跨文化交际课程unit4讲解学习

1、跨文化交际课程unit4ContentsContentsmVerbal Communication: Culturally loaded words Cultural reflections on proverbs and taboosmNonverbal Communication: Time language Space language Body language ParalanguageWarm-up cases (verbal communication)Warm-up cases (verbal communication)Case 1 It is said that in Rom

2、e, in front of a shoe store, there was such a sign to attract English-speaking customers: Shoes for street walking. Come in and have a fit. The sign caught the attention of many English-speaking tourists, but not to look at the shoes displayed in the windows, but to read the sign and then break out

3、into laughter. The Italian shop owner did not realize that a street walker means a prostitute, while to have a fit does not mean to have a try, but to become suddenly and violently angry or upset. No wonder the amusement and laughter! Question: Why did the Italian shop owner make such a mistake ?Cas

4、e 2 Roger was the Personnel Executive (人事执行员) of a large American multinational firm. In 1996, Roger was working in Brazil to help promote their business. One evening, there was a party, attended by both his employees from the United States and many Brazilian business people. At the party, Roger bum

5、ped into Rosalita, a Brazilian woman he had known for some time. Roger generally had a very good impression of Rosalita and always felt at ease with her, so that he felt free to tell jokes and share personal thoughts, and talk about Brazil and Brazilian life without having the worries of offending R

6、osalita. During the party, Rosalita said to Roger, Id like to introduce you to one of my good friends. She is a very capable woman and is presently thinking of working in a joint venture so she can provide a better living for her large family. She is very much interested in your company. Hearing tha

7、t, Roger smiled and replied, Ok, but I just hope I dont get hustled. Unfortunately, Rogers replay made Rosalita quite upset. Very soon she excused herself as politely as she could, and did not speak with Roger for the rest of the evening. Question for discussion: Roger was confused by Rosalitas beha

8、vior. Could you give him an explanation ?CommentCommentmThe problem resulted from the misunderstanding of the word hustle.mIn colloquial American English, there are at least two meanings for the word hustle. As a Personnel Executive of a large American multinational firm, Roger must have attended ma

9、ny parties. At these parties, he will always encounter people eager to get a job from him in his company, so he often gets hustled. This is just what Roger was implying to Rosalita regarding her friend.mHowever the word hustle has another meaning in which romance or sex is hinted. Rosalita must have

10、 thought Roger was referring to this and considered it as an insult to her friend.Culturally loaded wordsCulturally loaded wordsmWhat is culturally loaded words? Loaded words and phrases are those which have strong emotional overtones (n. 暗示，弦外音，寓意) or connotations (n. 涵义，言外之意), and which evoke stro

11、ngly positive or negative reactions beyond their literal meaning. Can you find the equivalent words in EnglishCan you find the equivalent words in English for these Chinese words? for these Chinese words? 龙- dragon 干部- cadre 社会科学- social science or the humanitiesInterpretationsInterpretations1. 龙 In

12、 Chinese culture, it is a totem with many royal associations and a symbol of power and prosperity. In English culture, dragon refers to horrible, disgusting monsters.2.2.干部干部 In Chinese culture, it represents a small group of people who are specially chosen and trained for a particular purpose. In E

13、nglish culture, many people dont know what it means. It is not a common word. There are Some other substitutes like official, functionary, administrator, etc.4.4.社会科学社会科学 Social Sciences in Chinese covers all the fields except the ones in the natural science and applied sciences. Same as “the humani

14、ties” in English. While in English, “social sciences” cover a smaller area of learning. It includes political science, economics, history (often classified under the humanities) and sociology. Questions for discussionQuestions for discussionmWhat makes the different understandings of the words that

15、are considered the same in surface?mHow can we define the word meaning ? According to Semantics, the meaning of one content word is composed of connotation meaning and denotation meaning Connotation meaning is literal meaning while denotation meaning is associated with some social factors, such as c

16、ulture.ProverbsProverbs The proverbs that we can find the equal version both in Chinese and EnglishmMan proposes, God disposes 尽人事，听天命。/ 谋事在人，成事在天mIt is a sin to steal a pin 勿以恶小而为之，勿以善小而不为mRevenge is a dish that could be eaten cold 君子报仇，十年不晚mEvery dog has its day 风水轮流转 The proverbs that we can not

17、find the equal versions.良药苦口利于病，忠言逆耳利于行一人得道，鸡犬升天An apple a day keeps the doctor awayLet sleeping dogs lie Lightening never strikes the same place Lightening never strikes the same place twicetwice There are more than two Chinese versions: 福无双至? or 祸不单行? or 坏事不过二? Please choose the proper words for e

18、ach phrase hare horse snail mouse bee mule as busy as a _ as slow as a _ as stubborn as a _ as timid as a _as strong as a _as poor as a church _ beesnailmuleharehorsemouseTaboosTaboos Definition: a cultural or religious custom that does not allow people to do, use or talk about a particular thing as

19、 people find it offensive or embarrassing.DieDiemGo or departmdepart from this worldmgo to a better worldmgo the ways of all fleshmpass awaymlate In Chinese, we also can find similar euphemisms: “去了”, “离开了我们”, “辞世”, “去见马克思了”, “归西”,“升天”, “上路” Nonverbal CommunicationNonverbal Communication What is non

