跨文化交際課件 L 6 Daily V C (I)Greeting,Parting

1、Daily Verbal CommunicationsLecture SixLearning ObjectivesGreetingConversation TopicVisitingPartingGreetingPart OneI. General Introduction of GreetingAnthropologist J.R.Firth(1972) holds that greeting is the confirmation that communication is possible and thus helps to establish and carry on personal

2、 relationships. It may embody politeness, status, position and/or the equality of both parties.I. General Introduction of Greeting 1. People of different cultures have different ways of verbal communication. According to R.A.Hudson(1980), the structures of human interaction consists of three parts:

3、Greeting-Business-Farewell 2. One cant start a business talk without greeting, and one cant keep on the relationship without bidding farewell at leave-taking. 3. The purpose of the greeting is to establish or maintain social contact, not to transfer information, so in all languages there are various

4、 formulaic greetings which change from culture to culture.II. Different Greetings in Chinese and in English in English 1.Good morning.2. How are you?3. How are things going?in Chinese 4. How are things? 5. How is everything? 6. How is life? 7. Hey./ Hello. / Hi. 上哪去？去哪啦？你吃了嗎？多穿衣服。Possible answer fro

5、m westerners is like:“It is none of your business.”“Are you going to invite me to dinner?”II. Different Greetings in Chinese and in English From the above different greetings, we can say that some typical Chinese greetings are not genuine questions for Chinese, they are only forms of addressing. Wes

6、terners misunderstand these greetings and consider that Chinese people prepare to ask some questions in order to show more concern for the matters in personal life of others, which are usually taken as privacy by westerners. II. Different Greetings in Chinese and in English Firstly, giving regard to

7、 others directly is characterized in English. “Good morning/afternoon/ evening.” “How are you/things going?” In Chinese culture， there is a very similar set of stereotyped structures, just like “您早”，“您好”, “近來怎么樣？”.II. Different Greetings in Chinese and in English Secondly, commenting on something as

8、 a means of greeting each other, just like commenting on weather is the most often used in English. But when Chinese friends or acquaintances meet in the street, they might greet one another by saying , “Where are you going?” or “Have you eaten?” These greetings, encoded as greetings in Chinese cult

9、ure, are often decoded in western culture, as preliminary to a request for information in the first Chinese greeting, and to an invitation to a meal in the latter.II. Different Greetings in Chinese and in English Thirdly, using address forms as greeting, which is unique to Chinese. It consists of al

10、l forms of address except personal pronouns, emphasizing other-respect or self-denigration. Although English greetings sometimes begin with an address form, there must be some expressions that follow it. e.g. Englishmen may say, “Professor Clark, nice to see you. rather than “Professor Clark” alone.

11、II. Different Greetings in Chinese and in EnglishFourthly, using different nonverbal forms as greetings.In China, people may shake hands with each other accompanying the formal greeting.Sometimes Western people who are close may also kiss , hug or shake hands with each other. If you are not sure how

12、 to greet someone, the best may be just to say “hello”. III. Different topics to greet The topics to greet vary in different cultures. In China, people want to show their warmth and concern for others , so when they meet, they might begin asking about each others age, marital status, off springs, oc

13、cupation, and even income. Because Chinese people think asking such questions will help shorten the social distance between themselves and their interlocutors. But these greetings are considered as invading ones privacy in English culture, for they always follow greetings with weather topics.Convers

14、ation TaboosPart TwoI. Definition of TabooFromkin and Rodman(1978) indicated that the term “taboo” was borrowed from the Polynesian word “Tongan”.Taboo refers to behaviors that are forbidden or that should be avoided. Thus words that are not polite for a society are considered taboo. Because the use

15、 of words varies from culture to culture, the customs and perceptions of the society play an important role as to what is taboo or not. e.g. The number 4 is taboo because it sounds like the Chinese word for “death”. II. TabooWestern ideas of privacy are different from those of Chinese. Here are some

