跨文化交际教程案例分析答案

1、Casel:An Interview in IndiaCase analysis: The case is about an interview between an American program host and an Indian interviewee. They talk about some aspectsof Indian culture and the changes occurred these years. The case reflects some basic cultural elements people may find in all cultures: lan

2、guage, family pattern, marriage, wedding ceremony, food and the way to eat food, etc. From this case, guide the students in culture study and culture comparison. The students should realize that there are both similarities anddifferences in culture. Culture is in fact very dynamic and pervasive.Case

3、2:White DressCaseanalysis: The Indian women might think thewedding ceremony is a funeral if they see the western bride in white gown. The case reflects the similes and metaphors in the text. Culture is like an iceberg: we can identify the color of the dress worn by women in different cultures, but w

4、e do not know the values underneath. Culture is like the water a fish swims in: people wear dress of different colors for different context but they usually take it for granted and never ask why.Case3:The French in North AmericaCaseanalysis: The French were able to seeIndian behavior only in the lig

5、ht of their own hierarchical social system, where it is natural for the few to command and the many to obey. Social systems that worked on other principles were literally unimaginable.Case4:Coconut-skatingCaseanalysis: The case reflects the characteristics of culture. We can tell from the casethat c

6、ulture is pervasive and it 'learned. People may invent different ways for things even as simple as the issueof floor moping. The Philippine woman must have learned this way of mopping from her own culture.Case5:A Black Girl ; IdentityCase analysis: Although we may say that identities are constit

7、uted by our communication, it is obvious from the case that we cannot simply choose at any moment what our identity will be regardless of the context. First, we often do not share the recipe for certain identities with others even if we belong to the same ethnicity, gender, or nationality. Understan

8、ding this can help us avoid some of the broad assumptions made about groups of people based on the reflective way of thinking. Second, as we learned in the very first chapter, all meaning in communication is to some extent situational. Thus, the context mediates what identities we can choose. Someti

9、mes things one may have no control over, such as age or skin color, are seen as essential parts of how one communicates an identity.Case6HippiesCase analysis: Hippies could be defined as a subgroup, as the hippies culture tends to be temporary. In modern American society, hippies culture could also

10、find traits, but it has wide spread influence on American value system.Case7Clean up theBathroom!Case analysis: Cultural differences decide the two students are going to communicate in different ways. The Chinese student wants the American student to understand the underlying means of his words, but

11、 the American student is used to the direct style of communication. This is decided by culture. In Chinese culture, people want to save face of both themselves and others, so they would not express their ideas directly. However, in the United States, unless you express yourself clearly and directly,

12、 the others cannot understandyou.Case8:SheHas Three HandsThis case can reflect the different communication styles between Chinese and Canadians. In western cultures, communication is the means of transmitting ideas. Western people usually communicate directly with each other. That is why the Canadia

13、n in this case says what is in his mind directly in front of the Chinese woman without hiding anything. While Chinese culture stresses harmony and emphasizes the relationships between the communicators. Chinese people view communication as a process where all parties are searching to develop and mai

14、ntain asocial relationship. So the Chinese woman in this casetries not to argue with the Canadian face to face to keep the “ harmoniouselationship between them.Case9:A Pieceof CakeThis casewants us to recognize some components of communication. Sender/sourcerefers to the person who transmits a messa

15、ge.Receiver is any person who notices and gives some meaning to a message. Context refers to a setting or situation within which communication takes place. In this case, Marilyn and Richard are simultaneously the senders and receivers. And their room, where the communication event happens and which

16、makes the couple feel comfortable and relaxed, is just the context.Case10:The Placeto Have LunchThis case reflects that communication is contextual, which means that communication does not happen in isolation and it must happen within a setting or context. Whether this context is quiet or noisy is i

17、mportant to the smoothness of communication. When the communication event is disturbed by noise, the communication can not go smoothly. In this case,Case11:Making an AppointmentThis case can reflect how culture affects its communication style. Each culture encourages a particular communication style

18、 expected within it. This implies not only using correct symbols, but also applying the appropriate communication style for the occasion. Communication styles include mannerisms, phrases, rituals, and communication customs appropriate for various situations in a culture. In this case, knowing the co

19、mmunication style of the Americans which is characterized by direct, exacting and instrumental, the exporter manager fulfills his job successfully.Case12:Why Don' You Eat the Pizza?This case can reflect the problems appearing during intercultural communication and how ignoring cultural differenc

20、es can affect communication. In Malaysia, where most people are Muslims, people think the left hand is used only for cleaning the body and thus it is dirty and can not be used to pass food. Knowing nothing about the cultural difference, the American student puts himself in an embarrassing situation.

