The Face Issues in Intercultural Communication Between Chinese and American.docx

The Face Issues in Intercultural Communication Between Chinese and American.docx

《The Face Issues in Intercultural Communication Between Chinese and American.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《The Face Issues in Intercultural Communication Between Chinese and American.docx（21页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

TheFaceIssuesinInterculturalCommunicationBetweenChineseandAmerican

The Face Issues in Intercultural Communication Between Chinese and American

目录

Abstract:

1

Keywords2

Introduction2

1.1Backgroundinformation3

1.2ResearchPurposesandSignificance5

1.3FaceinChineseandAmericanCultures5

1.4ImportanceofFaceinCross-culturalCommunication7

1.5AdviceonFaceProblemsinCross-culturalCommunication8

1.5.1Principles9

1.5.2Strategiesinlearningasecondlanguage10

1.5.3Culturalsensitivity12

1.5.4Others13

1.6OrganizationoftheThesis13

2.1ConceptofCultures14

2.1.1ErvingGoffman’sopiniononfaceperspective14

2.1.2Brown&Levinson’sopiniononfaceperspective15

2.2ChineseCultures17

2.3AmericanCultures21

2.4CultureDifferenceandTheirCollisioninCommunication24

TheChinesefaceperspective25

TheAmericanNegativeFace&reasons26

TheChinesePositiveFace&reasons27

TheAmericanequality&reasons29

TheChinesehierarchy&reasons31

References32

Abstract:

Face,oneessentialpartofculture,hasgreatinfluenceonculturecollision.Politenessisasymbolofhumancivilizationandthefeatureofallthecivilizedsociety.Itisnotonlyuniversalbutalsoculturallyspecific.TwocountrieslikeAmericaandChinahavedifferentcultureswhichleadtodifferentrealizationonpoliteness.Asonetheoryofpolitenessprinciple,thefaceperspectiveisalsodifferent.ThepaperintroducesthedifferentfaceperspectivesbetweenAmericaandChinaandanalyzesculturaldifferencesbehindthemandtheircorrespondingreasons.Atfirst,thispapertriestointroducedifferentconceptsoffacebetweenAmericaandChinabyquotingandanalyzingsomescholars’opinionsonface,suchasGoffman,Brown&LevinsonandHuHsienchin’s.Nextstep,thispapertriestodiscusstheculturalconflictsbehinddifferentconceptsofface,forinstance,AmericanindividualismandChinesecollectivism,AmericannegativefaceandChinesepositivefaceandAmericanequalityandChinesehierarchy,andanalyzesthereasonsfromdifferentaspectsincludinghistory,culture,thinkingpatterns,nationalcharactersandtraditionalideology,etc.Finally,inordertoreducebarrierscausedbydifferentconceptsoffaceincross-culturalcommunication,thispaperfurthersuggeststhatitisnecessarytounderstandmutualdifferentconceptsoffacebytryingtobedirectwhenamongtheAmericansandtryingtobeeuphemisticwhenamongtheChinese.AndthepaperalsobelievesthatbasedonbetterunderstandingofmutualfaceperspectivesandmoreeffectivecommunicationbetweenAmericaandChina,thefriendshipbetweenthetwocountrieswillbepromoted.

Keywords

Cross-culturalcommunication;culturaldifference;faceperspective;

Introduction

Politenessisasymbolofhumancivilizationandthefeatureofallthecivilizedsociety.Politenesswhichisthoughttobeoneofthemoralaspectsisreferredtothepracticalapplicationofgoodmannersoretiquette.Itisaculturally-definedphenomenon,andthereforewhatisconsideredpoliteinoneculturecansometimesbequiterudeorsimplyeccentricinanotherculturalcontext.Similarly,faceperspective,asoneofthebasicfactorsofpoliteness,isunexceptionallydifferentunderthedifferentculturalcontextsinChinaandAmerica.Ifpeopleknownothingaboutthesedifferences,theywon’tbeabletohaveeffectivecommunicationininterculturalcontext.

Inthisthesis,culturaldifferencesbetweenAmericanandChinesefaceperspectivesarediscussedinthreeaspects:

theintroductionofdifferentconceptsoffaceunderdifferentculturalbackgroundsbetweenAmericaandChina,theanalysisofculturaldifferencesreflectedbydifferentconceptsoffaceandtheircauses,andsomesuggestionstoreducebarrierscausedbydifferentconceptsoffaceincross-culturalcommunicationsoastopromotemutualunderstandingbetweenthetwonations.

1.1Backgroundinformation

AftertheSecondWorldWar,peoplefindthattheearthbecomessmallerandsmaller:

politiciansfromeachcountryarebusyincommunicationontheinterculturalstage;internationalcompaniesarefoundeverywhere;scientistsandscholarsexistininternationalacademicforum;moreandmorepeoplevisitforeigncountries,Chineseteachersstandontheplatformofforeigncountries,ect.Allinall,Internationalcommunicationbecomessofrequent.

