Reading and Discussion for Unit 1
Read the passage and give a brief analysis to the discussion questions.
Communication is the transfer of a message from one person to another, so that it is understood, and hopefully, it invokes a response. (See diagram l)
Diagram 1
[sender] Message [receiver]
encodes decodes and 'responds with next message
Communication can be:
i) Verbal-language symbols
ii) Non-verbal-body language, gesture, clothing, conformity with customs and norms, para-lan- guage-tone, volume, pitch, emphasis, pauses, etc. It is said that about 65 ~70% of how we communicate is through non-verbal means. (Some say up t0 93% ! )
In normal everyday communication, the message does not always transfer from the sender to the receiver. Such communication breakdown can occur for a number of reasons. These barriers to effective communication are often collectively referred to as noise. (See diagram 2)
Even when two people speak a common language, and share common experiences and background knowledge and traditions, the communication process may not work as effectively as we would like. .
When we add the extra dimension of cultural difference, the process becomes even more complex. There is an even greater chance of communication breaking down not only because of the language complications, but also because of cultural differences.
Questions for Discussion:
1. Compare these two communication models with the ones in Unit l. What similarities or differences do you find?
The similarities of these two diagrams are that both of them show clearly the pattern of communication which is basically the transfer of a message from one person to another and that there are at least three components involved in communication: the message itself, then the sender who encodes the message and finally the receiver who decodes the message. The differences lie in the fact that diagram 1 fails to illustrate clearly what are involved in the course of the transferring of the message, which is shown in Diagram 2. Diagram 1 does not give us any clue to indicate that in normal everyday communication, the message does not always transfer from the sender to the receiver, which is called communication breakdown, while Diagram 2 illustrates such reasons as “age difference”, “boring message”, “emotional state”, “”verbal message differ from non verbal” and so on and so forth as reasons causing the communication breakdown. For example, if a fellow student speaks too fast, I may not catch what he is saying. Or if somebody talks to me about Einstein’s Theory of Relativity which is Creek to me, then I will miss all the message in his speech.
2. Why do you think sometimes we may experience communication breakdown?
Anyway, we can see from these two diagrams that even when two people speak a common language and share a common culture, that is to say, in the mono-cultural communication, communication breakdown is likely to occur for many reasons as listed in Diagram 2. When we add the extra dimension of cultural difference, the process becomes even more complex. That’s why we often say that cross-cultural communication is a risky business, for in cross-cultural communication, there is not only the language problem, but also the cultural differences.
Reading and Discussion for Unit 2
Read the passage and give a brief analysis to the discussion questions.
The American secretary at the Foreign Student Affairs Office always smiles at every foreign student who visits there. A young man from the Middle East misunderstands the smile and thinks that the American lady is in love with him. But one day he ran into her in the street and greeted her, yet she passed by as if she did not recognize him. Angrily, he asked his American roommate: “Why are Americans such hypocrites?" His roommate was surprised. "Why do you think so?"
Questions for Discussion: '
1. Why do you think the young man from the Middle East got angry? Try to explain it from a cross-cultural angle.
We know that there are two definitions of a social situation. One is the official definition given by the community. The other is the participant’s definition given by a certain participant. The two types of definition may coincide or differ. Clearly, the American secretary at the Foreign Student Affairs Office smiles at every foreign student who visits the office. She understands this social situation with the official definition. To her, the Foreign Student Affairs Office is the public place where she works. It is her duty to deal with affairs concerning foreign students so she smiles at them to show her willingness to offer help and also to show her friendliness and good manners. Yet the young man from the Middle East mistakes her smile for her being in love with him. This is his participant’s definition given to the situation. Perhaps in his culture, a girl never smiles at a man unless she is in love with him. So he thinks that the American secretary loves him. He is not aware of the office definition given by the American society. His participant’s definition obviously runs count to the office definition.
2. What do you think his roommate can do to help him better understand the situation?
I think to solve his problem, his roommate should tell him the office definition of this social situation given by the American society and his own definition of the situation, pointing out that his participant’s definition fail to
match the official definition. That’s why he was angry with the American lady. Yet he must adjust himself to the new
culture and get used to the new society so as to have successful cross-cultural communication.
