跨文化交际(UNIT 7)

1、Review of Unit 61. What is nonverbal communication? 2. Why is nonverbal behavior significant in intercultural communication?3. Illustrate some cultural differences in nonverbal communication.Intercultural CommunicationUnit 7Time and Space Across Cultures Warm Up Please read the story on page 228. Wh

2、at can we learn from the story?The American and his son have discovered that Latin American use of time and space is very different from theirs back in the United States. They felt astounded at first because they had not expected that there would be such great differences in these aspects of life be

3、tween Latin Americans and North Americans. What they have learned there is not just the Spanish language, but also how time and space is to be used when you interact with people in the new cultural environment. Warm Up What is your sense of time? Go to answer the questions on Group Work (p235-236).P

4、eople who choose very different answers to these questions may find it difficult to communicate and get along with one another, for they are very likely to differ in sense of time and how time should be used. Sometimes we may make unfair judgments on other people and their characters simply because

5、their understanding and use of time are different from ours. ChronemicsChronemics is the study of how people perceive and use time.The sense of time: 1) Time is linear. Western cultures think time is linear a flow from the past to the present to the future. 2) Time is cyclical. Life on earth evolved

6、 in response to the cycles of day and night and the ebb and flow of the tides. ChronemicsMonochronic and Polychronic Time (p256-257) 1. What is M-Time and P-Time? Which do you think is the dominating time system in our culture?1)Monochronic time means paying attention to and doing only one thing at

7、a time events scheduled as separate items. 2)2) Polychronic time means being involved with many things at once.Chronemics2. What is the philosophy underlying each of the time system?1) P-time stresses involvement of people and completion of transactions rather than adherence to present schedules. Ap

8、pointments are not taken as seriously and, as a consequence, are frequently broken. P-time is treated as less tangible than M-time.Weakness: Matters in a polychromic culture seem in a constant state of flux. Appointments are frequently broken.Chronemics2. What is the philosophy underlying each of th

9、e time system?2) In M-time system, social and business life is commonly schedule-dominated. By scheduling, we compartmentalize; this makes it possible to concentrate on one thing at a time, but it also reduces the context. M-time is also tangible. M-time scheduling is used as a classification system

10、 that orders life.Weakness: Life in general is at times unpredictable. M-time reduces the context and alienate people from themselves and from others. Reading IRead the article “The Heartbeat of Culture” (p229-232).1. What does the author want to tell us from his experience in Brazil and the questio

11、nnaire between students in Niteroi and those in Fresno?In Brazil, people seem to be very flexible in their concepts of time and punctuality. Brazilians are likely to attribute lateness for appointments to unforeseen circumstances that the person couldnt control. They seem less inclined to feel perso

12、nally responsible for being late. So they express less regret for their own lateness and blame others less when others are late.Reading IRead the article “The Heartbeat of Culture” (p229-232).1. What does the author want to tell us from his experience in Brazil and the questionnaire between students

13、 in Niteroi and those in Fresno?The Brazilian students believed that a person who is consistently late is probably more successful than one who is consistently on time. They seemed to accept the idea that someone of status is expected to arrive late. Lack of punctuality is a badge of success. Readin

14、g IRead the article “The Heartbeat of Culture” (p229-232).2. There arent unanimous perceptions of time among culturally different people. Even within one country, ideas of time and punctuality vary considerably from place to place. Different regions and even cities have their own distinct rhythms an

15、d rules.3. Appreciating cultural differences in time sense becomes increasingly important as modern communications put more and more people in daily contact. If we are to avoid misreading issues that involve time perceptions, we need to understand better our own cultural biases and those of others.I

16、dentifying Difference: Whats the Rush? (p233-235) People from South America do many things simultaneously, are more concerned with people and the present moment than with schedules, believe that they are in command of time rather than are being controlled by it so they dont rush to do things and ten

17、d to “be late” often. However, people in the United States emphasize schedules, the segmentation of time, and promptness. They prefer to do only one thing at a time and believe that time is money. So, people from South America may think that people in the United States dont understand the true meani

18、ng of life and have no idea of enjoying it while people in the United States may regard people from South America as lazy or irresponsible. American Concept of TimePeople in the United States emphasize schedules, the segmentation of time, and promptness. They prefer to do only one thing at a time an

19、d believe that time is money.Americans see time as a valuable resource. Maybe thats Professionals carry around pocket planners-some in electronic form-to keep track of appointments and deadlines. People do all they can to squeeze more life out of their time. To Americans, punctuality is a way of sho

20、wing respect for other peoples time. Being more than 10 minutes late to an appointment usually calls for an apology, and maybe an explanation. When people plan an event, they often set the time days or weeks in advance. Also, people hesitate to call others late at night for fear they might be in bed

21、. Reading IIRead the article “The Language of Space” (p239-243). What are the differences among Americans, the India, the Japanese and the Arab towards space?In the United States, Hall reports that psychologists have identified four zones from which U.S. people interact: the intimate zone, the perso