21、Case13:We and They?This case reflects that in intercultural communication, people always regard themselves as the best group in the world. This is actually inappropriate and should be avoided.Case20:ChineseHospitality OverdoneThis case reflects that sometimes people unconsciously assume that people

22、from another culture may behave in a way which is similar to theirs. The Chinese usually attach a lot of importance to taking care of their guests. When it comes to a foreign visitor, Chinese hospitality is usually more than what can be understood by a Westerner, who is uncomfortable when he is alwa

23、ys surrounded by people attempting to be kind. Concerning this case, Hong tried to respect her traditions and her friend by doing more than shecould really afford to do for Joe'svisit, having no idea that Joe ended up feeling frustrated.Case21:A DanishWoman in New YorkThis case can reflect assum

24、ing similarity instead of difference. When communicating with people from another culture, one is likely to regard and treat other people as " hieople and to assume there must be only one way of doing things: that is “ hisway” .In this case, the Danish woman assumesthat her behavior of leaving

25、the baby alone, which is common in Denmark, is also appropriate in New York. Here, she assumes what is suitable in her own culture is also indisputable in another culture. That is why the small conflict happens.Case22:AmbiguousTimeThis case can reflect ethnocentrism. Cultures train their members to

26、use the categories of their own cultural experiences when judging the experiences of people from other cultures. They will believe that their culture is the center of the world and their standardshould be the role model for the rest of the world. Concerning this case, somehow Chinese people have hab

27、itually referred 12:00 a.m. as the time around lunchtime, making 12 : 00 p.m. midnight. Fortunately, the way they tell other times are the same as that used in the States, so there's usually no misunderstanding between people from the two cultures. However, there is this one difference and Fan l

28、earns it by paying a fine since shemay hold that her culture is the center of the world.Case23:Girl-nessThis case can reflect one of the translation problems: the lack of conceptual equivalence, which refers to abstract ideas that may not exist in the same fashion in different languages. Different c

29、ultures may attach different meanings to the same thing or person.Concerning this case, we should know what young females call themselves is very different in China from the States. In China, "girl" means someone who is young and single. In a way, it makes a female sound more desirable to

30、be called a girl rather than a woman. For most people, "woman" means someone who is married and who probably is not young. In fact, most single Chinese females, such as university students, would be insulted to be called "women". While in the West, in formal, public settings, it

31、is customary to call any woman who is past puberty a woman, eventhough she may not be legally old enough to vote, marry, purchase alcoholic beverages, drive a car, or sign a contract. This terminology became widespread during the "women's liberation movement in the 1960s”. The term "&#

32、39;girl" is sometimes interpreted to be demeaning or disrespectful.Case24:An Unfair DecisionThis case reflects prejudice, which involves an unfair, biased, or intolerant attitude towards another group of people. In this case, Mr. Bias decidedto selectsomeoneelse, insteadof applicant from the co

33、untry Levadel, for the position. That is just becausehe holds prejudice towards peoplefrom thecountry Levadel.Case25:SuccesSStoryOne of the sources of the frustration and misunderstandings that occurred in this case was different notions of what was verbally relevant. In this case, Mary was expectin

34、g a much more direct response to her question. Ms. Goshima, however, was uncomfortable with the question and felt her responseshould be very indirect and establish a proper senseof modesty before revealing the answer to the question. If Mary had been more patient, she would have eventually heard the

35、 answer to her question, but she was not really paying attention when it finally came because she felt that Ms. Goshima's comments weren't really relevant to her query.Case26:Slogansand the Importance of LanguageThe intercultural encounters we experience are not only influenced by language a

36、nd perceptual differences, and language choice based on restricted and elaborated social situations, but also on language and how it is translated for members of a culture. For many reasons linguistic interpretation and semantics provide the source of numerous misunderstandings. For instance, an ins

37、urance company discovered that fires inadvertently occurred because warehouse employees acted carelessly around "empty" barrels of gasoline, although they previously had exercised great caution around "full" drums of gasoline. The terms full and empty seemto mask the real danger

38、in working with gasoline drums. Empty drums are extremely combustible, while full drums pose far less threat. The linguistic perception of the word empty in the general culture signified null or void, but in the work culture of volatile products like gasoline the semantic "interpretation"

39、was disastrous. A story is told of a Christian Scientist who refused to take vitamins, since the recommender described them as "medicine." However, the same person gladly took the vitamins when he was told they were "food."Case28The dialogue takes place between a young couple who

40、 have been dating for a short time. The man is a U.S. student, and the woman is from an Asian culture. Note the misunderstanding that results as a consequenceof the use of direct and indirect modes of communication.In all likelihood, Jim is not going to get much of an answer from Michiko. She contin