Items for self-test, Units l & 2
Part 1
Directions: The following statements are about various aspects in cross-cultural communication. Choose the best one to complete each statement or question.
1. Xiao Wang meets Peter at the airport and says to him: "Morning, Peter!" In this case, the source of information is___A_______.
A. Xiao Wang B. Peter
C. the airport D. "Morning, Peter!"
2. There are two kinds of cross-cultural communication: unilateral communication and___C____.
A. successful communication
B. verbal communication
C. bilateral communication
D. unsuccessful communication
3. Utterance meaning in a face-to-face communication refers to___B____.
A. what the speaker has intended to convey in what is said
B. what what is said normally means
C. what the hearer has understood on the basis of what is said
D. the associative meaning words have
4. When we are in a social gathering, we must be aware of the rules and procedures that govern the
way things are going to proceed. These rules and procedures are technically called___D______.
A. anecdotes B. goals
C. gestures D. schema (schemas)
5. Which doesn't belong to the group in a cross-cultural situation? __B____
A. Head movements . B. Social values
C. Facial expressions D. Body contact
6. When you are invited for a western meal, you're offered a second helping but you have already
had enough. What would you say? "___D____
A. Oh, thanks. That tastes awful.
B. No, I don't want to have any of that.
C. No, I don't like it.
D. That was delicious but I've already had plenty
7. Most Americans see themselves as separate__B___, not as representatives of a family, community or other group.
A. independence B. individuals
C. customers D. cultures
8. It is right to ask children or teenagers their age. But it is not normally___D_____in English speaking societies to ask an adult their age ---and never a woman!
A. considerate B. inappropriate
C. impolite D. polite
9. The American child is nurtured to be __A_____ , to be able to do whatever he could by himself, ever since he was born.
A. independent B. good-looking
C. obedient D. private
10. One way of talking about the different stages in getting used to life in a new country is the distinction of euphoria, depression __C___ and acceptance.
A. criticism B. admiration
C. adjustment D. shock
and acceptance.
Part 2
Directions: The following statements are about various aspects in cross-cultural communication. Decide whether each of them is TRUE or FALSE.
11. In face-to-face communication, non-verbal signals are not as important as verbal messages.___B__
A. True B. False
12. When we Chinese refer to something about ourselves or related to us, we tend W elevate them.__B___
A. True . B. False .
13. When you phone to tell your friend something, you are the source of information.___A_____
A. True . B. False
14. Culture shock is a term used to describe the anxiety and feelings ( of surprise, disorientation, confusion, etc. ) felt when people have to operate within an entirely different cultural or social environment, such as a different country or a different state than where they live.___A______
A. True B. False
15. Chinese people tend to say things like ".No, not really" when they are asked” Are you hungry?" in the host family.___A_____
A. True B. False
Reading and Discussion for Unit 3
Read the passage and give a brief analysis to the discussion questions.
Linda Walker is a new American teacher in her fifties and has asked her new colleagues to call her Linda. She’s been invited for dinner to the home of her young Chinese colleague Xu, who is also an English teacher. When Linda arrives, she is introduced to Xu's 5-year old daughter.
"Hello, granny," said the little girl in English.
"No, not granny," the mother hurriedly corrected. "This is Linda. " ?
“But why? She’s so much older than you! How can you be so impolite! “The little girl was puzzled and protested in Chinese. Then Linda's face flushed and didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, Linda didn't understand Chinese, though she could sense something was wrong from the little girl' s reaction.
Questions for Discussion:
1. What was the reason for the awkwardness in this situation?
The reason lies in the different use of kin terms in China, where kin terms are widely used to address known or unknown people.
2. Why did the little girl think it was impolite to call Linda by her first name?
In Chinese culture, the appropriate use of kin terms is considered to reflect a person’s politeness, respectfulness and friendliness. That’s why the 5-year old Chinese girl addresses Linda “granny” to show her politeness and respectfulness, for in China young people are taught to respect the old and show their respectfulness by using the right kin term to address them. This is also why the little girl thinks it was impolite to call Linda by her first name. Yet this polite addressing term causes embarrassment on the side of Linda, in whose culture, kin terms are mainly confined to family members, never extended to outsiders. And foreigners tend to view age as a relatively private thing, especially among females and they don’t want to be regarded as old and don’t feel comfortable with the kin term “granny”.
