1 case: Richard, an engineer from the United States, was invited to take tea with one of his British colleagues while he was in England. This was a purely social, relaxed occasion. Tea was served along with sugar and cream. As he helped himself to some sugar and cream, he sensed he had done something wrong.
Can you tell what went wrong?
“Help yourself” VS. “Be my guest”
In Hong Kong, a Chinese policeman (A) goes to his British superior and asks for leave to take his mother to hospital.
A: Sir?
B: Yes, what is it?
A: My mother is not very well, sir.
B: So?
A: She has to go into hospital, sir.
B: Well, get on with it. What do you want?
A: On Thursday, sir.
B: Bloody hell, man. What do you want?
A: Nothing, sir.
From the case, we see that meanings do not come from the verbal language alone.
They are also implied from the context in which communication takes place.
In other words, setting and environment help determine the words and actions we generate and the meanings we give to the words and actions of other people.
An American woman, ignorant of the Chinese feeling, often wore her favorite owl pin on her dress when she first came to China. She was surprised that people often stopped to stare or point at the pin.
A number of times she was asked why she was wearing such a thing.
Only when it was explained to her how Chinese feel towards the bird did she realize how inappropriate her habit was.
答：As wise as an owl indicates that English-speaking people associate wisdom with this bird. Among many Chinese, however, there is a superstitious belief that this bird is a sign of bad luck. There is a saying 夜猫子进宅(an owl visiting a home), portending misfortune in that household.
When I first went to Hong Kong a number of years ago, I had no idea about the Chinese language or the Chinese culture. Shortly after my arrival, I went to the bank on my way to school. I was extremely surprised when the bank clerk asked me if I had had my lunch. Since he was a complete stranger, I was quite taken aback. I proceeded to school and was even more surprised when one of the teachers asked me the same question. In the following days, as I was asked the question again and again, I came to the conclusion that people must be concerned about my health. I was somewhat underweight, and I assumed they must be worried that I was not eating properly.
Only later, did I find out that the question had no real significance at all, it was merely a greeting.
During the American Civil War, a very hungry young man fell down in front of a farm gate. The farmer gave him food but in return he asked the young man to move a pile of wood in his yard – in fact it was not at all necessary to move the wood. When the young man left, the farmer moved the wood back to its original place. Seeing all this, the farmer’s son was confused。
1. Why did the farmer do that? Save face and dignity of the young man Accept vs. Earn
2. What values are reflected in this story? Individualistic value system
Rosamine and Merita are from two different cultures. they are talking about
one aspect of family life. They seem to have different points of view. Who do you agree with? Why? Discuss these questions in small groups.
Rosamine: I think it’s terrible that in your country children leave their parents when they are so young. Something that shocks me even more is that many parents want their children to leave home. I can’t understand why children and parents don’t like each other in your country.
Merita: In your country parents don’t allow their children to become independent. Parents keep their children protected until the children get married. How are young people in your country supposed to learn about life that way?
答：The case is an example of ethnocentrism (“ethno-” means “race” or “people”. Ethnocentrism refers to the belief that one’s own cultural norms are superior to those of other social groups. It might be the major barrier to
intercultural communication. In today’s world few people would openly claim that their own culture is superior to other cultures. But people unconsciously tend to make judgments based on their own value system.
For example, the map published by a particular country places that country in the center. Thus, when we face a map from another country, we often feel strange. In many things between cultures there is no right or wrong, better or worse. For example, Chinese uses chopsticks while Westerns use knives and forks when eating.
2 Characteristics of Culture
Culture is shared.
It is learned.
It is transmitted from one generation to another.
Culture is dynamic, changing constantly.
3 What would you do if someone told you to use his or her first name, but you felt uncomfortable doing this?
b. You could try to use the person’s first name even though you feel uncomfortable doing this.
c. You could ask the person, “Is it OK if I use your last name?”
. In the U.S., it is disrespectful to say that one’s husband is not handsome.
4: Communication(定义): It comes from the Latin word “communicare”. It means to give or to exchange. Now, the most common meaning of “communication” is to give or exchange information or ideas.
According to Professor Frank Dance from Wisconsin University, there are more than 126 definitions for the term “communication”.
Communication is our ability to share our ideas and feelings. (the basis of all human contact)
Communication is a dynamic, systematic process in which meanings are created and reflected in human interaction with symbols. (J. T. Wood)
Communication is “that which happens whenever someone responds to the behavior or the residue of the behavior of another person” . (Samovar)
In reality, communication is “the essential human connection.” Whether in pictures, or music, whether verbal or nonverbal, informative or persuasive, frightening or amusing, clear or nuclear, purposeful or accidental, communication is our link to the rest of the humanity.
“…the process in which participants create and share information with one another as they move toward reaching mutual understanding.” (the working definition in our textbook)
ICC（定义）：Samovar & Porter
Intercultural communication is communication between people whose cultural perceptions and symbol systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event.
Intercultural communication refers to any communication between two
members of any cultural communities.
VC（定义）: VC refers to the communication that is carried out either in oral or in written form with the use of words.
Language（定义）Language is a set of codes and symbols, along with the rules for combining them together. (working definition in our textbook, p.100)
A language is a symbolic code of communication consisting of a set of sounds (phonetics) with understood meanings and a set of rules (grammar) for constructing messages.
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