advantage of a friend. What if I need to borrow money again sometime? If I didn‘t pay you back now, I would feel wrong asking to borrow money again,‖ said Jim, as he put the dollar into Jose‘s shirt pocket. Jose answered, ―But that‘s what friends are for. In Spanish, We have a saying, ?today for you, tomorrow for me.‘ If you pay me back, I will feel that I won‘t be able to ask you for money when I need it. I will feel like you are closing the door on me, that there is no trust between us. I thought we were friends. How can I take the money?‖ Jose handed back the dollar.
―But I won‘t feel right if you don‘t take it!‖ said Jim. Questions:
1) Why did Jim insist on returning the dollar to Jose? 2) Why did Jose not want to take it?
3) Do you think that their attitudes are cultural?
4) What cultural values are reflected in Jim‘s and Jose‘s attitudes? 5) Would you be more similar to Jim or to Jose in the same situation?
2. Read the case story (from Zanger, 1985) concerning different attitudes towards family members and relatives, and answer the questions below.
Rosa (Mexican--American) and Annie (American) shared a small dormitory room at a university. They liked each other very much and got along well until a problem came up.
One day, Rosa told Annie, ―My second cousin wants to come and see the university. She might want to go to school here next year. Do you mind if she stays with us while she visits?‖
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―Gee, it‘s pretty crowded with just the two of us. Where‘s she going to sleep?‖ ―Oh, that‘s no problem. She can sleep in my bed, with me.‖ ―Well, okay, ‖said Annie. ―It‘s up to you.‖
―Great! ‖ answered Rosa. ―She‘s coming tomorrow.‖
Two weeks later, the cousin was still with them. Since she did not bring enough money, Rosa paid for her meal. Rosa missed many of her classes so that she could help her cousin find her way around.
Rosa never complained about any of this to Annie, but Annie decided to speak to her friend.
―Rosa,‖ she said. ―I know it‘s none of my business. But I don‘t like to see you being treated this way. It‘s not fair of your cousin to take advantage of you, using your time and your money like this. And how do you ever get any sleep, anyway? I think you should tell her you have your own life to live. After all, she‘s only your second cousin.‖
Rosa was surprised. She answered, ―Oh, the bed doesn‘t bother me! It reminds me of sleeping with my sister as a child. You‘re right, though, about my schoolwork. I know I‘m missing too many classes. But family comes first. I just couldn‘t leave my cousin here by herself. ‖
Even after their conversation, Annie still could not understand her friend. Before her cousin arrived, Rosa had always seemed like such an independent, responsible person, who never missed a class. Annie just could not understand why she had changed. Questions:
1) Why was Annie confused?
2) Why did Rosa continue to help her cousin?
3) Do you think Rosa‘s and Annie‘s ideas are typical of their culture?
4) Would you do the same for your second cousin as Rosa did? Why or why not?
3. Read the following case ( from Zanger, 1985) and answer the questions that follow. Eva came to the United States from Peru to study at an American college. She wanted to live with an American family to find out more about the American way of life. And she wanted to improve her English.
The foreign student office of her college found the Larsen family for Eva to live with. Eva spoke with Mrs. Larsen on the telephone. She sounded very warm and friendly to Eva. She told Eva she could move in the next day. Eva was very happy about it.
Eva arrived the next day with all her luggage. She was excited to meet the Larsens. She rang the doorbell.
A tall, blond woman answered the door with a big smile on her face. She said, ―Oh, you must be Eva! I‘m so glad you‘re here! Let me help you with your bags. Come on in. I‘m Hilda Larsen.‖ She took one of Eva‘s bags into the house.
When they got inside, Mrs. Larsen put the bag down and stood across from Eva, about 3 feet away. She crossed her arms in front of her and asked Eva, ―Tell me about your trip. I‘d love to go to Peru someday.‖
Just then, her teenaged son walked in, hands in his pockets, ―Jimmy, Meet Eva.
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Maybe she can help you with your Spanish this semester,‖ said his mother.
Jimmy Said, ―Hi, glad to meet you.‖ His hands stayed in his pockets while he nodded his head.
Eva didn‘t know what to do with her hands. She felt uncomfortable. But she smiled and said, ―Hi, Nice to meet you.‖
The Larsens showed Eva her new room. Then they left her alone to unpack. Eva felt a little disappointed, but she didn‘t know exactly why. She thought Mrs. Larsen seemed so friendly on the phone. But now she wasn‘t sure. Jimmy also seemed a little cold, but maybe he was just shy.
