跨文化交际英语教程答案-新编跨文化交际英语教程

Unit1CommunicationAcrossCulturesWarmUpQuestionsWhyisitdifficulttoexplaintoablindpersonwhatcolorsare?Doyousometimesfindithardtomakeyourselfproperlyunderstoodbyothers?Ifyoudo,whydoyouthinkitishard?Itisverydifficultforpeopletounderstandoneanotheriftheydonotsharethesameexperiences.Ofcourse,weallsharetheexperienceofbeinghuman,buttherearemanyexperienceswhichwedonotshareandwhicharedifferentforallofus.Itisthesedifferentexperiencesthatmakeupwhatiscalled―culture‖inthesocia－lsctiheencheasbitsofeverydaylife,thecuestowhichpeoplerespond,theautomaticreactionstheyhavetowhatevertheyseeandhear.Theseoftendiffer,andthedifferencesmayintroducemisunderstandingswhereweseekunderstanding.ReadingIInterculturalCommunication：AnIntroductionComprehensionquestionsIsitstilloftenthecasethat“everyone?squicktoblamethealien”inthecoThisisstillpowerfulintoday‘ssocialandpoliticalrhetoric.Forinstance,itisnotuncommonitoday‘ssocietytohearpeoplesaythatmost,ifnotall,ofthesocialandeconomicproblemsarecausedbyminoritiesandimmigrants.What?sthedifferencebetweentoday?sinterculturalcontactandthatofanytimeinthepast?Today‘sinterculturalencountersarefarmorenumerousandofgreaterimportancethaninanytimeinhistory.Whathavemadeinterculturalcontactaverycommonphenomenoninourlifetoday?6Newtechnology,intheformoftransportationandcommunicationsystems,hasacceleratedinterculturalcontact;innovativecommunicationsystemshaveencouragedandfacilitatedculturalinteraction;globalizationoftheeconomyhasbroughtpeopletogether;changesinimmigrationpatternshavealsocontributedtointerculturalencounter.Howdoyouunderstandthesentence“cultureiseverythingandeverywhere”?Culturesuppliesuswiththeanswerstoquestionsaboutwhattheworldlookslikeandhowweliveandcommunicatewithinthatworld.Cultureteachesushowtobehaveinourlifefromtheinstantofbirth.Itisomnipresent.Whatarethemajorelementsthatdirectlyinfluenceourperceptionandcommunication?Thethreemajorsocio-culturalelementsthatdirectlyinfluenceperceptionandcommunicationareculturalvalues,worldview(religion),andsocialorganizations(familyandstate).Whatdoesone?sfamilyteachhimorherwhileheorshegrowsupinit?Thefamilyteachesthechildwhattheworldlookslikeandhisorherplaceinthatworld.Whyisitimpossibletoseparateouruseoflanguagefromourculture?Becauselanguageisnotonlyaformofpreservingculturebutalsoameansofsharingculture.Languageisanorganized,generallyagreed-upon,learnedsymbolsystemthatisusedtorepresenttheexperienceswithinaculturalcommunity.Whatarethenonverbalbehaviorsthatpeoplecanattachmeaningto?Peoplecanattachmeaningtononverbalbehaviorssuchasgestures,postures,facialexpressions,eyecontactandgaze,touch,etc.Howcanafree,culturallydiversesocietyexist?Afree,culturallydiversesocietycanexistonlyifdiversityispermittedtoflourishwithoutprejudiceanddiscrimination,bothofwhichharmallmembersofthesociety.DiscoveringProblems:SlimIsBeautiful?QuestionsfordiscussionWhichdoyouthinkisthemarkofbeauty,thinorfat?Whyisitoftensaidthatbeautyisintheeyeofbeholder?OnesociologistoncesaidthatwiththegreaterinfluenceofAmericancultureacrosstheworld,thestandardofabeautyisbecomingmoreandmoreHollywood-like,characterizedbyachiseledchinandatall,slimfigure.OnecanseesuchbeautifulimagesinalmostanyAmericanmovie.WeChinesealsosharethenotionthatthestandardideaofbeautyincludesbeingtall,thin,andlightskinned.Itseemsthatwiththeprocessofglobalization,easternandwesternbeautieslookmoreandmorealike.7Butwehavetorememberthatthedefinitionofbeautydiffersfromculturetoculture.Forexample,Hispanicstandardsoffemalebeautyaretohavebighips,amoderatetan,andashortheight.Asisdescribedinthearticle,insoutheasternNigeria,Coca-Cola-bottlevoluptuousnessiscelebratedandamplebacksidesandbosomsareconsideredidealsoffemalebeauty.What‘smore,theidealstandardofbeautyvariesfromtimetotime.Forinstance,duringtimesoffamine,theidealstandardofbeautyforwomenisamuchlargerbodysize.Largersizeandmorebodyfatmayreflectone‘sstatus;foritsuggeststhatthepersoniswellfedandhealthy.Thinnethenwouldreflectmalnutrition.However,duringtimesofplenty,plumpnessisnotareflectionofstatus.Peoplemayeasilyassociatefatnesswithhypertension,heartdiseaseorotherpotentialdiseases.Likewise,duringerasinwhichlower-classlaborshadtotoilpredominantlyoutsideforhoursaday,tannedskinwasanindicationoflowerstatus,andthereforetheidealstandardoffemalebeautywasverypaleskin;womenduringthosetimesactuallyusedalotofwhitepowderedcosmeticstoexaggeratethepalenessoftheirskin.Now,however,tanisareflectionofhavingmoreleisuretimespentonseashoresinsteadofworkinginanofficeallthetime,andthereforeitmaysuggesthigherstatus,sowomenstrivefordarkerskintones.Itistruethatbeautyisintheeyeofthebeholderbecausepeopleofdifferentculturesandindifferentsituationsmayhavedifferentideasaboutwhatisbeautifulandwhatisnot.GroupWorkFirstsharewithyourgroupmemberwhateverexperiencesyouhavehadincommunicationeventsthatcanbeconsideredasintercultural.Thenworktogethertodecidewhethereachofthefollowingcasesofcommunicationispossiblyinterculturalornotand,ifitis,towhatextentitisintercultural.Trytoplaceallthecasesalongacontinuumofinterculturalness,fromthemostinterculturaltotheleastintercultural.Allthecasesmayseemtobeinterculturalbuttheydifferintheextenttowhichtheyareintercultural.Howeveritmaybeverydifficultforustoplaceallthesecasesalongacontinuumofinterculturalnessfromthemostinterculturaltotheleastintercultural,formanyotherfactorshavetobetakenintoconsiderationifwehavetodecidewhichismoreinterculturalthananother.Forinstance,whethercommunicationbetweenamalemanagerandafemalesecretaryisinterculturalornotand,ifitis,howinterculturalitmaybe,maydependontheculturalandsocialbackgroundsofthetwopersons.Iftheyarefromdrasticallydifferentcultures,communicationbetweenthemissurelyinterculturalandmaybeveryintercultural.Iftheyarefromthesameculture,communicationbetweenthemmaybelittleintercultural.Thefollowingistentativelysuggestedformeasuringtheinterculturalnessofthecasesofcommunication,andthecasesarepresentedfromthemostinterculturaltotheleastintercultural:CommunicationbetweenaChineseuniversitystudentandanAmericanprofessor;CommunicationbetweenaCanadiangirlandaSouthAfricanboy;Communicationbetweenafirst-generationChineseAmericanandthirdgenerationone;CommunicationbetweenabusinesspersonfromHongKongandanartistfromXian;CommunicationbetweenateenagerfromBeijingandateenagerfromTibet;8Communicationbetweenafatherwhoisafarmerallhislifeandhissonwhoworksasanengineer;Communicationbetweenasoftwaretechnicianandafisherman;Communicationbetweenamalemanagerandafemalesecretary(supposingtheyareofthesimilarculturalandsocialbackgrounds).DebateTheclassistobedividedintotwogroupsanddebateonthetwodifferentviewsmentionedinthefollowingoninterculturalcommunication.Stateyourpointofviewclearlyandsupportyourargumentwithconvincingandsubstantiveevidence.Pro:Peoplearepeople;moreinteractionswouldleadtogreaterunderstandingofeachother.