《新编跨文化交际英语教程》复习资料U5.docx

1、新编跨文化交际英语教程复习资料U5新编跨文化交际英语教程复习资料U5Unit 5Culture and Verbal CommunicationSome Ideas Related to verbal communication and culture1. Different orientations to communication patterns East Asian orientation1. process orientation communication is perceived as a process of infinite interpretation 2. differe

2、ntiated linguistic codes different linguistics codes are used depending upon persons involved and situations3. indirect communication emphasis the use of indirect communication is prevalent and accepted as normative 4. receiver centered meaning is in the interpretation, Emphasis is on listening, sen

3、sitivity, and removal of preconception. North American orientation 1. communication is perceived as the transference of messages 2. Less differentiated linguistic codes linguistic codes are not as extensively differentiated as East Asia 3. Direct communication emphasis direct communication is norm d

4、espite the extensive use of indirect communication 4. sender centered meaning is in the message created by the sender. Emphasis is on how to formulate the best message, how to improve source credibility and delivery skills 2. Direct and Indirect Verbal Interaction Styles The tone of voice, the speak

5、ers intention, and the verbal content reflect our way of speaking, our verbal style, which in turn reflects our cultural and personal values and sentiments.Verbal style frames “how” a message should be interpreted. The direct-indirect verbal interaction dimension can be thought of as straddling a co

6、ntinuum. Individuals in all cultures use the gradations of all these verbal styles, depending on role identities, interaction goals, and situations. However, in individualistic cultures, people tend to encounter more situations that emphasize the preferential use of direct talk, person-oriented verb

7、al interaction, verbal self-enhancement, and talkativeness. In contrast, in collectivistic cultures, people tend to encounter more situations that emphasize the preferential use of indirect talk, status-oriented verbal interaction, verbal self-effacement, and silence. The direct and indirect styles

8、differ in the extent to which communicators reveal their intentions through their tone of voice and the straightforwardness of their content message. In the direct verbal style, statements clearly reveal the speakers intentions and are enunciated in a forthright tone of voice. In the indirect verbal

9、 style, on the other hand, verbal statements tend to camouflage the speakers actual intentions and are carried out with more nuanced tone of voice. For example, the overall . American verbal style often calls for clear and direct communication. Phrases such as “say what you mean,” “dont beat around

10、the bush,” and “get to the point” are some examples. The direct verbal style of the larger . culture is reflective of its low-context communication character. 3. Person-Oriented and Status-Oriented Verbal Styles The person-oriented verbal style is individual-centered verbal mode that emphasizes the

11、importance of informality and role suspension. The status-oriented verbal style is a role-centered verbal mode that emphasizes formality and large power distance. The former emphasizes the importance of symmetrical interaction, whereas the latter stresses asymmetrical interaction.The person-oriented

12、 verbal style emphasizes the importance of respecting unique, personal identities in the interaction. The status-oriented verbal style emphasizes the importance of honoring prescribed power-based membership identities. Those who engage in status-oriented verbal interaction use specific vocabularies

13、and paralinguistic features to accentuate the status distance of the role relationships ., in parent-child interaction, superior-subordinate relations, and male-female interaction in many Latin American cultures). While low-context cultures tend to emphasize the use of the person-oriented verbal sty

14、le, high-context cultures tend to value the status-oriented verbal mode.4. Self-Enhancement and Self-Effacement Verbal Styles The self-enhancement verbal style emphasizes the importance of boasting about ones accomplishments and abilities. The self-effacement verbal style, on the other hand, emphasi

15、zes the importance of humbling oneself via verbal restraints, hesitations, modest talk, and the use of self-deprecation concerning ones effort or performance.For example, in many Asian cultures, self-effacement talk is expected to signal modesty or humility. In Japan, when one offers something to an

16、other person such as a gift or a meal that one has prepared, verbal self-deprecation is expected. There are set expressions for verbal humility such as “Its not very tasty” and “Its nothing special.” The hostess who apologizes to her guests that “There is nothing special to offer you” has probably s