41、ues throughout the dialogue using rather general answers to Jim's very specific and direct questions about her feelings toward the United States. Michiko might believe that Jim is being far too direct and invading her privacy. Besides, the fact that she has traveled halfway around the world shou

42、ld lie indicative of her desire to be here, right? There must he something about the United Statesthat attracted her. Michiko cannot possibly say something critical about the United States becauseshe would lose face, as would Jim, as a native. She relies on imprecise and indefinite answers.Case29Mis

43、understandingIdioms are simply statements that are not strictly true, but their meaning is understood by a group of people. If you ask what happenedto Martha and people say, "She kicked the bucket," it does not mean that she literally did this; it meansshedied. Just like in the case my stu

44、dent's friend did not literally mean that Shang should get out of the apartment. Idioms are common in all cultures, but when used in intercultural settings they can create a lot of confusion. One potential area of misunderstanding related to idioms is when to use them and with whom. For example,

45、 I would not use the "kick the bucket" idiom just any setting or with just any person. If I am talking with my grandmother and I am going to tell her about someone who has died, I may use what is often perceived as a gentler idiom and say the person has "passed away." Understandi

46、ng the context of when an idiom is appropriate or sensible is part of intercultural knowledge.Case31:GoingOut to EatIn the interaction, Jim is a student at a local university. He was born and raised in the United States. Akira is an exchange student from Japan. Jim and Akira are eating dinner togeth

47、er in a local restaurant. They have known each other for only a short time. Not only is Jim's style of communication overtly personal, but he's also quite direct.Jim is trying to involve Akira in the conversation by relating to him his personal experiences and preferences. Jim uses the first

48、 person "I" no fewer than eleven times and even refers to Akira as "Buddy." Akira never refers to himself in the first person; Akira generally defers to Jim and says little, even addressing Jim as "Mr. Jim." As a foreigner, Akira probably sees Jim as socially superior a

49、nd uses a formal title. Moreover, rather than talking about his personal preferences, Akira mentions that Japanesepeople enjoy restaurants.Case32:What Is Wrong with the Interaction?This case can reflect different nonverbal communication patterns exist in the actual intercultural communication. Nonve

50、rbal communication differs according to different cultures. People might have different opinions about the proper space, time, body language and paralanguage. If we don' pay attention to intercultural nonverbal communication, we will have some misunderstanding and conflict. In this case, Jim (an

51、 American), Mitsuko and Akira (two Japanese)belong to totally different cultures; they have very different opinions about the space and body languages. Therefore, Mitsuko and Akira felt uncomfortable when Jim gave some exaggerated body language and kept close spacedistance in communication.Case33:Th

52、is case can reflect different nonverbal communication patterns exist in the actual intercultural communication, especially facial expression differ according to different cultures. Compared to most Chinese, Americans like to smile a lot and to have causal and rich facial expressions in their daily l

53、ives, even though they have some misfortune. In this case, becauseof the different opinions about facial expressions in intercultural communication, the American lady talked about her father sickness and death in a smiling way to show she still has the optimistic way to treat the future life, which

54、is misunderstood as being indifferent and selfish by the Chinese. Case34:What Is Sue's Problem?This case can reflect nonverbal intercultural communication should be according to the different context, too. Context refers to the actual setting when communication occurs and is also important in no

55、nverbal communication. In this case, Sue knew how to wai and she knew that bowing was generally important in the Thai culture, but, as is so easy to do in a new environment, she forgot to consider the context. Relational hierarchy is very important in Thailand. Sue' s deferential actions may hav

56、e appropriate in certain settings, but given her status of elder visitor such actions directed toward the children were extremely confusing and uncomfortable for the students and teachers alike.Case35:A QuarrelThis case can reflect the different use and understanding of silence can influence the act

57、ual intercultural communication. Different culture might have different interpretations to the silence. The Eastern culture usually attaches more meanings to silence, while the most western cultures consider silence to be absenceof communication and most rude communicative behavior. In this case,Li

58、Hua wanted to provide the opportunity for them to calm down and think about the matters carefully and so she kept silence, while this silence was misunderstood by Smith as the absenceof communication and he might think Li Hua looked down upon him and becameangrier.Case36:Don' Put Your Hand onMy

59、ArmThis case can reflect different cultures have different opinions to spatial relations. Different cultures have very different opinions about an individual unconsciously structuring the microspace immediately surrounding the physical body. Some cultures can have relatively close distance when comm

60、unicating while other cultures cannot. Some western cultures consider body touch between people of the same gender to be cultural taboo and a symbol of being homosexual. In this case, Sam is from western cultures and knows the social taboo of body touch very clearly, so he wouldn ' let others misunderstand Mark' close body distance and touch with him, even though