2 курс, 3 семестр.
Разработчик: к. филол.н., доцент Васильева С.Л.
Languages and Cultures
Introduction
This section deals with the problem of cultural and intercultural education of Russian students
and thus is logically divided into several parts. Each part is devoted to one special task:
1. What is Culture? – this part presupposes student’s acquaintance with the term “culture”,
students are challenged to express their own ideas about culture, share them and come to a
uniform definition of the term.
2. “Cultural Identity” as a part of this section makes it its aim to bring students to the
awareness of many subconsciously functioning elements of Russian culture to be able to
compare and analyze cultural specialties and cultural differences later in the further going parts.
3. “Cultural Ideas and Values” – this part of the section suggests realizing, analyzing and
comparing stereotypes, most important values existing in different cultures and finding out
variants of their possible influence on the behaviour of the representatives of certain culture.
4. “Cultural Behaviour” is connected with simulation of definite situations of intercultural
interaction in which students are supposed to differentiate culturally based models of behaviour,
establish the reasons of misunderstanding and suggest possible ways out, give their judgement
on the appropriateness of certain models of social behaviour in dissimilar cultural environments.
5. “Communication strategies” concentrates on finding culturally different patterns of verbal
and non verbal communication.
Part I “What is Culture?”
Exercise 1: Look at the following items and say which of them are related to “culture” and
which have nothing to do with “culture”:
geography
history
civilization
literature
Culture?
folklore
cuisine
music
patterns of living
personalities
values
Exercise 2: Fill in the table with the elements of culture (there is one example in each part of the
table given for you) and make your own definition of culture.
Elements of culture
Products
Literature
Ideas
Behaviour
Beliefs
Customs
Exercise 3: Look at picture of an iceberg and find out what possible similarities can there be
between culture and iceberg. To do this consider the following questions which are meant to give
you some prompts:
1) What are some facts you know about icebergs?
2) What percentage of an iceberg is above the water line, and what percentage below?
Exercise 4: In pairs or in groups place the following “features of culture” above or bellow the
water on the cultural iceberg and justify your choice.
Food
Music
Literature
“Russian
Soul”
Styles of
Dress
Celebration
s
Concept of
Beauty
Beliefs
about
Health
Rules of
Polite
Behavior
A Typical
Day of
Your Life
Beliefs about
Hospitality
Religious &
Folk Beliefs
Exercise 5: Draw as many connections as possible between the visible features of culture and
the invisible ones on your iceberg and show how the invisible aspects of culture influence and
shape the visible ones.
For example, Religious and folk beliefs or beliefs about health can influence national food or
table manners.
Part 2 “Cultural Identity”
Exercise 1: We are all products of something we call culture. Discuss the questions of the task
sheet and share your ideas about how our cultural background and other experiences influence
our cultural identity and our behaviour.
1. When asked to describe yourself, do you think of yourself as belonging to a particular
nationality, religious or ethnic group? If so, which one and why?
2. How has your background influenced:
a) the way you spend holidays?
b) the way you express yourself, verbally and non-verbally?
c) the way you think about and relate to other groups?
d) the way you choose your friends?
3. What experiences have you had with people from cultural backgrounds different from your
own?
a) Friendships
b) Social relationships
c) Travel contacts
d) Media exposure (films, TV, etc.)
4. Have you ever experienced any communication problem because of differences between your
own and another person’s cultural background?
5. What can people do to make communication between themselves and people of other cultures
more effective?
Exercise 2: In small groups, brainstorm some commonly taught rules of your cultural milieu.
What do Russian parents and grandparents teach children about proper behaviour? Fill in the
chart with behaviours most Russians would consider rude and polite. The task is accomplished in
groups and later the results are compared.
Rude
Polite
Towards friends
Towards strangers
(on the street, etc.)
Towards guests
At the university
Exercise 3: Cultural, Universal or Personal?
Not all human behaviour can be explained by culture. If human behaviour were put on a continuum (like the one below) culture would fall in the middle, between the universal on one side and
the personal on the other.
Universal
Cultural
Personal
1) Fill in the blanks: Cultural, Universal, or Personal?
All people share basic needs, emotions and social practices (food and shelter,
love, friendship).These are __________________.
In addition, we all learn a set of behaviors and beliefs from the community
where we grow up (etiquette and manners, the way we celebrate holidays,
what we expect from our friends). These are _______________.