Eva tried to decide what was wrong. She thought to herself: If an American girl came to stay with me in Peru, she would get a warm welcome than that. My mother would give her a big kiss, instead of just standing there, on the other side of just standing there, on the other side of the room. And my brother would give her a proper greeting. Well, people told me that Americans are cold. I guess they‘re right. Questions:
1) How did Mrs. Larsen and Jimmy greet Eva respectively? 2) Why did Eva feel that the Larsens were cold?
3) If you were Eva, would you think that Mrs. Larsen was cold? Why or why not?
4. Read the following case (from Zanger, 1985) and try to define some different cultural assumptions about men and women. A cultural assumption, shared by the people of a culture, is a belief about the way the world works, the way to understand reality.
Kevin was leaving work one Friday, when he stopped to talk t Blanca, a new worker. On Wednesday, they had talked at lunch. She had told him that she had just come from the Dominican Republic two months before. Kevin liked her.
―So, Blanca, what are your plans for the weekend?‖ asked Kevin.
―Oh, hi. Kevin,‖ Blanca smiled. ―I have to go shopping with my cousin for a winter coat.‖
―Tonight some of us from work are going out to a place called ?The Blue Hat‘ for beers and something to eat. Would you like to come? I could pick you up at eight if you tell me where you live.‖
―Okay, Kevin. That sounds nice. I hope it‘s O.K. if I bring my little sister along.‖
―As your chaperone ? ‖ laughed Kevin, making a joke.
―That‘s right,‖ said Blanca. ―I guess you know something about the Dominican culture. It‘s the only way my parents will let me go.‖
―Are you serious?‖ Kevin stared at her. ―Well, I‘ll be there at eight.‖
When Kevin, Blanca, and her sister arrived at ―The Blue Hat ‖, they sat down with Kevin‘s friends, who were already eating. A waiter came and asked, ―What would you like to have? And shall I put this all on one check or will you all pay separately?‖
―Separate checks, please,‖ answered Kevin. ―I‘ll have a hamburger and French fries and a beer, please. Blanca?‖
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Blanca opened her purse under the table. Then she whispered something to her sister in Spanish. She looked at the waiter and said, ―My sister and I aren‘t hungry. A coke and a beer, please.‖ Questions:
1) Why did Blanca bring along her little sister? 2) Why was Kevin surprised?
3) Why did Kevin say, ―Separate checks, please‖? 4) Why did Blanca say she wasn‘t hungry?
三、思考题
1. Study the following case story (from Blanton and Lee, 1999) and find out what values guide the different behaviors of the two characters.
My best friend called late one night to tell me she was leaving her husband. Her mind was made up-16 long years of marriage, children—and she was leaving.
My friend and I and both our husbands, like a majority of our friends, are Nigerians. While we‘ve lived in the United States for most of our adulthood and for all intents and purposes live like Americans, we identify closely with our traditional Ibo culture.
―Why? What happened?‖ I asked.
―Nothing, really,‖ she answered, ―nothing I can put my finger on.‖
―Is he having an affair? Is he involved with someone else?‖ He didn‘t strike me as the cheating type, but why else would she be leaving?
―No, nothing like that.‖
―Did he beat you up?‖ Women don‘t end marriages for nothing.
―It‘s nothing in particular.‖ She spoke haltingly, weighing every word. ―All I know is that I‘ve been very unhappy lately.‖
―Are you having an affair?‖
―No! Are you crazy? How can you even ask me that?‖ She laughed out loud. She has everything any Ibo woman would want: a professional husband (from a good family back home ) with a good income, who allows her to pursue her own career; not one, not two, but three sons and a daughter; a huge house in the suburbs.
―What about the children?‖ I heard her muffled sobs and sensed her struggle to regain composure. ―They‘ll stay with their father,‖ she said. She was no right to the Ibo tradition, American laws or not.
―How can you do this to yourself?‖ I lost all control. ―Have you gone mad?‖ I need to try to find happiness. I really thought that you, of all people, would understand,‖ she said coldly, hanging up before I could reply.
2. When you say ―my family ‖, what members do you usually include? What do you think the answer of an American and a Korean will be respectively to this question?
3. Think about the following questions.
1) How do you think interpersonal relationships affect communication?
2) Are there any changes in the Chinese family structure now? If yes, what changes? 3) What are the differences in the concepts of family between the Chinese and
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American cultures?
4) How are friends important to you? And why?
5) What are the differences in the concepts of friends between the Chinese and American cultures?
4. Read the following passage and think about the questions.
Katherine came to Beijing in 1998 and found a job as an English teacher in a foreign language institute. Soon after her classes began, she found that her students showed no interest in her teaching and quite a few of them avoided to ask the Director, Prof. Wang, for help. One day, she came to the Director and told him that she would like to talk to him about her problem. The director looked at his timetable and asked if they could meet at ten o‘clock on Thursday morning and she agreed.