3. Suppose you are the mother, what would you explain to both the little daughter and Linda?
If I were the mother, I would explain to Linda the extended use of kin terms among Chinese and the Chinese way to treat the old as respectful. Then I would explain to my daughter how to address a person properly the western way and the differences involved in the use of kin terms in the two cultures.
Reading and Discussion for Unit 4
Read the passage and give a brief analysis to the discussion questions.
Dinner with Friends
Janice is a young American engineer working for a manufacturing joint venture near Nanjing. She and her husband George, who is teaching English at a university, are learning Chinese and enjoying their new 1ife. They have been eager to get to know Chinese people better so were pleased when Liu Ling, Janice's young co-worker invited them to her home for dinner.
When Janice and George arrived, Liu Ling introduced them to her husband Yang Feng, asked them to sit down at a table containing 8 plates of various cold dishes, served them tea and then disappeared with her husband into the kitchen. After a few minutes Liu Ling came back and added water to-their tea. Jan- ice offered to help in the kitchen but Liu I.ing said she didn't need help. She invited the couple to look at their new CD player and their color TV and then disappeared again.
A half-hour later she came back and sat down and the three began to eat. Yang Feng came in from time to time to put dish after hot dish on the table. Most of the food was wonderful but neither George nor Janice could eat the fatty pork in pepper sauce or the sea cucumbers, and there was much more than they could eat. They kept wishing Yang Feng would sit down so they could talk to him. Finally he did sit down to eat a bit, but quickly turned on the TV to show them all its high tech features. Soon it was time to go home.
George and Janice felt slightly depressed by this experience, but returned the invitation two weeks later. They decided to make a nice American meal and felt lucky to find olives, tomato juice, crackers and even some cheese in the hotel shops. They put these out as appetizers. For the main course they pre, pared spaghetti and a salad with dressing made from oil, vinegar and some spices they found in the market.
When Liu Ling and Yang Feng arrived they were impressed by the apartment and asked the price of the TV, video player, vacuum cleaner and other things. Janice politely refused to answer their questions. They took small tastes of the appetizers and seemed surprised when both Ceorge and Janice sat down with them. They ate only a little spaghetti and did not finish the salad on their plates. Ceorge urged them to eat more but they refused and looked around expectantly. Janice and Ceorge talked about their families and jobs and asked the Chinese couple about theirs. After a while, Ceorge cleaned the table and served coffee and pastries. Yang Feng and Liu Ling each put four spoons of sugar into their coffee but did not drink much of it and ate only a bite or two of pastry.
After they left, George said that at least they had a chance to talk, but Janice was upset. "We left their place so full that we couldn’t walk and they' re going to have to eat again when they get home. What went wrong?"
Questions for Discussion:
1. Why did George and Janice feel slightly depressed after the dinner at Liu Ling’s home? And why was Janice upset when Liu Ling and Yang Feng left?
In China, it is traditional that hosts entertain guests by offering many course of dishes to show how their hospitality, and the number of courses served usually has the connotation of good luck, e.g. the number 8 sounds like “发”, which means getting rich. It is quite common, especially in cities, that the husband helps a lot in cooking and serving the food if the guests are friends of his wife’s. Hosts treat, especially distinguished guests, very politely by offering delicious and expensive dishes as many as possible. Guests’ offer of help is normally politely turned down, as it is only considered a way the guests show their politeness and observation of the decorum. Besides, TV programs often play an important role in providing entertainment at a family dinner parties. These Chinese conventions help explain the way Liu Ling and Yang Feng entertained Janice and George.
2: What differences in food culture, do you think, contribute to the communication difficulties?