（Commonalityprecedes）Con:Peopleareshapedbydifferentenvironmentstheyfindthemselvesin,therefore,thedifferenceoverrides.(Differencesprecedes)PossibleArgumentsforPro:Humanbeingstendtodrawclosetooneanotherbytheircommonnature.Weallsharethecommonbasicneeds.Rapidexpansionofworldwidetransportationandcommunicationnetworkshavemadeitfareasierthaneverbeforeforpeoplethroughouttheworldtocontactwithoneanother.Theprocessofglobalizationmayreducetheregionaldifferencesbetweenpeopleallovertheworld.Weareallmembersofthe―globalvillage‖.Economicinterdependenceintoday‘sworldrequirespeopleofdifferentcountriestointeractanunprecedentedscale,andmoreinteractionwillresultinmoresimilarityamongpeople.Moreandmorepeoplefromvariouscultureshavetoworkandlivetogetherandtheywilladapttoeachothertosuchanextentthatculturaldifferencesbetweenthemmaynolongermatter.PossibleArgumentsforCon:Peoplethroughouttheworldmaybesimilarinmanyaspects,butdifferencesinhabitsandcustomskeepthemapart.Thoughthebasichumanneedsareuniversallythesame,peopleallovertheworldsatisfytheirbasiccommonhumanneedsindifferentways.Asoursocietyisbecomingmoreandmorediversified,differencesbetweenpeopletendtogrowlargerinsomeaspects.Itisdifferencesbetweenpeoplethatunderliethenecessityofcommunication,anditdoesnotfollowthatcommunicationwhichmayincreasethepossibilityofunderstandingbetweenpeoplewillalwaysreducedifferences.Peoplenowadaysaremorelikelytotrytomaintaintheiruniqueculturalidentitieswhentheyfindthemselveslivingcloselywithpeopleofothercultures.9Fromthetwoseeminglyoppositeviewpoints,wecanlearnsomethingthatweshouldkeepinmindwhenweareinvolvedininterculturalcommunication.First,allhumanbeingssharesomecommonheritagesthatlinkustooneanother.Tosomeextent,peoplethroughouttheworldareprettymuchalikeinmanyaspects,andthathasformedtheverybasisonwhichitispossibleforpeopleofvariousculturestocommunicate.However,whatwehavetorealizeisthattherearealsovastdifferencesbetweenpeoplefromvariousculturalgroups.Toreallyunderstandapersonwhoseculturalbackgroundisdifferentfromyourscanbeverydifficult,forbothyouandthatpersonmaybesubconsciouslyinfluencedbyeachone‘sownculturalupbringing.Inasense,whatweshoininterculturalcommunicationistotreatpeopleofotherculturesbothasthesamewithandasdifferentfromus.ReadingIITheChallengeofGlobalizationComprehensionquestionsWhydoestheauthorsaythatourunderstandingoftheworldhaschanged?Manythings,suchaspoliticalchangesandtechnologicaladvances,havechangedtheworldveryrapidly.Inthepastmosthumanbeingswereborn,lived,anddiedwithinalimitedgeographicalarea,neverencounteringpeopleofotherculturalbackgrounds.Suchanexistence,however,nolongerprevailsintheworld.Thus,allpeoplearefacedwiththechallengeofunderstandingthischangedandstillfastchangingworldinwhichwelive.Whata“globalvillage”islike?Asourworldshrinksanditsinhabitantsbecomeinterdependent,peoplefromremoteculturesincreasinglycomeintocontactonadailybasis.Ina―globalvillage‖,membersgroupsofpeoplehavetocommunicatewithmembersofotherculturalgroups.Thosepeoplemaylivethousandsofmilesawayorrightnextdoortoeachother.Whatisconsideredasthemajordrivingforceofthepost-1945globalization?Technology,particularlytelecommunicationsandcomputersareconsideredtobethemajordrivingforce.Whatdoestheauthormeanbysayingthat“the,global?maybemorelocalthanthe,local?Theincreasingglobalmobilityofpeopleandtheimpactofnewelectronicmediaonhumancommunicationsmaketheworldseemsmaller.Wemaycommunicatemorewithpeopleofothercountriesthanwithourneighbors,andwemaybemoreinformedoftheinternationaleventsthanofthelocalevents.Inthissense,―the?global‘maybemorelocalthanthe?localWhyisitimportantforbusinesspeopletoknowdiverseculturesintheworld?Effectivecommunicationmaybethemostimportantcompetitiveadvantagethatfirmshaveto10meetdiversecustomerneedsonaglobalbasis.Succeedingintheglobalmarkettodayrequirestheabilitytocommunicatesensitivelywithpeoplefromothercultures,asensitivitythatisbasedonanunderstandingofcross-culturaldifferences.Whataretheseriousproblemsthatcountriesthroughouttheworldareconfrontedwith?Countriesthroughouttheworldareconfrontedwithseriousproblemssuchasvolatileinternationaleconomy,shrinkingresources,mountingenvironmentalcontamination,andepidemicsthatknownoboundaries.WhatimplicationscanwedrawfromthecaseofMichaelFay?Thiscaseshowsthatinaworldofinternationalinterdependence,theabilitytounderstandandcommunicateeffectivelywithpeoplefromotherculturestakesonextremeurgency.Ifweareunawareofthesignificantrolecultureplaysincommunication,wemayplacetheblameforcommunicationfailureonpeopleofothercultures.Whatattitudesarefavoredbytheauthortowardsglobalization?Globalization,forbetterorforworse,haschangedtheworldgreatly.Whetherwelikeitornot,globalizationisallbutunstoppable.Itisalreadyheretostay.Itisbothafactandanopportunity.Thechallengesarenotinsurmountable.Solutionsexist,andarewaitingtobeidentifiedandimplemented.Fromaglobalisticpointofview,thereishopeandfaithinhumanity.WritingReadthefollowingandthentrytowriteashortessayonwhatonehastolearntogetpreparedforworkingandlivinginanewculturalenvironment.Thereseemstobesomuchthatonecandotogetoneselfwellpreparedforworkingandlivinginanewculturalenvironment.Apartfromwhatismentionedinthepassage,thefollowingmaybewhatapersoninAnna‘ssituationshouldalsotrytodo:Learningthelanguagethatisusedinthenewculturalenvironment.Learningaboutthehistoryandpresentsocialsituationoftheareaorthecountry.Learningaboutthedominantreligiousbeliefandsomeimportantsocialcustoms.Learningabouttheculturalusesofnonverbalmeansincludingtimeandspaceforcommunication.Learningtolookatthingsandpeopleinnewperspectivesthataredifferentfromwhatoneisaccustomedto.Developingamoretolerantattitudetowardanyunfamiliarphenomena.Becomingawarethatproblemsandmisunderstandingsareinevitableininterculturalcommunication.Learningabouthowforeignersareusuallyperceivedandtreatedbythelocalpeople.11IdentifyingDifference:HowWeAddressEachOtherQuestionsfordiscussionHowdoyouaddressafriendfromanEnglish-speakingcountry?AndhowshouldwedoitifheorsheknowsourcultureverywellorifwespeakChinesetoeachother?UsuallywecanaddressafriendfromanEnglish-speakingcountrybyhis/herfirstnamewithoutmentioninghis/hersurnameortitleoutofrespectforhis/herculture.BecausepeoplefromEnglish-speakingcountriesattachgreatimportancetocasualnessinaddressingeachotherinordertoformarelativelyintimateandequalrelationship.ButifheorsheknowsourcultureverywellorifwespeakChinesetoeachother,wecanaddresshim/herintheChineseway.Justastheoldsayinggoes,―WheninRome,doastheRomansdo‖,it‘sbetterforourfriendtolearnmoreaboubecomebetteracquaintedwiththeChineseculture.Inthisway,whenaddressinghim/her,wecanadd―xiao‖(young)orlao‖―(aged)beforehis/herfamilynameaccordingtohis/heragesoastocreateanamicableatmosphere.Wecanalsoaddresshim/herbyusinghis/hertitleinahumorousway,orbyinventingsomenicknameforhimorherineitherEnglishorChinese,dependingonthedegreeofintimacy.SurveyConductasurveyamongsomeChinesestudentstofindhowmuchtheyknowaboutthepossibleculturaldifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglish-speakingpeopleinthespeechbehaviorslistedbelow.SpeechbehaviorChinaEnglish-speakingcountriesGreetingWhengreetingeachother,thePeoplefromEnglish-speakingChineseoftenbeginwith―Hacvoeuntriesusuallysay―Hello.‖youeaten?‖,―Whereareyou―Goodmorning/afternoongoing?‖,―Whatareyoudoing?‖,/evening‖―Nicetomeetyou.―Longtimenosee.‖andsoon./Gladtoseeyou.‖or―Howdoyoudo?‖ApologizingChinesepeopleseemtoapologizePeoplefromEnglish-speakinglessoftenthanEnglish-speakingcountriesoftenapologizeinpeople.TheChineseapologizetheirdailylifeevenfortheonlywhentheythinkitisaboutmosttrivialthings.somethingthatreallymatters.12MakingrequestsChinesepeopletendtomakePeoplefromEnglish-speakingrequestsinindirectways,countriestendtomakeespeciallywhenthepeoplerequestsdirectlyandopenly.involvedarenotonintimatetermswithoneanother.ExpressinggratitudeChinesepeopleoftenexpressPeoplefromEnglish-speakingtheirgratitudenotjustbywhatcountriestendtoshowtheirtheysay,butalsobywhattheydogratitudemoreverballytoandwhattheygivetootherswhootherswhohavehelpedthem.havedonethemafavor.ExpressingdisapprovalChinesepeoplearereluctanttoPeoplefromEnglish-speakingexpresstheirdisprovalopenlyforcountriesaremorelikelytofearofmakingothersloseface.Ifexpresstheirdisapprovaltheyhavetoexpressdisapproval,freelyanddirectly.theyoftenprefertodoitinaveryindirectway.Leave-takingChinesepeopletendtoexcusePeoplefromEnglish-speakingthemselvesbyclaimingthatthecountrieswouldusuallyfindothersmustbetiredorbusy,etc,reasonstopartrelatedtousingtheexpressionsthatimputethemselvesratherthantothemotiveoftirednessorothers.businesstotheotherpartywhenparting.InterculturalInsightExplorationTrytodescribeandexplainthepossiblesimilarexperiencesinyouruseofEnglishasaforeignlanguageincommunicatingwithnativespeakers.Whatastudenttellsusbelowcanfurtherillustratethepointthathowwecommunicateappropriatelyininterculturalencountersmaynotbeassimpleaswetendtoassume:IrememberinthefirstclassoforalEnglishwhenIwasafreshmanatuniversity,westudentshabituallyaddressedouramiableforeignteacheras―teacher‖aswedidChineseteachers.Butheaskedustocallhimbyhisfirstnameinstead.SinceheseemedmorethanfiftyyearsoldwewereembarrassedbutgraduallywelearnedthatwasthesuitablewaytoaddressateacherintheUnitedStates,forteachersintheUnitedStatesgenerallyprefertobeseenasequalandlikeafriendtotheirstudents.However,whenIwasalreadyajunior,toourgreatsurprise,oneofourforeignteacherswhotaughtusintensivereadingtoldusthathepreferredtobecalledbyusas―ProfessorWhite‖or―DoctorWhite‖.Therea13thathewantedtobeproperlyrespectedinChina.Translation纵观历史，我们可以清楚地看到，人们由于彼此所处地域、意识形态、容貌服饰和行为举止上存在的差异，而长久无法互相理解、无法和睦相处。在这种情况下，跨文化交际作为一个特定的研究领域得以形成和发展。值得注意的是，人类文明在发展过程中所遭受的许多挫折，既是个人的，又是全球性的；人类历史进程总是充满了个人间的直接冲突和民族间的误解——从骂骂咧咧到孤立主义直至到武装冲突，大大小小争端不绝。很显然，文化间以及亚文化间的交往比以前多了，这迫切要求我们共同努力，去理解有着不同信仰和文化背景的人们，并与之和睦相处。通过加深认识和理解，我们能够与生活方式、价值观念不同的人们和平共处；这不但有益于我们周遭环境的安定，也是维护世界和平的决定性因素。