On Thursday she arrived at the Director‘s office at the exact time of their appointment when she found that Prof. Wang was talking with another teacher in Chinese. Seeing that she had come, Prof. Wang smiled to gesture a seat and asked her to sit down. She got herself seated, and the professor excused himself and carried on the talk with the teacher. About five minutes later, he concluded his talk and made a profound apology before he began to talk with Katherine. The Director showed great concern and asked her what the problems was. Just as she was specifying her problem, another Chinese teacher came in, with a form that apparently needed signature of the Director. The Director smiled an apology to Katherine again and turned to talk with that teacher, also in Chinese. Katherine became impatient, wondering why their talk should be interrupted since they had already made an appointment. She was so upset and got choked by their talking in Chinese in front of her that she became quite angry. Although their talk continued, she was apparently unhappy about what had happened. 1). How can you explain the Director‘s behavior to Katherine?
2). According to Katherine, what kind of rules did the Director violate in their communication?
5. Read the following passage and think about the questions.
A Canadian colleague and I traveled to Guilin with our admirable guide Heping Liu in very hot weather. Sight-seeing is thirsty business, we did not trust the water, and delighted in the excellent beer which we politely offered Heping. Heping refused, we said nothing and drank our beer, while poor Heping watched. One day Heping must have been desperate because he accepted the first offer. Only when I saw that Heping in fact liked beer very much did it then occur to me to ask him whether maybe in Chinese it was not polite to accept a first offer.
Indeed, it is not and Heping was being modest, polite and well behaved and had every intention of accepting the beer at the second or third offer. But Heping had not figured on North American rules which firmly say that you do not push alcoholic beverages on anyone. A person may not drink for religious reasons, he may be a reformed alcoholic, he may be allergic. Whatever the reason behind the rule, you do not insist on offering alcohol. So unconscious and so strong are our communication rules that we equally politely never made a second offer of beer to Heping who
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probably thought North Americans most uncouth.
1) To avoid intercultural misunderstanding, do you think the Chinese guide should not have refused the first offer? And why or why not?
2) If you were to offer or be offered something, how would you behave? Would you behave in the Chinese way or the American way? And why?
6. Read the following and think about the questions:
Mr. Zhao and Mr. Qian have been on good terms with each other, though Mr. Zhao lives in China while Mr. Qian became an overseas Chinese working in the United States. The two both have children about the same age. Mr. Qian has two brothers who live in the U.S. and manage their family businesses. And both Mr. Zhao and Mr. Qian have business that seems fairly prosperous.
In recent times, however, Mr. Qian is bogged down with some difficulties, and in fact, his business is almost on the rocks. But, he has an opportunity to invest in a very promising venture but at the moment does not have enough cash. He realizes that this venture will be able to help him nurse his business back, and that his two brothers do not have the large sum he needs. He weighed the situation carefully and then telephoned Mr. Zhao for help. Mr. Zhao gladly lent him the money, and the venture did turn out very profitably for Mr. Qian, who was then able to repay Mr. Zhao with the interest immediately.
Later that year, when Mr. Zhao‘s daughter was applying for a course in the United States, he called Mr. Qian to help to get his daughter into the college by using his connections. Mr. Qian acquiesced and secured a place for Mr. Zhao‘ daughter. A year later, Mr. Zhao‘s nephew was going to the States. He asked Mr. Qian if his brothers could help him and give him a job when he got there. Again, Mr. Qian complied without hesitation.
But when this was known by one of Mr. Qian‘s American friends, Jackson, he didn‘t seem to be able to understand all the assistance Mr. Qian had given to Mr. Zhao, though Mr. Qian had told him a lot about the relation between them. Jackson said that Mr. Zhao was asking too much. Questions
1) Why do you think Jackson said that Mr. Zhao was asking too much?
2) What differences are there between the Chinese understanding of friendship and the American one?
Part Seven Language and Culture
一、讨论题
Words for animals and plants usually have the same denotations in different languages, but very often have distinct connotations. For example, ―dog‖ has quite different connotations in Chinese and English. gou(狗) is quite derogative in China: 狗急跳墙，狗仗人势，狼心狗肺， 狗腿子，etc. But ―dog‖ in the west is considered the best friend of man, which is well established in their cultures. So they feel disgusted at eating dog meat. In most cases dog is positive in its connotations.
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Examples are: ―You lucky dog.‖ ―Every dog has its day.‖ ―Love me, love my dog.‖ ―He worked like a dog.‖ ―You can‘t teach an old dog new tricks.‖
1. Work in small groups and find out the connotations of the following animals and plants in both languages.
1) dragon, phoenix, owl, bat, peacock, chicken, beaver,
2) song(松),bai(柏), tao(桃),zhu(竹),mei(梅), ju(菊),and lan(兰).