Finally, each individual within a culture has a different personality, different
preferences and different talents (liking to be alone, not liking chocolate, liking math class the best) These are ________________.
2) Write C, U or P to indicate whether these behaviours are cultural, universal or personal.
____ Giving gifts
____ Considering a gift of an even number of flowers unlucky
____ Preferring to receive pink roses
____ Eating with a knife and fork
____ Not liking vanilla ice cream
____ Eating regularly (Or at least wanting to eat regularly and to be free of hunger)
____ A woman offering her seat on a bus to an elderly man who looks very tired
____ Being polite
____ Burping during or after a meal as a compliment to the hostess
____ Feeling sad when a loved one dies
____ Wearing white mourning clothes after the death of a loved one
____ A widow growing tired of wearing mourning clothes for a year and a day
Exercise 4: People of all cultures need food and housing, create music and literature, form
families and raise children, and look after their health. These are some of the universal features
of culture. However, the ways in which they do so differ.
You will now describe the ways in which some universal features of culture are expressed in
Russia. Not all Russians, of course, eat the same foods, listen to the same music or hold the same
beliefs; however, we will try to understand what the majority of Russians might agree upon or
share in common.
Your mission is to agree on two or three answers to the points given that the majority of
Russians would agree upon and recognize as true. You will have to complete the task in groups
and make a short oral presentation of your answers.
Rules of Hospitality in Russia
Best Loved Russian Foods
Most Important Russian Holidays
Best Loved Authors of Russian Literature
Russian Folk or Religious Beliefs
Russian Music (three composers, songs, musicians)
Russian Ideas or Beliefs about Beauty
Russian Beliefs about Work
Russian Beliefs about Health
Style of Dress for Most Women in Russia Today (three very typical items or trends)
Part 3 “Cultural Ideas and Values”
Values lie so deep in culture that they are very seldom questioned. Most often they are taken as
“givens” which any educated intelligent person anywhere would accept. Our aim is to become
aware of cultural differences in values and attitudes and at the same time to realize our own
values.
Exercise 1: Examine the values listed below. In groups arrange those values according to their
importance in your culture and English speaking cultures. Explain why you think so.
Values:
- Beauty
- Harmony with nature
- Wisdom
- Close friendship
- Significant achievements
- Success
- Wealth
- Status
- Power
- Good health
- New experiences
- Change
- Individual independence
Exercise 2: Putting the Puzzle Together
Values that people share are reflected in their behaviour. Below in the right column of the table
there is a list of behaviours. Match them with cultural values (in the left column) and think
representatives of what culture are most likely to share these values.
1.
Interdependence
____ A friend refuses to help you on a competitive written test
2.
Formality
3.
Sharing
4.
Informality
____ Wearing jeans everywhere — restaurants, the theater,
the symphony
____ Dressing very nicely to go to work (teachers, professors,
bank clerks)
____ Friends are friends, they never refuse to help each other
5.
Independence
____ Inviting the cleaning woman into your office for tea
6.
The Present
____ Always offering food to friends who stop by
7.
The Future
____ Saving all your money for a rainy day
8.
Egalitarianism
____ Living well today because we don’t know what tomorrow
may bring
Exercise 3: Proverbial values.
What people value is usually preserved in the language they speak. Proverbs make the layer of
the language with the highest penetrability of values as it is its direct aim to fix the most
important ideas of the culture.
Here are some proverbs often used in English-speaking countries. Next to each proverb, write
the cultural value that you think the proverb teaches. The first one has been done for you.
Compare these values with Russian ones trying to find equivalent proverbs.
Proverbs
1 A penny saved is a penny earned.
Values
Economy or thrift
2 Good fences make good neighbours.
__________________
3 There’s no time like the present.
___________________
4 It’s better to give than to receive.
___________________
5 An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
___________________
6 When in Rome do as Romans do.
___________________
7 Every cloud has a silver lining.
___________________
8 Rome wasn’t built in a day.
___________________
9 Make hay while the sun shines.
___________________
10 You’re never too old to learn.
___________________
11 Look before you leap.
___________________
Exercise 4: Hopes and Fears.
We can often understand what people value by getting to know their aims and goals, what they
strive for in the life and what they are afraid of. Hopes are something that we want to obtain
because we value it and fears represent things that we would never wish to experience.