In the West, hosts’ hospitality is not shown by the quality and quantity of the food, but by offering their own specialty. They hope their guests would like the food and enjoy their efforts. The hospitality is also shown by the host’s accompanying the guests and having a conversation with them. So both the host and hostess would accompany the guests to have dinner and have a talk together. Guests would not ask any private questions such as the price of the furniture, etc. These western conventions help explain the way Janice and George treated Liu Ling and Yang Feng. Liu Ling and Yang Feng followed the Chinese convention habit, that’s why they asked about the prices, and often Chinese guests want to show their cultivation and manners by eating limited amount of food, and this may explain why Liu Ling and Yang Feng ate only a little food.
3. What advice can you give to both couples to help them further their friendship?
It is advisable for both couples to learn each other’s culture through experience, chatting, 2 observing and reading. On suitable occasions, e.g. at parties, friendly and interesting conversations about their respective cultures, such as ways of entertaining guests, normal conversation topics and taboos etc, can be an effective way of understanding each other. Through such interactions, their friendship will surely be enhanced.
Items for self-test, Units 3 & 4
Part 1
Directions: The following statements are about various aspects in English names. Fill in the blanks to complete each statement.
The last name, or___surname___ as it is also known, is the __family name___.
2. In some offices, it is usual to _____sign____documents that you have seen by adding the first letter of your name.
3. Both Chinese names and English names give clues about place identity, family relationship, ethnic group, parents' expectation and values or even personal __characteristics____.
4. The most frequently used titles used before sumames are Mr. , Mrs. , Miss and Ms__Ms
__refers to both married and unmarried women.
5. In America __guys___ is che collective informal term for addressing a group of friends.
6. Holland is a beautiful country. The people from Holland are called ____Dutchmen_____;they speak___Dutch____;and when they dine out, they prefer to __go Dutch_____.
7. The English names used for relatives do not distinguish between patemal and matemal relatives
nor between relatives according to ____ birth order ____.
8. Female first names tend to be longer than male names in terms of the number of _syllables
9. ___Female______names are more likely than male names to end in vowel sound.
10. What is the name for a British person? We can talk about 'the British' in general. “___Briton___”
appears mostly in newspaper headlines while 'Britiaher' is used mainly by non_British-speakers.
Part 2
Directions: The following table shows the comparison of various aspects in social interaction, like visiting a friend or during a dinner. Please complete the table according to what you have learned in Unit 4. Some of the ideas you may find are not so sharply different, because as you know, people's ideas and values are always changjng.
Aspects China Westem countries
Inviting family members No． Yes．
Settling the bill Host pays. 11．People shares the cost
Pay for oneself implies 12． meanness
____． Equality between friends.
Opening the gifts After the visitors have left. Directly after receiving it.
Opening directly implies 13．___being greedy
_____． Polite.
Wrapping f;ifts Not at all. Wrapping well.
How much wine to bring 2 bottles. 1 bottle is enough.
Bringing 2 bottles of wine
implies Cenerous and good luck.
Heavy drinker.
when to bring fruit
Common when visiting
family.
Traditionally when visitinS patients.
Hosts' response to NO.
Still serve drink or food to
show hospitality. Not offer again to show respect to your own
choice. Not to "press".
Response to compliment
Negative words to show 14.
___modesty______ and humility.
Appreciative words to show gratefulness.
Response to a comment on
a purchase Voluntarily tell what the
price is. Repulsive te talk about the price of posses-
sions.
Phrasing a polite refusal
Indirect refusal hy phrasinl;
excuses or offering blank
promise. Indirect refusal by phrasinS; polite expres-
sions .or giving excuses -15.as white lies
______
Purpose
To make the refusal sound
polite and avoid direct con-
flicts and losing face. To avoid losing face or hurting other peo-
ple.
Reading and Discussion for Unit 5
Read the passage and gjve a brief analysis to the discussion questions.
Zhong Min had a very good American friend Sue. The two-usually ate lunch together and Zhong Min often asked Sue for advice on problems she faced adjusting to American society. Sue gave Zhong Min a lot of advice and helped her improve her English. Once Zhong Min urgently needed a large sum of money to pay her tuition fee. Since she had no other friends in the States, she asked Sue for help and promised that she would retunithe money soon.
Zhong Min was disappointed when Sue didn' t seem happy to lend the money. Though Zhong Min retumed the money two months later, the two didn't get along well from then on.
Questions for Discussion:
1. What' s the problem? What are the differences between what American and Chinese people expect from their friends?
Li Lan asked to borrow money from her American friend Susan, which is rarely part of Western friendship. Li Lan and Susan have different expectations of friendship
In the West, people prefer to be independent and equal rather than dependent, so they don't feel comfortable in a relationship in which one person gives more and the other is dependent on what is given. Among friends they mostly provide emotional support to each other and spend time together, so they rarely borrow or lend money to each other. They would ask for a loan from the bank rather than from their friends. While in China, people expect their friends to be loyal to each other, and they even take risks for their friends. So they would give not only emotional support to each other but also concrete help to each other., such as helping a friend to find a job, solving a problem, or even giving money to help out a friend in need over a long period of time. So, when a man is in a difficult condition, the first person he turns for help is usually and naturally his friend.
2. What would you give to both so they could get to know each other better?
As an American, Susan would like to help her Chinese friend Li Lan. But she didn't expect Li Lan would ask for money, which goes against the principle of independence and equality. While as a Chinese, Li Yan regarded Susan as her good friend, and she considered it natural to ask to borrow money from Susan when she needed the money urgently.
Li Lan should try to get to know American culture as much as possible. She may also need to have a discussion with Susan about the different ways of friendship in both cultures. If possible, she could try to ask for a loan from a bank.
Susan should also try to learn to understand Chinese culture. She could also have a discussion with Li Lan about the different expectation of friendship in both cultures. If she could understand the Chinese ways, she might help Li Lan out financially by lending her the money.
Reading and Discussion for Unit 6
. Read the passage and give a brief analysis to the discussion questions.
Sun Yan was very happy to hear that she had been accepted TDP Company, a well-known Ameri- can company in Beijing,in which she had been looking forward to finding a position. When she came to the office on her first day and was introduced to her boss, Mr Blake, she could tell at once he was a kind of person and easy to get along with.
Everything went smoothly. Mr. Blake and Sun Yan worked together well. Mr Blake had confidence in Sun Yan and regarded her as sweet, smart and efficient. He would often discuss things together with Sun Yan hefore making decisions. One day when she was ordering her files in the room outside Mr Blake' s office, Sun Yan heard Mr Blake opening his door and calling her. She looked up and saw Mr Blake exten- ding his left hand, palm up, beckoning her with the forefinger. She put her work down at once and went into Mr Blake's office. Mr Blake then asked to hear her opinion ahout a new project.
Later that day, Sun Yan felt a little depressed. She recalled every detail of the day and tried to figure out what may have upset her, and she finally found the answer. When she recalled that scene again, she couldn' t help viewinf; Mr Blake in a rather less favorable light than before.
Questions for Discussion:
1. What did Mr Blake do that made Sun Yan suddenly change her opinion about him? Why?
Mr. Blake beckoned Sun Yan to come to his office, which made her suddenly changed her opinions about him.
Because Mr. Blake beckoned her in a western way, that is he extended his left hand with his palms up and used his index finger to beckon her. This gesture is thought quite normal in America and therefore well accepted in America. Yet in China a normal gesture to ask someone to come is to extend one’s hand with his/her palm open facing downward and all the fingers crooking in a beckoning position. Many Chinese would regard Mr. Blake’s gesture as impolite and improper, especially to a lady.
2. What would you do in order to better understand Mr Blake's gesture if you were in Sun Yan's situation?
If I were SunYan, I would first of all try not to jump to the conclusion, or make a quick judgment. Then I would observe carefully to see whether Mr. Blake uses the same gesture to beckon other people in the company too and talk to some American colleagues to know something about American gestures of beckoning. Then finally I would go to talk to Mr. Blake and have a talk with him and explain the difference in the beckoning gestures between Americans and Chinese, trying to make him be aware of the possible negative impression left on Chinese staff if he keeps on using the American gesture.
Items for self-test, Units 5 & 6
Part 1 Directions: Choose the best one to complete each statement or question.