2. In China we address a stranger with an advanced age ―Grandpa‖ or ―Grandma‖. Why do we do so since that stranger is not connected to us by blood? How does this sound to an English ear?
3. Chinese routinely use many position-linked or occupation-linked titles to address people, such as王经理, 马局长, 张主任, 李医生, etc. Discuss why? Do
二、分析、解答题 Dialogue 1
This occurs between a Chinese employee Wang and his American boss Andy. Andy wants Wang to do extra work on Saturday, but Wang doesn‘t want to work on Saturday because it‘s going to be his son‘s birthday.
A: It looks like we‘re going to have to keep the production line running on Saturday. W: I see.
A: Can you come in on Saturday? W: Yes, I think so.
A: That‘ll be a great help.
W: Yes, Saturday is a special day, did you know? A: What do you mean? W: It‘s my son‘s birthday.
A: How nice. I hope you all enjoy it very much. W: Thank you. I appreciate your understanding. Questions
1) What does the Chinese employee mean by saying ―I see‖? Does it mean agreement, acceptance or promise?
2) To the direct request ―Can you come in on Saturday‖, what should the Chinese employee say to avoid further misunderstanding?
3) Why does the American boss fail to understand what the Chinese employee implies by saying ―It‘s my son‘s birthday‖? Why does the Chinese fail to say ―no‖?
Dialogue 2
This is a dialogue between a senior American employee (A) and his boss who is an Asian American (B). A: Well, how am I doing?
B: (Sam makes a lot of mistakes, but I do not want him to feel discouraged, so I will not tell him) Just fine. You learn very quickly.
A: (Why is he complimenting me? I don‘t think I am doing a very good job) How about this part? Is this okay?
B: (It‘s hard for me to say this! If he thinks he made mistakes, why doesn‘t he say so?) Oh, yes…well, um…I think maybe you need to work oh… a little more slowly…
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oh I am sorry, I do not mean to criticize…
A: (Why is he afraid to criticize me?) No, no, I want to know what needs improvement. I didn‘t do this part correctly, did I?
B: (You did it all wrong) Oh, I did not mean that. Really, your work is fine. (What does he want me to say?!) Questions
1) Why does the boss refuse to tell the employee directly what he actually feels about his work?
2) Do you think it is right and natural for the employee to press for definite answers to his questions?
3) If you were the boss or the employee, what would you do in a similar situation?
Part Eight Non-verbal Communication
一、讨论题
1. Study the following case ( from Qshima & Hogue, 1983) and try to explain the
differences between two cultures.
A. While lecturing to his poetry class at Ain Shams University in Cairo, a British professor became so relaxed that he leaned back in his chair and revealed the bottom of his foot to the astonished class. The next day the Cario newspaper carried headlines about the student demonstration that resulted, and they denounced British arrogance and demanded that the professor be sent home.
B. People in different cultures have different customs concerning the use of time. Read the following case (from Tomalin & Stempleski, 1998) and discuss why Jane was not happy.
Jane, an American teacher in the US, had just started teaching English to a group of Japanese students. She wanted to get to know the students more formally, so she invited them to her house for a party. The students all arrived together at exactly 8:00 p.m. They seemed to enjoy the party: they danced, sang, and ate most of the food. At about 10:00 p.m., one of the students said to the teacher, ―I think it‘s time for me to leave. Thank you very much for the party.‖ Then all the other students got up to go, and all left at the same time. Jane decided she would never invite them again!
C．Bill is the Managing Director of an American company in China. Recently, Gang Wang, one of the Chinese managers made a mistake at work that caused some financial loss. He was very upset about what had happened, and came to Bill‘s office to make a formal apology.
Entering the office, he smiled before speaking. ―Bill, I‘ve been feeling terribly sorry for the loss. I am here to make a sincere apology and promise that it will never happen again,‖ he said, wearing the smile all the time.
But Bill found it hard to accept the apology and looking at him, asked, ―Are you sure?‖
Gang Wang gave a good yes while smiling.
Still, Bill did not accept his apology and said angrily, ―You don‘t look sorry at all. If you‘re really sorry, how can you still smile?‖
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Gang Wang‘s face turned quite red, standing there dumbfounded.
D. Guihua, a Chinese student, and Jenny, an American student studying Chinese in China were on their way to the department store. As they got to the store, they saw a young boy walking down a flight of stairs. In his hurry, the boy missed the last two steps, and fell on the ground. He struggles to get back to his feet while people around him laughed. Luckily, he seemed to be OK.