16、 expressions which westerners avoid using. While, Chinese often irritate westerners by the way in which they try to start conversation.1. “How old are you?” -age 2. “How much do you earn?” -money3. “Drink plenty of water.” -health4. “Put on more clothes.” - personal matter 4. “Is your husband/wife w

17、ith you?” -family 5. “How many children do you have?”-family member Westerners think such imitating conversation invade their privacy. III. Privacy The word privacy in English readily reflects the principal contrast between English and traditional Chinese cultures. “Privacy” interpreted as “Freedom

18、from undesirable interruption” and regarded as a human right , has no appropriate equivalents in Chinese. Even though “隱私”is used as its translation equivalent, the Chinese term does not sound so pleasant to the majority of the Chinese people. It may imply that some secret is purposefully kept from

19、those who have the right to know it. A Chinese saying”好事不背人，背人無好事”is still frequently heard, which leaves no room for “privacy.”III. Privacy for WesternersEnglish-speaking people place a high value on privacy. They have a saying, “ A mans home is his castle,” meaning a mans home is sacred to him; no

20、 one should come in without permission. So it is also with his life and personal affairs. To ask questions such as those mentioned above would be considered prying into an individuals personal life, which is another form of invading a persons castle.III. Privacy for ChineseThe whole matter of privac

21、y, as understood in the west, is alien to many Chinese. In fact, this may due to the close living arrangements of Chinese. Villages with many families densely packed in a small area have been typical of the Chinese countryside for centuries. Even in towns and cities in China, “四合院”a quadrangle with

22、several households around a single courtyard, meant continual contact among neighbors. Another reason may be the communal spirit or spirit of brotherhood. Close contact and a certain amount of mutual dependence and concern mean that one persons affair is the affairs of the whole family, of all the n

23、eighbors and even of the larger community. VisitingPart ThreeI. Appointment In China 1.Years ago, unannounced visiting of friend was common. 2. Visitors come earlier than the appointed time to chat. 3. Typical expressions like, “I am coming to see you this afternoon. ” In the west1. Arrange time in

24、advance.2. Visitors come straight to the point. 3. Typical expressions like, “I was wondering whether I could come around to visit you.” “Id like to come and see you. Would you be free tonight?”II. Visiting1. Different responses to offering during the visit.In China Chinese my refuse the first offer

25、 out of politeness and want the host to offer more times before accepting. In the west The guest is expected to answer the offer honestly.II. Visiting2. Different meal sizes In China Chinese are extremely hospitable in offering a large number of dishes, which is more than can be eaten. In the west W

26、esterners relate the meal size to the peoples appetites. II. Visiting3. Different entertainments In China Chinese host constantly puts the best pieces of food on the visitors plate, which is an expression of hospitality. In the west Western host leaves the guest to help himself. II. Visiting4. Diffe

27、rent responses to entertainments In China Chinese guests in a westerners home may feel that westerners are ungenerous because of the small amount of food and they are not constantly encouraged to eat. In the west Westerners entertained by Chinese may feel puzzled, for the more they eat, the more the

28、y are given. PartingPart FourI. PartingParting can be a difficult task in any culture, and it will be different in another culture.The western guest has to decide:A. how long it is appropriate to stay.B. when to leave.C. what to say to express parting.II. Parting in western cultureIn western culture

29、, it is common for the guest to indulge in a couple of minutes small talk while preparing for leaving.1. “Well it has been lovely to see you.”2. “Thank you for a lovely evening.” 3. “I mustnt hold you any longer.”4. “I must be going now.” II. Parting in western culture1. In typical western contexts,

30、 the guests would usually find reasons to leave only related to excuse themselves rather than to their hosts. Because privacy is much more valued in English speaking countries than in China.2. To westerners, a smile and a gesture of farewell is enough.III. Parting in Chinese culture1. Westerners are often surprised by the seemingly abrupt l