Below you can see a list of hopes and fears that French students have. Do you have the same?
Arrange the items in the columns according to your own ideas.
Hopes
Fears
Find an interesting profession (53%)
Terrorism, violence (54%)
Freedom (50%)
Economic crisis,
unemployment (52%)
Happiness in Family (39%)
Nuclear conflict (41%)
Love (30%)
World hunger (30%)
Sports (27%)
AIDS (28%)
Travel (19%)
Rise of dictators (22%)
Music (15%)
Ecological disasters (21%)
Intellectual development (14%)
Decline of France (14%)
Money (11%)
Loss of national identity
from immigration (13%)
Exercise 5: Stereotype Busters.
When analyzing behaviour, manners, language, hopes and fears of a nation there is a great
danger to prejudge because we often jump to conclusions based on generalizations and opinions
of others. To avoid this prejudice and stereotyping it is necessary to be able to examine one’s
own thinking and try to politely disagree with stereotypes when we hear them.
1) In the table below you can see stereotypes Russians have of themselves. The task is to
challenge a stereotype by finding a polite way to point out that it is a mistaken idea.
Ex.: Men don’t like to cook. – But the best chefs in the restaurants are usually men.
1.
Russian men have hot tempers.
2.
Russian boys want to enter the university only to avoid the army.
3.
Girls want to enter the university only to look for good husbands.
4.
Older people are crazy about their dachas and only want to stay at their dachas.
5.
Russians like to drink (vodka, beer, etc).
6.
Russians like to complain.
7.
Older people are too idealistic.
8.
Men know how to fix things around the house.
9.
Women are jealous.
10.
Young people today think only of money.
11.
Russians love going to museums.
12.
Russians are sly.
2) And now think of the stereotypes you have about other nations and try to disprove them.
Part 4 “Cultural Behaviour”
The main idea of this part is to increase students’ awareness of different culturally based modes
of behaviour. Unlike values behaviour is visible and by analyzing it we can make conclusions
about underlying cultural values.
Exercise 1: Social behaviour.
Complete the task sheet by contrasting the situations in two cultures.
UK/US
1. When people are invited to a party, they
often take a bottle of wine or even bottles of
beer.
2. When invited to a dinner party, people
usually arrive within 15 minutes of the
appointed time.
3. At an informal party people don’t wait to be
introduced. They introduce themselves.
4. When people are being introduced, they try
to make direct eye-contact with the other
person.
5. After a formal introduction, people often use
titles until they are invited to use first names.
Russia
6. People shake hands when they meet other
people for the first time, but not every time they
see them after that.
7. Men and women friend may kiss each other
on the cheek if they see each other after a long
time, or even each time the meet.
8. People often try to start a conversation with
someone they don’t know by making a
comment about the weather.
9. People may try to start a conversation by
complementing the other person.
10. During the “farewell” stage of the
conversation, people will often move away
from each other little by little and decrease eyecontact.
Exercise 2: Early, on time, or late?
The concept of time can be different in different cultures. Imagine that the following events take
place in the UK or the USA. Decide whether you should arrive early, on time (at exactly the time
the event is scheduled) or late. Put a tick (√) in the appropriate column. Compare your results
with the norms of behaviour in Russia.
Event
Late
Early
On time
1 A business meeting
2 A school examination
3 A concert
4 A date
5 A job interview
6 A meeting with a friend
7 A film
8 A graduation ceremony
9 A dinner party
10 A class
11 A wedding
12 A play
Exercise 3: Points Of View.
1) Cultural misunderstanding is often caused by the difference in the points of view people of
different cultures have. Say your first ideas about each of the following scenarios. How do
you feel about what these people are doing? Do you approve or disapprove?
1. A guest at a formal banquet in a fancy hotel wipes his hands on the tablecloth.
2. Someone walking down the road kicks a dog.
3. A woman carries a heavy jug of water and her husband follows with empty hands.
4. While taking a test, a student asks a friend for help.
5. You stop by your best friend’s house to visit. She says she’s very busy now and asks you to
please come another day.
6. A male guest helps a hostess carry dirty dishes into the kitchen.
7. Two girls are walking down the street holding hands and talking.
8. Someone blows his or her nose into a handkerchief.
9. A girl goes jogging alone every morning.
How did it feel to realize you might be judging others without understanding the reasons for their
behaviour?