Jenny was worried but found Guihua smiling a little. Curiously, she asked, ―How could people laugh when he fell like that? Why didn‘t they come up and ask him whether he was hurt?‖
Guihua said, ―They knew he wasn‘t hurt too much.‖ Still, Jenny couldn‘t understand. She said. ―A fall is a fall. In my culture, people would do anything but laugh!‖
2. Read the story ( from 邓炎昌，刘润清，1989) and discuss in small groups whether the principal‘s judgment is correct, and why. Next, think how Chinese people have eye contact in communication.
A teenage Puerto Rican girl in a New York high school was taken with a number of other girls to the principal for suspected smoking. Although there was no proof of any wrongdoing and although she had a good record, the principal decide she was guilty and suspected her. ―There was something sly and suspicious about her,‖ he said in his report. ―She just wouldn‘t meet my eye. She wouldn‘t look at me.‖
3. Work in small groups and find out what messages smiles and laughter usually convey. Study the following three cases and explain why the people in each case smiled or laughed.
A. In a Chinese classroom a girl was asked to answer a question. She stood up and
smiled, without making any sound.
B. When an American is parking his bicycle and the bicycle accidentally falls over, he feels embarrassed at his awkwardness, and is quite angered and humiliated when Chinese onlookers laugh.
C. In the dining room, when an American drops a plate quite by accident and feels bad, and Chinese onlookers laugh, compounding his discomfort and causing anger and bad feeling
4. Discuss in small groups whether the following phenomena are acceptable in China and in other parts of the world:
Handholding between members of the same sex and between members of different sexes in public; kissing, hugging and embracing in public; and fondling other people‘s babies and small children.
二、分析、解答题
1. Since silence can send messages, it should be paid adequate attention to when communicating. Discuss why silence should not be neglected in communication. What messages can silence convey? Do Chinese audiences usually ask questions after
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a lecture? What is the meaning of renao(热闹) in the Chinese culture?
2. Reading the following passage about time (by Aldous Huxley,1894—1963, taken from 胡文仲，高一虹，1997 ) and answer the questions below.
Time, as we know it, is a very recent invention. The modern time sense is hardly older than the United States. It is a byproduct of industrialism…
Time is our tyrant. We are chronically aware of the moving minute hand, even of the moving second hand. We have to be. There are trains to be caught, clocks to be punched, tasks to be done in specified periods, records to be broken by fractions of a second, machines that set the pace and have to be kept up with. Our consciousness of the smallest units of time is now acute. To us, for example, the moment 8:17 a.m. means something—something very important, if it happens to be the starting time of our daily train. To our ancestors, such an odd eccentric instant as without significance—did not even exist. In inventing the locomotive, Watt and Stephenson were part inventors of time.
Another time—emphasizing entity is the factory and its dependent, the office. Factories exist for the purpose of getting certain quantities of goods made in a certain time. The old artisan worked as it suited him; with the result that consumers generally had to wait for the goods they had ordered from him. The factory is a device for making workmen hurry. The machine revolves so often each minute; so many movements have to be made, so many pieces produced each hour. Result: the factory worker (and the same is true of the office worker) is compelled to know time in its smallest fractions. In the handwork age there was no such compulsion to be aware of minutes and seconds.
Our awareness of time has reached such a pitch of intensity that we suffer acutely whenever our travels take us into some corner of the world where people are not interested in minutes and seconds. The unpunctuality of the Orient, for example, is appalling to those who come freshly from a land of fixed mealtimes and regular train services. For a modern American or Englishman, waiting is a psychological torture. An Indian accepts the blank hours with resignation, even with satisfaction. He has not lost the fine art of doing nothing. Our notion of time as a collection of minutes, each of which must be filled with some business or amusement, is wholly alien to the Oriental, just as it was wholly alien to the Greek. For the man who lives in a pre-industrial world, time moves at a slow and easy pace; he does not care about each minute, for the good reason that he has not been made conscious of the existence of minute. Questions:
1) Where did the western time sense come from according to the passage?
2) According to Huxley, what‘s the difference in the time sense of the East and the West? Do you agree?
3) Why did the author say that Watt and Stephenson were part inventors of time?
4) Do you think that the Chinese people‘s time sense has changed? If yes, what are the manifestations and why?
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3. Compare your choices with others and see if there are any individual differences. Discuss what effects such differences may have upon your interaction with each other. 1) If you were invited to another family‘s house for dinner when would you arrive?
a. Just on time.
b. A few minutes before the scheduled time. c. 10 minutes later. d. 20 minutes later. e. Half an hour later.
2) How long would you have to wait in a line in the post office before you became upset?
a. 5 minutes. b. 10 minutes. c. 15 minutes. d. 20 minutes. e. Half an hour.
3) How long do you think a party at which dinner is served should last?
a. 1 to 2 hours b. 3 hours or so. c. 4 hours or so. d. 5 hours or so.
e. As long as people involved like.