17、ent the better part of two days planning and preparing the meal. Of course the guest should protest such a disclaimer and reemphasize her or his gratitude. Self-effacement is a necessary part of Japanese politeness rituals. In the . culture, individuals are encouraged to sell and boast about themsel

18、ves, for example, in performance review or job interview sessions, or else no one would notice their accomplishments. However, the notion of merchandizing oneself does not set well with the Japanese. In Japan, one does not like to stand out or be singled out, even by others; it is far worse to promo

19、te oneself. In many Asian cultures, individuals believe that if their performance is good, their behavior will be noticed, for example, by their supervisors during promotion review situations. However, from the Western cultural standpoint, if my performance is good, I should document or boast about

20、it so that my supervisor will be sure to take notice. This difference is probably due to the observer-sensitive value of the Asian, high-context communication pattern, as opposed to the sender-responsible value of the Western, low-context interaction pattern. We should note that the pattern of verba

21、l self-effacement cannot be generalized to many Arab or African cultures. In Egypt, for example, a popular saying is “Make your harvest look big, lest your enemies rejoice”. Effusive verbal self-enhancement is critical to the enhancement of ones face or honor in some large power distance Arab cultur

22、es. Reading IUnderstanding the Culture of ConversationComprehension questions1. What made the author feel learning to converse in Mexico City was easier for him/her in one way, more difficult in another Its easier because Mexicans service the relationship and they care about everyone in the conversa

23、tion. But their conversation doesnt move in a straight line, drifting around both in the topic and in the way they use words.2. Why did the Mexican customer slide into the topic of the full eclipse of the sun For the Mexican, the conversation starts with one topic, but if another interesting topic s

24、eeps in he or she will ride it around for a while. Sticking to the first topic is less important than having an interesting conversation.3. What did the American businessman feel about the Mexicans way of conversation For the American, a conversation should have a topic, and he wants to take a strai

25、ght line through it from beginning to end. So he felt very impatient about the Mexicans way of conversation.4. What “conversational ideal” was represented by the example of a championship skier who was interviewed on TV The Swedish conversational ideal is to response in a concise manner without elab

26、orating specific details, especially those for self-promotion. .5. What problems are likely to occur if an American talks with a Swede The American may feel totally lost in the conversation since he or she would not get as much information from the Swede as he or she has expected.6. What are the dif

27、ferences between Anglos and Athabaskans in conversation There are a lot differences between them. For instance, at the beginning of a conversation, Anglos almost always speak first. Athabaskans think it is important to know what the social relationship is before they talk with someone. There is anot

28、her difference in how long one should talk. Athabaskans tend to have longer turns when they talk with each other, but Anglos expect shorter turns.7. Is it enough just to learn to speak in grammatically correct manners when one learns a foreign language What else does he or she also need to know It i

29、s far from enough just to learn to speak in grammatically correct manners when one learns a foreign language. One also has to know about the culture of using the language in social life, things like who talks first, who talks next, who opens and closes conversations and how they do it, in order to b

30、e able to use the language in culturally appropriate manners.8. In what ways are Chinese similar to or different from the Americans, Mexicans and Swedes It seems that we Chinese are somewhat similar to Mexicans in the way we are having a conversation. Unlike Americans, we do not usually move in a st

31、raight line in a conversation and may also care much about the others feeling.Reading IIThe Way People SpeakComprehension questions1. Why didnt the American openly disagree with the Italian In general, the American did not enjoy verbal conflicts over politics or anything else.2. What are the differe

32、nces between “high involvement” style and “high considerateness” style Many people from cultures that prefer high involvement styles tend to: (1) talk more; (2) interrupt more; (3) expect to be interrupted; (4) talk more loudly at times; and (5) talk more quickly than those from cultures favoring high considerateness styles. On the other hand, people from cultures that favor high considerateness styles tend to: (1) speak one at a time; (2) use polite listening sounds; (3) refrain from interrupting; and (4) give plenty of positiv