1. The biggest difference hetween the Chinese way of child-rearing and the Australian one is that the former fosters dependence and the latter__B_____.
A. reference B. independence C. interdependence D. indifference
2. The traditional, primary relationship in a Chinese family is usually that between ____B_____.
A. husband and wife B. parents and children C. father and children D. teacher and students
3. In a typically traditional Chinese family, children are expected to show ___C______ and obedience to parental wishes.,
A. revenge B. reject C. respect D. regret .
La parental wishes
4. While many women feel it natural to confer with their partners at every tum, many men feel free to make decisions without such__D_____.
A. congratulation B. commitment C. conclusion D. consultation
5. Chinese students are often surprised at the frequency with which their English friends___A_____to one another over trivial things.
A. apologize B. confess C. shout D. explain
6. Body language can sometimes lead to ___D_____ since people of different cultures often have different forms of behavior for sending the same message or have different interpretations of the same signal.
A. effectiveness B.communication C. agreement D. misunderstanding
7. Non-verhal communication includes all of the following but Not___A_____.
A. telephone messages B. gestures C. facial expressions D. eye movements
8. The ring gesture, where you form an "O" by holding the tip of your forefinger to the tip of your means in France that you think something is—A—．
A. worthless B. "I'll killyou!" C. 800d D. great
9. Some psychologists argue that there are six basic emotions. They are surprise, fear, disgust, anger, happiness, and ____C_____.
A. confusion B. horedom C. sadneas D. shyness
10. In Britain, if you do not look at the person in a conversation, it could imply a number of things, including fear,____D_____uneasiness, guilt or indifference.
A. attention B. happinessC. Attempt D. contemp
Part 2
Directions: The following statements are about various aspects in cross-cultural communication. Decide whether each of them is TRUE or FALSE.
11. An American visiting Australia has to be careful in using the index finger to beckon someone.(A)
A. True B. False
12. In Britain, you can look at a stranger for as long as you like providinS they are not standing next to you.(B)
A. True B. False
13. Different cultures have different customs concerning how far aparL people should stand when communicating with each other.(A)
A. True B. False
14. When British people feel perfectly friendly, they never sound cold or distant.(B)
A.True B. False
15. There seems to be growing evidence to suggest that women and men do pursue different interactive style.(A)
A.True B. False
Reading and Discussion for Unit 7
Situation:
Read and think about each of the following proverbse ( wtth the Chinese equivalehts given) Then give a brief analysis to the discussion questions.
1．A miss is as good as a mile．失之毫厘，谬以千里。
2．A stitch in time saves mne.小洞不补大洞吃苦。
3．All good things nmst come to an end．天下没有不散的宴习。
4．Desperate disease must have desperate remedies．重病需要猛药医。
5．Don't have too many irons in the fire．一口吃不成胖子／心急煮不成熟饭。
6．Every dog has his day．人皆有得意时。
7．Forgive and forget．不念旧恶。
8．Haste makes waste．欲速则不达。
9．Kill not the goose that lays the golden eggs．不要杀鸡取蛋。
10. Like father like son．有其父必有其子。
11. Many hands make light work．众人拾柴火焰高。
12. Other countries, other manners．十里不同俗。
13. Spare the rod and spoil the child．不打不成器。
14. Strike while the iron is hot．乘热打铁。
15. Waste not, want not．不浪费，不愁缺。
Questions for Discussion:
1. How do you think of the translations? Are they exactly same in meaning to the original in English? Take any two as examples.
Li Feng and Tom have been working on a scientific experiment at a British university for some months. It has not been totally successful/ They are discussing the situation in the laboratory/
2. What kind of issues it may bring about when we use a lot of proverbs or quote many famous say ings in our daily communication?
Li Feng: I don’t know where it went wrong.
Tom: Don’t feel so bad. Cheer up, you’ve done your job.
Li Feng: But our experiment has turned out to be a failure.
Tom: Relax for a couple of days. I’ll face the music.
Li Feng: Tom, we are not playing children’s games here, This is a scientific experiment.