4) If you were having a party in your class, how many days in advance would you invite your teachers or students from another college? a. Just on the day of the party. b. One day in advance. c. Several days in advance.
d. More than on week in advance. e. Three or four weeks in advance.
5) When first meeting a newcomer to your class or a friend‘s parents, an appropriate amount of time to talk with them would be a. 5 minutes. b. 10 minutes. c. 20 minutes. d. Half an hour. e. 1 hour or more.
6) If you had an appointment with a professor at 8:00 and arrived at 8:45, how would the professor react? a. He wouldn‘t care.
b. He would refuse to talk with you.
c. He would excuse you if you had called. d. He would consider you irresponsible. e. He would be insulted.
4. Visiting a friend can be full of fun and enjoyment, but sometimes you need to be very considerate not to wear out your welcome. Read the following case and think over the questions following it.
Magid was an Arabian working in a company in the U.S.A. One Sunday morning he was home and didn‘t have much to do. He thought of his good friend, Jock, an American, who he used to study with. They had not seen each other for a
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long time though they lived in the same city. And he had told Jock that he would come and visit him long before. Now this Sunday morning seemed like a wonderful time for him to fulfill his visit. Without informing Jock of his visit, Magid went to Jock‘s house and rang the doorbell.
At the same time, Jock, after a whole busy week, was just looking forward to spending his Sunday reading and relaxing himself. Just as he started to read in his most comfortable chair, the doorbell rang. He opened the door and to his surprise, it was Magid who was standing at the door. He didn‘t look completely happy to see Magid. Then, after a few seconds, he smiled and said, ―Hi, Magid, come on in.‖ They drank coffee and chatted about their life after their separation. Magid stayed about four hours and he decided to leave. Jock walked Magid to the door. They said goodbye to each other and Jock thanked Magid for coming. After they left each other, both of them felt a little uncomfortable. Questions
1) What feelings do you think Jock had when he saw Magid again? 1) Why did both of them feel a little uncomfortable?
2) What do you think Magid should have done before he actually visited Jock?
三、思考题
Find as many expressions and proverbs as possible relating to time in English and Chinese respectively. Examples are: ―Time is money.‖ ―Bu zhaoji, manman lai ‖(不着急，慢慢来). Then sum up and compare their attitudes towards time.
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Part Nine Improving Intercultural Communication
一、 讨论题
Read the following cases and discuss the answer to the question below each one. A. Soon after Li Ying arrived in the states, an American friend invited him to a party. He got to the party on time, only to find that many people were late and dressed in a very casual way. There were only a few kinds of beverage and some simple food. Few people there knew him, and he at last found Mark, his friend, and began to talk with him. They talked about only yen minutes before Mark said that he had to talk with another friend and left, to Li‘s great disappointment. The host introduced him to a couple of people and then left too. Two hours later, Li found an excuse and returned home. He had to cook some noodles, as he was still hungry. He thought he would never participate in this kind of parties again. Why was he so disappointed?
B. One Japanese student in America said: ―On my way to my school, a girl whom I don‘t know smiled at me several times. I was a little surprised.‖ Why was he surprised?
C. A South Korean student in American wrote: ―We went to visit an American friend. When we saw him, he opened the window and said to us: ?I‘m sorry, I don‘t have time. I have to work at my studies.‘ Then he closed his window.‖ Why was this student confused?
D. An Arab student in America said: ―When I was walking on the campus the first day, many people smiled at me, which made me quite ashamed. I hurried to the bathroom to see if anything was wrong with my clothes. Now I‘m used to all the smiles.‖
Why did he first feel ashamed?
E. Xiao Yan got her Ph. D in American studies from Yale University. She was going to another university to teach when one of the authors met her in America. She said that, in spite of her Ph. D and other success in career, she had a lot of problems, which made her quite unhappy, sometimes even more so than when she was in Beijing. She wrote to her friends back in Beijing, but her friends couldn‘t believe her: How could you be unhappy? You were in the United States! Why didn‘t her friends understand her?
F. Mr. Bias is a director of a small private company. He is interviewing candidates for the position of assistant manager. He selects a bright and ambitious applicant. Later, he discovers that this applicant is from the country of Levadel (a fictitious nation). Since he thinks that all Levadelians are stupid and lazy, he decides to select someone else for the position. (Levire and And Adelman, 1982)
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What do you think of Mr. Bias‘ decision? What mistake did he commit?
二、分析、解答题
I. Read the case story (from Zanger, 1985) and answer the questions below.
A. John, an American, was happy when his Saudi Arabian neighbor invited him to a party at his apartment, just down the hall in the same apartment building. After work, John made a special trip to the neighborhood liquor store to buy a bottle of his favorite white wine for the party.