CaseStudyCase1Inthiscase,thereseemedtobeproblemsincommunicatingwithpeopleofdifferentculturesinspiteoftheeffortsmadetoachieveunderstanding.WeshouldknowthatinEgyptasinmanycultures,thehumanrelationshipisvaluedsohighlythatitisnotexpressedinanobjectiveandimpersonalway.WhileAmericanscertainlyvaluehumanrelationships,theyaremorelikelytospeakoftheminlesspersonal,moreobjectiveterms.Inthiscase,Richard‘smistakemightbethathechosetopraisethefooditselfratherthanthetotalevening,forwhichthefoodwassimplythesettingorexcuse.Forhishostandhostessitwasasifhehadattendedanartexhibitandcomplimentedtheartistbysaying,tbeautifulfram―eWshyoaurpicturesarein.‖InJapanthesituationmaybemorecomplicated.Japanesepeoplevalueorderandharmonyamongpersonsinagroup,andthattheorganizationitse－lfbeitafamilyoravastcorporation－ismorevaluedthanthecharacteristicsofanyparticularmember.Incontrast,Americansstressindividualityasavalueandareapttoassertindividualdifferenceswhentheyseemjustifiablyinconflictwiththegoalsorvaluesofthegroup.Inthiscase:Richarding‘gsrematistakewaeffortstodefendhimself.Lettheothersassumethattheerrorswerenotintentional,butitisnotrighttodefendyourself,evenwhenyourunstatedintentistoassistthegroupbywarningothersofsimilarmistakes.Asimpleapologyandacceptanceoftheblamewouldhavebeenappropriate.ButforpoorRichardtohavemerelyapologizedwouldhaveseemedtohimtobesubservient,unmanly.WhenitcomestoEngland,weexpectfewerproblemsbetweenAmericansandEnglishmenthanbetweenAmericansandalmostanyothergroup.Inthiscasewemightlookbeyondthegestureoftakingsugarorcreamtothevaluesexpressedinthisgesture:forAmericans,theEnglishcounterpart,―Bemyguest.‖AmericanandEnglishpeopleeeqnutearltlyaienninjogyand14beingentertainedbuttheydiffersomewhatinthevalueofthedistinction.Typically,theidealguestatanAmericanpartyisonewho―makeshimselfathome,‖eventothepointofanswerinorfixinghisowndrink.Forpersonsinmanyothersocieties,includingatleastthishypotheticalEnglishhost,suchguestbehaviorispresumptuousorrude.Case2Acommonculturalmisunderstandinginclassesinvolvesconflictsbetweenwhatissaidtobedirectcommunicationstyleandindirectcommunicationstyle.InAmericanculture,peopletendtosaywhatisontheirmindsandtomeanwhattheysay.Therefore,studentsinclassareexpectedtoaskquestionswhentheyneedclarification.MexicanculturesharesthispreferenceofstylewithAmericancultureinsomesituations,andthat‘swhythestudentsfromMexicoreadilyadotechniquesofaskingquestionsinclass.However,Koreanpeoplegenerallypreferindirectcommunicationstyle,andthereforetheytendtonotsaywhatisontheirmindsandtorelymoreonimplicationsandinference,soastobepoliteandrespectfulandavoidlosingfacethroughanyimproperverbalbehavior.Asismentionedinthecase,tomanyKoreans,numerousquestionswouldshowadisrespectfortheteacher,andwouldalsoreflectthatthestudenthasnotstudiedhardenough.Case3Theconflicthereisadifferenceinculturalvaluesandbeliefs.Inthebeginning,MarydidnrealizethatherDominicansistersawherasamemberofthefamily,literally.IntheDominicanview,familypossessionsaresharedbyeveryoneofthefamily.LuzwasactingasmostDominicansisterswoulddoinborrowingwithoutaskingeverytime.OnceMaryunderstoodthattherewasadifferentwayoflookingatthis,shewouldbecomemoreaccepting.However,shemightstillexperiencethesamefrustrationwhenthishappenedagain.Shehadtofindwaystocopewithherownemotionalculturalreactionaswellasherpracticalproblem(thebatteriesrunningout).Case4Itmightbesimplyaquestionofdifferentrhythms.Americanshaveonerhythmintheirpersonalandfamilyrelations,intheirfriendlinessandtheircharities.Peoplefromothercultureshavedifferentrhythms.TheAmericanrhythmisfast.