Tom: I’ve never taken the experiment as a child’s play, and I’m playing the game.
Li Feng: You say you’re playing the game! It’s rather an important experiment.
(Li Feng walks out of the laboratory angrily. Tom is puzzled.
3. Explain the underlying philosophy of your chosen proverbs. Do they have same importance to English-speaking people and Chinese-speaking people?
This is a verbal communication between Li Feng, who is a Chinese overseas student in Britain, and Tom, a native English speaker, a fellow student of Li Feng’s. Li Feng has learnt English language and culture. This shared knowledge makes their communication possible. Yet Li Feng fails to interpret Tom’s speech correctly in two places. The first place is when Tom says, “ I’ll face the music” he misunderstood what Tom says “To face the music” is an idiom in the English language, which means to take the responsibility or to accept the unpleasant consequences, for example, the criticism from their boss or their supervisor and so on. But Li Feng takes what Tom 4 says here as Tom’s relief from the failure of their experiment. He thinks that Tom is going to enjoy himself by listening to the music. The second mistake Li Feng makes is when Tom uses another idiom as a reply to his criticism on Tom playing a child’s game. Tom says “I’m playing the game”, which means “I am fair and honorable”. Yet To Li Feng, he interprets it as showing Tom’s playful attitude to the experiment. He thinks that Tom does not take it seriously. So we can see, here obviously, Li Feng’s lack of a good understanding of the English idioms that Tom uses in his speech leads to the failure of their communication, turning their conversation to become a unilaterally cross-cultural language communication. This case also tells us the importance of learning the idioms of the English language to a language learner.
Reading and Discussion for Unit 8
Read the passage about Shen-Lan' s experience and give a brief analysis to the discussion questions.
Can A Chinese Young Lady Become An American Woman?
Environments significantly influence one' s cognition, effect, and behavior. One feels the impact of the different culture especially when olie comes Tnto a foreign country. Shen-Lan, who is from Taiwan, was satisfied for her first twenty-five years of life because she was surrounded by the people who have loved her and whom she has loved. Her friends used to ask her why she looked very happy all.time. Even
though her parents limited her behavior or activities because of social bias, she accepted those comrols because she understood her parents really loved her. Also, her parents did everything for hor, such as taking care of her, cooking for her and making decisions for her. She compliedl;with what her parents eipec- ted. She had neverleft home before she came to America. When she came to America, culture shock obviously influenced her self-concept, self-esteem, and self-presentation.
In Chinese culture, she was taught to be interdependent. She had to care not only about herself but also about the people who were around her, for example parents, siblings, and friends, even neighbors. However, in American society, she noticed that everyone was very independent, and minded his or her own business, and nobody cared ahout one another. Because she did not want to get hurt, she knew that
she had to make some changes. In her self-concept, she changed her interdependent view to an independent view.
Using a different language, the major reason for culture shock, really injured her self-esteem. Shen- Lan graduated from a well-known university in Taiwan, and she felt proud of that. When she came to A- meiica, she was supposed to be good at English, hut she was not. After this realization, she tried to study hard in English to match her standards. However, she had studied English for Wb year, yet she did not improve greatly. She lacked self-confidence to speak English, so her self-esteem decreased.
The change in self-concept and self-esteem was reflected in her self-praientatiom Because.Shen-Lan wanted to become independent, and she was afraid that she disturbed others with her personal problems, so she began to isolate herself. For English, she did not give up because of her high.f;oal to meet her own and the expectations of others. She tried to avoid talking to her friends.who speak the same language though she felt lonesome. She recognized and leamed the new cultural nilea and expressed it through a different self-presentation.
The three social self-components of Shen-Lan: self-concept, self-esteem, and self-presentationGwere influenced by culture shock. Shen-Lan tried to be independent, became aware of her self-esteem, and leamed American behavior. Right now, she stafls to think about having a pet. Can she become ari Ameri- can woman? Aftet a few'years, we will see.
Questions for Discussion:
1. What culture shock did Shen-Lan experience?
Obviously Shen-lan are in the second period of culture shock, which was shown in her loss of self-concept, self esteem and self presentation.