When John got to the party, his host, Mazen, greeted him at the door in a friendly way. He put his arm around John‘s shoulders and said, ―Oh, John. I‘m so glad you could come.‖
John answered, ―How‘re you doing, Mazen? Looks like a great party. Here, I brought you some of my favorite wine.‖
Mazen took the wine but said nothing about it. Then he said, ―I‘d like you to meet my sister who came from Raid, my city, just two days ago.‖
John reached out to shake Mazen‘s sister‘s hand, but she just stood there, and stopped smiling. John decided that she was probably shy. So he tried to be especially friendly to her. They had a nice conversation until Mazen ended it.
John was saying to Mazen‘s sister, ―So, it looks like your brother is going to show you the town.‖ Because John was feeling very friendly to his host and his host‘s sister, her put one arm around each of them. Mazen suddenly looked very serious.
He stood up and took John by the arm and said, ―Come over here and try some of our food.‖
John enjoyed himself very much at the party that night. He couldn‘t believe how much food Mazen had prepared. As he was leaving, he realized that he had not seen his bottle of wine. He decided that in all the confusion, Mazen had probably forgotten to open it. Questions:
1. Why did John buy the wine? 2. Why didn‘t Mazen open it?
3. Why didn‘t Mazen say anything to John about the wine? 4. Why didn‘t Mazen‘s sister shake hands with John?
5. Why did John put his arm around Mazen and his sister?
6. Why did Mazen suddenly end John‘s conversation with his sister？
B. Read the following story (from Abraham & Mackey, 2000) and discuss with neighbor what culture shock is and how shock is and how much you know about it from the story.
Nguyen Chau Van Loc went to the United States in 1979 from Vietnam. His first impression of the US was very positive. He felt that this new environment offered him many exciting opportunities.
However, Loc quickly found himself unprepared to take advantage of these opportunities. He knew almost no English. Even when he knew what to say on a bus or in a store, no one understood him, and he had to repeat and repeat. In Vietnam, Loc was a technician, but in the US, he didn‘t have enough experience
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compared with other people. He had trouble finding a job. He felt that he did not have an important role or position in the city and missed happy in the US. He began to feel very depressed and homesick.
With the help of a counselor in his English program, he understood that his feelings were normal and that they were only a stage in his adjustment to the new culture. He learned that many other Vietnamese felt the same way he did. Some, in fact, were more disoriented than he was and were afraid to go out into the city.
Eventually, Loc began to feel better about his life in the US. He developed a position in the Vietnamese American community and adjusted to his new role in the new country but will always miss Vietnam.
C. Read the following and answer the questions below it.
An American university student Tom is active in a foreign student club at his university and has several good friends from different countries. One of them tells Tom his parents and sister will be visiting, and he asks Tom if he would like to meet them.
Tom invites all of them to visit his home one afternoon. They arrive and present him with a nicely wrapped gift. Tom tells them they shouldn‘t have brought anything, but thanks them and proceeds to open the gift, which turns out to be a very pretty vase from their country. He thanks them again. He senses some awkwardness and realizes that he has not offered them anything to drink. ―Would you like coffer or tea or a soft drink?‖ he asks. They all refuse. Things seem more awkward now. But he talks a little of their country, about studies at the university, about the cost of living, and eventually the father whispers something to his son. ―I think we must be leaving to return to the hotel,‖ he says. Everybody stands up, shake hands, and they start to leave. ―Please come and visit again,‖ Tom says as he stands and watches the family walk to the door, open it, and disappear down the hall.
Two days later, in a very indirect way, Tom learns from another friend that the visitors thought he was a rude host.
Questions
1. How can you explain the fact that Tom is misunderstood when he actually wants to be kind and friendly to the visitors?
2. Why was Tom considered a rude host by his visitors? Try to figure out at least three things among the following Tom did that were regarded to be impolite.
A. Tom invites them to visit his home but does not invite them for dinner with him. B. Tom opens the gift as soon as he is presented with it. C. Tom thanks them only twice for the gift.
D. Tom thanks them not make a second offer of drinks when they refuse the first. E. Tom talks about the cost of living in the U.S.A.
F. Tom does not ask them to stay longer when they refuse the first. G. Tom does not go out to see them off.
H. Tom does not promise to return them a visit later.
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Ⅱ. First identify the ethnocentric attitudes (the attitude that one race, nationality, religion or culture is superior ) in the sentences, and then change some of the statements so that they are no longer ethnocentric
1. Mentonia (a fictitious country) has produced the finest works of art in the world. 2. Mentonia is a superior country because it has produced the greatest technology in
the world.
3. Non-Mentonians do everything the wrong way round. 4. The Mentonian language is the best language for poetry.
5. The Mentonian people have been very generous in teaching people in other
countries how to do things the right way.