22、nal zone, the social zone, and the public zone. The study of spatial territory for the purpose of communication uses four categories for informal space: the intimate distance for embracing or whispering (6-18 inches), the personal distance for conversations among good friends (1.5-4 feet), social di

23、stance for conversations among acquaintances (4-12 feet), and public distance used for public speaking (12 feet or more). Reading IIIn India, there are elaborate rules about how closely members of each caste may approach other castes. In Japan, the private bubble and the personal space are more a cr

24、eation of the mind than an actual existence. The Japanese connect privacy with mental space. In crowds each Japanese becomes an island and he is alone as long as he does not acknowledge any of the other people.In Arab, Arabs of the same sex do stand much closer than North Americans. An Arab entering

25、 an elevator may stand right next to another person and be touching even though no one else is in the elevator. Supplement: ProxemicsA fascinating area in the nonverbal world of body language is that of spatial relationships, or proxemics, the study of mans appreciation and use of space.As a species

26、, man is highly territorial but we are rarely aware of it unless our space is somehow violated. Spatial relationships and territorial boundaries directly influence our daily encounters. Maintaining control over such space is a key factor in personal satisfaction; observing spatial interactions in ev

27、eryday life is a key to personal awareness.Supplement: Proxemics(i)The study of proxemics includes three aspects of space: (a) fixed features of space. (b) semifixed features of space, and (c) personal space(a) fixed features of space For example, a person in the United States can drive on a highway

28、 for miles and never see a sign of people or dwellings. Therefore, he may be amazed at the closeness of people in China. (b) semifixed features of spaceSemifixed features of space refer to spatial arrangements of movable objects within a room, such as furniture arrangement and seating.Supplement: Pr

29、oxemics(c) personal space or private space (p239-241)Behavioral study indicates that individuals perceive a distance that is appropriate for different types of messages; they also establish a comfortable distance for personal interaction and nonverbally define this as their personal space. Research

30、supports the hypothesis that the violation of this personal space can have serious adverse effects on communication. Thus, if an individual is to be mutually satisfied in a communication encounter his/her personal space must be respected. Should an intruder invade this personal space while also tres

31、passing within territorial boundaries he placed himself in double jeopardy and must compensate for the others increased anxiety. Supplement: Territoriality Territoriality refers to how space can be used to communicate messages. Territorial claims differ from personal space in that the personal zone

32、accompanies the individual while territoriality is relatively stationary. Semi-fixed feature space is often the criteria used to establish a territory within any environment; it becomes a mans safety zone where he rests from the rigors of defending personal space from invasion, the dramatic or sudde

33、n entry into anothers personal zone. Humans, like animals, indicate their ownership of this established territory and will consequently defend it against all invasions. Supplement: TerritorialityCompare the differences among the cultures of the countries mentioned in “Home in Various Cultures” (p244

34、-247).America: showing visitors around home; people are not allowed to lock doors except the bathroom door; kitchen is the place for negotiation between the mother and the children; the parents bedroom is mostly off-limits.Germany: requires a wide area of privacy, formal and regimented; doors are fi

35、rmly shut between rooms; an entrance hall to lead visitors into the house without showing specific rooms and spoiling the familys privacy.Northern European countries: rude if not call in advance; not to expect the tour of the hosts home.Supplement: Territoriality France: never drop in unannounced; n

36、o tour of the house; guests are usually received in the living room, with the doors to the other rooms closed.Italy: you can drop in anytime without calling first, except for the resting hours of 2:00 to 4:00 pm.Spain: call ahead; normal visiting hours are 4:00 to 6:00 pm.Latin American countries: g

37、uests, even dropping in without warning, are greeted warmly, often with hugs and kisses; to communicate in the dining room.The Middle Eastern countries: the layout of the salon; Case StudyCase 25 (Page 250-251) In this case, to the Chinese director as well as many other Chinese people, it is natural

38、 to handle the other things which needed to be dealt with immediately. He may have thought that, in this way, he utilized the time best. But to Katherine and most Westerners, its quite different. They tend to do things strictly according to their schedule and appointments with others, which is their

39、 concept of using time best. Case StudyCase 26 (Page 251)Jack felt his privacy violated and Jack immediately showed his emotion as a conditioned reflex, which wrote on the look ,saying “I am completely not happy to see you”. A few seconds later, he smiled and said, “Hi, Magid, come on in.” This obvi

40、ous change on his face was certainly noticed by Magid. Jack had to pretend he was very happy to see Magid, but he was so displeased with this dear old friend for not having phoned to say he was coming that he might have expressed his unhappiness from time to time through nonverbal messages, such as

41、facial expressions, hand movements and body postures. These messages might contradict his words. Magid could more or less perceive this subtle awkwardness that he might be perplexed about.Case StudyCase 27 (Page 252) We Chinese people usually attach great importance to taking good care of our guests. We often go out of our way to make a guest feel comfortable, an