Shen was brought up in Taiwan and in a collectivist culture, where she was taught to be interdependent and listened all the time to her parents even though her parents limited her behaviours and activities. She accepted those controls because she understood that her parents loved her. And they did everything for her. But in America she found that people were independent and nobody cares about one another. She realized that she had to give up her old self-concept to try to be independent.
2. What changes took place in her? How could she have avoided or lessened the culture shock?
The second thing that she found wrong was her self-esteem. She was a good student and graduated from a famous university. But when she came to America, she found her English was far from being good. This hurt her self-esteem. The third change was her self presentation. She wanted to be independent and speak good English, so she stopped talking with old friends about her personal problems and tried not to talk Chinese.
3. If you were in her situation, what would you have done? What other suggestions will you give her so that she could enjoy more.pleasant and more successful cross-cultural experience?
At least I think there are two things that Shen-lan did not do well. To completely avoid meeting with old Chinese friends can only worsens her situation, because coming to terms a new way of life can be emotionally exhausting experience which calls for the occasional pause for rest and recreation with others who shares the same cultural background. Another thing Shen-lan may not be right is that she should not try avoid talking with people about her problems. On the contrary she should try to make some new friends with Americans around her and talk with them. They are surely willing to help her and this also, in turn, helps her to understand the new culture better and quicker
Items for self-test, Units 7 & 8
Part 1
Directions: Choose the best one to complete each statement or question.
1. If you want to join the medical__C______, you need to master a whole body of medical knowledge and receive systematic training.
A. occupation B. vocation C. profession D. trade
2. I'm afraid we shouldn' r go on chatting like this. The new manager could arrive out of blue. What does out of blue mean?___D__
A. with an angry expEession B. extremely pleased
C. thinking deeply D. unexpectedly; without waming
3. Kill not the goose that lays the golden eggs. What does the sentence mean?__C____
A. It is better to accept something small than to reject it and hope to get more later on.
B. If too many people try to do the same thing at the same time, there will be chaos.
C. Anyone who claims more than he has already got is very likely to get nothing at'all in the fu-ture.
D. There must be something better after every piece of unpleasantness.
4 Some forms of human communication from a primitive tribe to a global village ( mentioned in the course book) include .____D_____
A. computer network, TV stations, drumbeats, chopsticks
B. smoke aignals, pigeons, peacocks, mobile phones, emails
C. gestures, TV, email, fire, homs, flags, animals
D. shouting to each other, printing, telegraph, radio, intemet
5. According to Sir Richard Paget, the right order of development of human communication is __B___.
A. sounds, food, hunting, writing, gambling, online chatting
B. gestures of the hands, gestures of the mouth, whispered speech
C. gestures, eye movements, writing, speech, telegraph, intemet
D. shouting, whispers, hands movements, horse riding, computers
6. Language may be___B_____to our own species, the capacity of mean, to transmit messages vitalto survival, and to understand them, certainly is not.
A. effective B. unique C. relative D misunderstanding
7. Communication through writing emancipates man from the constraints imposed by the face-to-face distance and the____A_____of time.
A. spontaneity . B.responsibility
C. complexity : D. confusion .
8. A digital computer is a system composed of four distinct elements: a central processing unit, input
devices, memory storage devices, and ___C_____devices
A. hard ware B. hard disk
C.output D. monitor
9. The cardinal principle we should bear in mind in conducting cross-cultural communication is this: There's no such a thing as good or bad. There're only___D______.
A. influences B. respect
C. indifference D. differences
10. A stereotype is a conventional, formulaic, and____B___conception, opinion, or image of a group of people.
A. effective C. characteristic B. oversimplified D. beneficia
Part 2
Directions: Match the English idioms with their explanations by putting the appropriate letter ( A ~ E) into its corresponding box (11 ~15).
11.D口to have a big mouth A. only just
12.C口at sixes and sevens B. the finest citizens; persons with very high qualities
13.E口a black sheep C. in confusion
14.A口by the skin of one's teeth D. to boast a lot or talk too much
15.B口the salt of the earth E. a person who is strongly disapproved of by other
members of his/her family
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