6. If everyone did things the Mentonian way, the world would be a better place.
7. Example: Mentonia has produced the world‘s greatest literature. –Mentonia has
many writers who have produced well-known works of literature.
Ⅲ. Read the following statements. Indicate whether you agree or disagree with them. Then reword each of them in such a way that everyone in the group agrees with it. 1. Foreigners who go to live in a new country should give up their foreign habits
and adapt to the new country as soon as possible.
2. Many of the world‘s populations do not take enough initiatives to develop, so
they stay underdeveloped.
3. English should be accepted as the universal language of the world.
4. Some of the world‘s populations have not yet reached the higher stages of
civilization.
5. Minority members of any population should conform to the customs and values
of the majority.
三、思考题
Ⅰ. Imagine that the situations below take place in an English-speaking country.
What would you do in each situation? In some cases, more than one answer is possible.
1. You‘re been having digestive problem for a week, and have just started to feel
better. You meet a British friend at a party. You friend says, ―How are you?‖ What would you do?
a. Start talking in detail about your problem. b. Say, ―Fine, thanks. How are you?‖ c. Say, ―Not bad, thanks. How are you?‖ d. Nothing.
2. You‘re visiting an American friend in her new apartment. You like apartment and
you want your friend to know. What would you do?
a. Say, ―Your apartment is nice. How much is the rent?‖ b. Say, ―Gee, this place is really nice.‖ c. Say, ―I really like your apartment.‖
d. Say nothing, but show that you are interested by walking around, looking at
everything in the apartment, and picking up everything that is movable.
3. You‘re been invited to dinner at a friend‘s home. You‘re about to sit down to eat,
but you want to use the toilet first. What would you do? a. Say, ―Excuse me. Where‘s the toilet?‖
b. Say, ―Could I wash my hands before dinner?‖ c. Say, ―Do you mind if I use the bathroom?‖
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d. Say nothing and start looking around the house for the toilet.
4. You‘re a guest in a British or American friend‘s home. Your friend asks if you
would like something to drink. You really would like a drink. What would you do?
a. Say, ―Yes, please.‖
b. Say, ―Yes, that would be lovely.‖
c. Say, ―No, thank you‖ and wait for your friend to ask you again. d. Say, ―That‘s OK. I can get it myself.‖
5. You‘ve just been introduced to a British or American friend‘s parents. What
would you do?
a. Say, ―Hello‖, and bow.
b. Say nothing and shake hands.
c. Say, ―Nice to meet you ‖, and shake hands. d. Say, ―Hi!‖
6. You‘re 20 minutes late for class. The teacher is explaining something to the class
when you arrive. What would you do?
a. Go in, walk up to the teacher and apologize.
b. Wait outside the classroom until the class is over and then apologize to the
teacher.
c. Knock on the door and wait for the teacher to tell you it‘s OK to come in. d. Go in as quietly as you can and take a seat.
7. The teacher gives the class some homework for the next day. You know that you
won‘t be able to finish it on time. What would you do?
a. Explain the situation to the teacher and ask if you can hand in your work
later.
b. Not go to class the next day.
c. Go to class the next day without the homework and say nothing.
d. Do as much of the work as you can and give it to the teacher the next day. 8. You‘ve got a doctor‘s appointment and need to leave class early. What would
you do?
a. Not go to class.
b. Get up and leave the classroom when it‘s time to go to your appointment. c. Explain the situation to the teacher before class.
d. When it‘s time to go to your appointment, get up and explain to the teacher
why you have to leave.
9. You‘ve got a question about something the teacher has just said in class. What
would you do?
a. Look confused.
b. Call out, ―I‘ve got a question.‖
c. Raise your hand and ask the teacher to explain. d. Wait and ask the teacher to explain after class.
10. You‘ve sitting in the classroom talking to a classmate, when the teacher comes in.
What would you do?
a. Stand up to show you respect for the teacher. b. Look up and greet the teacher.
c. Look down to show your respect for the teacher. d. Look up and pay attention to the teacher.
Ⅱ. Are the generalizations about the US culture true or false?
1. Most young people in the US start dating around the age of twelve.
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2. The bill in most restaurants in the US includes a service charge.
3. In the US, shopping for groceries is usually done by going to a supermarket once
a week.
4. Most Americans do their own housework.
5. In American cities, people who walk their dogs in public are required to clean up
after them.
6. It is polite to ask Americans questions about their salary.
7. When invited to a birthday party in the US, you are expected to give a gift of
money.
8. In the US, saying ―Thank you ‖is a common way of reacting to a compliment. 9. The cost of university tuition is so expensive in the US that only the very rich can
afford it.
10. In families, it is often the mother who does most the food shopping.
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