20、verbal communication ? The process by which nonverbalbehaviors are used, either singly or in combination with verbal behaviors.Functions of nonverbal communicationFunctions of nonverbal communicationCase 3 Left in the coldCase 3 Left in the cold Katherine came to Beijing in 2010 and found a job as a

21、n English teacher in a foreign language institute. Soon after her classes began, she found that her students showed no interest in her teaching style. Quite a few of them avioded attending her class. She was feeling quite upset and discouraged so she decided to ask the Director, Prof. Wang, for help

22、. Prof. Wang reviewed his timetable and suggested they meet at ten oclock on Thursday morning. When Thursday came, Katherine arrived at Prof. Wangs office at the exactly ten oclock finding him talking with another teacher in Chinese. Seeing that she had come, Prof. Wang smiled and gestured her to si

23、t down. Katherine sat down and the professor excused himself and continued to talk with the other teacher. After five minutes, he finished his conversation, and apologized to katherine, and began to focus his attention on her situation. Prof. Wang showed great concern and asked her what the problem

24、was. Just as she was discussing her problem, another Chinese teacher interrupted, with a form that required the Directors signature. The Director smiled, apologized to Katherine again, and turned to talk with the Chinese teacher in Chinese. katherine became impatient, and wondered why their discussi

25、on should be interrupted since she had made an appointment. Also, she was upset and frustrated that they continued, she was apparently unhappy about what had happened. How should you explain the Directors behavior toward Katherine? How would you make the Director understand why Katherine felt frustr

26、ated and angry?Four types of nonverbal communicationFour types of nonverbal communicationmTime languagemMonochronic Time: punctuality and promptness It is usually found in Northern American, Western and Northern European Cultures.mPolychronic Time: more flexible and human-centered It is usually foun

27、d in Latin American, African, Arab and most Asian cultures.Space languageSpace language Spatial language refers to body distance and body touch. They vary with different cultures. Lets take the north American Zones of Space for example : (1) Intimate distance: 0-45 centimeters (2) Personal distance:

28、 45-80 centimeters (friends, acquaintances and relatives) (3) Social distance: 1.30 meters-3 meters (colleagues, busniesspartner, social gatherings) (4) Public distance: farther than 2 or 3 meters (generally for speakers in public and for teachers in classrooms)Body distance in different culturesBod

29、y distance in different culturesmShort MShort Mediterranean Europeansediterranean Europeans Northern EuropeansNorthern Europeans Japanese JapanesemMedium Medium Latins Latins Americans AmericansmLong Long Mediterranean ArabsMediterranean ArabsTouch Culture VS. Non-touch CultureTouch Culture VS. Non-

30、touch CulturemTouch Culture:Touch Culture: Cultures of Arabs, Southern Cultures of Arabs, Southern and Western Europeans, Jews and Latinsand Western Europeans, Jews and LatinsmNon-touch Culture: Non-touch Culture: Cultures of Americans, Cultures of Americans, Northern Europeans and OrientalsNorthern

31、 Europeans and OrientalsBody LanguageBody Language Body language refers to the non-verbal behavior related to movement, either of any part of the body, or the body as a whole. In short all communicative body movements are generally classified as body language. It can be classified into five types: p

32、osture, gestures, facial expression, eye contact and smell.1. posture1. postureWhat does their posture means? The same posture in different culturesThe same posture in different cultures In US, this posture means comfortable and friendly; In US, this posture means comfortable and friendly; In Arab a

33、nd Thailand, the sole In Arab and Thailand, the sole should never be pointed in should never be pointed in the direction of another persothe direction of another person; n; In In GermanyGermany, , SwedenSweden or or ChinaChina, it is , it is a sign of rudeness and a sign of rudeness and poor manersp

34、oor maners. . 2. gestures2. gestures If we want to point to objects and people, we have different ways in different cultures as following: In German, we use the gesture on left picture and the gesture on right picture in Japan to convey the same meanig.US: this gesture is OKIn China: this gesture is

35、 rudeLatin American countries and Germany: obsceneUS: OKTunisian:I will kill you.Japan and Korea: moneyArabs: (a baring of teeth)extreme hostility Nodding the headNodding the headIn north America: up and down: I agreeIn the Middle EastNodding the head down: I agree up: I disagreeIn Japan: I am liste

36、ning.Sign of telling sb to come closerSign of telling sb to come closerChineseAmerican3.3.Facial expressionsFacial expressionsSadnessmMediterranean coultures: exaggerate signs of grief or sadnessmen crying in publicmAmerican: suppress the emotionsmJapanese: hide expressions of anger, sorrow, or disa

37、ppointmentlaughing or smilingmChinese: control emotionssaving faceS SmilemilemAmerican: a sign of happiness or friendly affirmationmJapanese: mask an emotion or avoid answering a questionmKorean: too much smiling a shallow personmThailand: the land of Smiles4. Eye contact4. Eye contactNorth American

38、s: direct eye contact means a sign of honesty If not, a sign of untruthfulness, shame or embarrassmentChinese: avoid long direct eye contact to show politeness, or respect, or obedienceJapanese: prolonged eye contact is considered rude, threatening and disrespectful.Latin American and Caribbean peop

39、le: avoid a sign of respect5. Smell5. SmellmFilipinos: sensory-information gatheringmAmericans: feel umcomfortable with natural smellsmMany other cultures: natural odor is normalParalanguage Paralanguage Voice modulation carries very strong emotional overtones;mTempo in speech also illustrates cultural variation and can serve as an emotional indication;mVolume varies wi