Atthesametime,wecanseetheconflictsandproblemsininterculturalcommunicationagainandagain:

onecountry’spresidentthinkthatthegesturemeansfriendly,butitenragesanothercountry’speople;somebusinessmenfromforeigncountriescometoChinatodobusinessbutfailedandleftwithcomplaint;theteacherscomingfromEnglandandAmericasayChinesestudentsdon’tcooperatewiththem;someChinesepeoplegotoAmericatostudy,but,afterashorttime,theygiveuptheplan,andcomebacktoChina……

Withthefurtherdevelopmentofthereformandopeningtotheoutsideworld,thepeopleandthematterinwesternsocietieshavecomeintoourvisualfieldmoreandmore.Underthesituation,theeconomicandthesocialcommunicationindifferentcountries,differentnationalitiesanddifferentculturesbecomeapartofpeople’slife.Thisgivesusachancetogetintouchwithwesternpeopleandthisisagoodthingfordeepeningourunderstandingofwesternsociety.But,thisisnotaneasything.Becausethethingswefacearecomingfromstrangeculturesandcountries,andthepeoplewecommunicatewitharedifferentfromusinthinking,lifecustom,andbehavior.Itisunavoidableforthephenomenonofcultureconflictstoappearinthecourseofcommunicatingwithothers.Chinesepeoplecherishfaceasdignityorevenaslife.It’snotdifficultfortheinterculturalinteractantstolearnandremembertheimportanceoffacebecauseitisuniversal.Forinstance,Americanspayattentiontofaceproblemstoo.

1.2ResearchPurposesandSignificance

Facehasbeenmentionedinbooksofcross-culturalCommunication,butitonlytakearathersmallpartasthesubordinatematerial.Thisthesisintendstocollectasmanydataaspossibleinordertoattractpeople’sattentiononfaceproblemsincommunicationandlessculturalshockonfacewillhappenintheinterculturalcommunication.

1.3FaceinChineseandAmericanCultures

AccordingtoHuHsienchin,aChineseanthropologist,facerepresentsimportantsocialreputationwhichpeoplegainthroughtheircontinuoushardworkingandwisdomintheirlifeexperience.Itisanimportantandtypicalsocialpsychologicalphenomenon.Chinesehavealwaysbeenvaluingface.Fromtheirpointofview,faceissoimportant,sometimesevenasimportantaslife.（1944）

Chinesefaceisdividedintotwocharacters,onestandingforhonourandreputationandtheotherself-esteemanddignity.ThetwoaresomethingthatChinesepeoplewillpayatanypriceandatanytimetoprotect.

Facecanbethoughtasinvisibleface.JustlikewhatMr.LinYutangsaid“Chinesepeople’sfacecanbewashed,shaved,lost,given,foughtandsaved.”（1941:

139）Nomatterhowrichorpooronepersonis,nomatterinwhatsocialhierarchyonepersonis,theyallneedtoprotecttheirface.

Wheninteractingwithpeople,Chinesealwaystrytoprotectboththeirownfaceandotherpeople’sface.Theyalwaysdisparagethemselvesandelevateothers.Evenifwhentheyhavetocriticizepeople,theywillcomplimentthemfirstandthenpointouttheirshortcomings.TheChinesefacevaluehasbeenwellobservedforthousandsofyearsjustbecauseof“li”,anideologyadvocatedbyConfucianismanddeeplyinfluencingChinesepeople.Inaccordancewiththisdoctrine,peopleshouldbeself-restrainedandconsiderateandlovingoneanother.Lireferstorightconductinmaintainingone’splaceinthehierarchicalorder.LiisnowusedbytheaverageChinesetomeandecorum.Oneimportantwaytobedecorousistoacceptandrespecteachothertopreserveface.Inthisway,theycanmaintainharmoniousrelationshipswithotherpeople.

Faceisuniversal.Americanspayattentiontofaceproblemstoo.AmericanscholarGoffman（1967-5）defined“facea”as‘thepositivesocialvalueapersoneffectivelyclaimsforhimselfbythelineothersassumehehastakenduringaparticularcontact.”Giventheconstantshiftingofgroupmemberships,attentionincreasinglyfocusedonindividualsinsteadofongroup’sintegrity,andharmonyrarelyattainedthesignificanceforAmericans.Solongasonedidn’tobstructothers,hecoulddowhateverhewanted.Andthen,individualparticularlifestylewasvaluedandindividualfeeling,desireandprivacywererespected.Respectingindividualfreedom,rightsandindependencewasactuallypolite.Otherwise,it’snot.

1.4ImportanceofFaceinCross-culturalCommunication

Cross-culturalcommunicationreferstocommunicationbetweenpeoplewithdifferentculturalbackgrounds,namelywhatwasgoingonbetweenpeopleofdifferentculturalbackgroundsinteract.Withthedevelopmentofsocialeconomy,peoplewhohavedifferentculturalbackgroundsbetweenthecooperationmoreandmorefrequent.Modernsocietywithitsadvancedtechnologyhasbroughtbusinessmenconsiderablycloserandmoreopportunitiesfordoingbusinesswitheachother.PeopleinEasterncountrieswatchthemoviesproducedbythewest;whiletheWesternconsumerswearclothesmadeintheeasterncountries.Asaconsequence,cross-culturalcommunicationisbecomemoreandmoreimportantinourlife.

Communicationisanimportantmeanofexpressingyourselfbecauseitexistsdifferentwaysofexpressionandsodifferentkindofcommunicationdependingonthecultureyoubelongingto.

Thewayofcommunicatingwillnotbethesameasothercountriesanditisimportanttoknowsomevalues