2) Now agree or disagree to the following statements.
1. We should not be too quick to judge or disapprove of the behaviour of others.
2. It is wise to try to “walk a mile in someone’s shoes” and understand something about their
lives and their culture before we pass judgment.
3. Knowing why people behave the way they do does not necessarily mean you will like or approve of what they do.
4. Sometimes learning more about people and finding out why they behave the way they do
makes us change our first impression, opinion or judgment.
Exercise 4: Critical Incidents.
A critical incident is a situation where there is a communication problem between people of
different cultures. In other words, something is wrong because people involved don’t understand
each other’s culture.
Now you are going to read critical incidents and to come up with your own solutions to the
problems. For each case you are to find the problem itself and the possible reason for
misunderstanding. In the first three situations you have multiple choice questions to help you
with an answer. For the following situations you will have to decide for yourself.
Incident 1 “Accepting a Compliment”
Linda, an American teacher in an adult class in the US, was speaking to Usa, one of her Thai
students. She said, “Isa, I’m very happy with your work. Your English is really improving.”
Usa looked down and said, “Oh, no. I’m not a good student. My English is not very good.”
Linda really thought that Usa was making progress, and she wanted her to know it. She said to
Usa, “But you are a good student, and you’re making excellent progress. You should be proud of
your work.”
Usa responded to this remark saying, “No, no. You are a very good teacher, but I’m not a good
student.”
Linda didn’t know what to say and decided to give Usa no more compliments.
1. Why did Usa look down when the teacher complimented her?
a. She was ashamed of her work.
b. She was embarrassed by the teacher’s compliment.
c. She was trying to show respect for the teacher.
d. She didn’t like the teacher.
2. Why did Linda decide not to give Usa any more compliments?
a. She decided that Usa really was not a good student.
b. Usa’s behaviour was disrespectful.
c. Usa did not seem to be pleased with the compliment.
d. She expected Usa to say something like ‘Thank you’.
Incident 2 “Addressing the Teacher”
It was the first day of the English class and the teacher was introducing himself. He wrote his full
name, Alan Jones, on the board and said, ‘My name is Alan Jones. If you like, you can use “Mr”
with my name. Now I’d like you to tell me your names. Let’s start with you,’ he said, indicating
a young woman in the front row.
The young woman answered, ‘My name is Liliana Castro, but you can call me Lily, Teacher.’
Then the teacher said, ‘ OK. I’ll call you Lily, but please don’t call me “Teacher”. Please call me
Alan or Mr Jones.’
Lily looked confused, but the teacher ignored her and continued to ask the students to introduce
themselves.
1. Why did Liliana call Alan Jones ‘Teacher’?
a. She didn’t understand how to call him.
b. She was trying to show respect.
c. She couldn’t pronounce his name.
d. She felt confused.
2. Why did Alan Jones ask Liliana not to call him ‘Teacher’?
a. He didn’t really like being a teacher.
b. He wanted to be friendly.
c. In his country, only young pupils call their teacher ‘Teacher’.
d. He thought Liliana was being rude.
Incident 3 “Attending a Party”
Martha, an American teacher in the US, just had started teaching English to a group of Japanese
students. She wanted to get to know her students more informally, so she invited them to her
house for a party. The students all arrived together at exactly 8.00 p.m. They seemed to enjoy the
party: they danced, sang, and ate most of the food. At about 10.00 p.m., one of the students said
to the teacher, ‘I think it’s time for me to leave. Thank you very much for the party’. Then all the
other students got up to go, and all left at the same time. Martha decided she would never invite
them again.
1. Why did all the students leave together?
a. They didn’t like late nights.
b. There was no more food.
c. They were doing what was normal for them.
d. They had an invitation to another party.
2. Why did Martha decide never to invite these students to her house again?
a. She felt insulted, because they all left at once.
b. They had eaten all the food.
c. They stayed too late.
d. They hadn’t brought her a present.
Incident 4 “Attending a Party 2”
Lu, a student from China, was at university in England. Her English tutor Invited a group of
students to her home. Lu didn’t want to make any mistakes, such as staying too late. So when the
tutor brought them all a drink before they began their meal, Lu said, ‘Thank you for inviting us
to you home and for inviting us to dinner. Could you tell me when we can leave?’ The tutor
laughed and said, ‘So, you can’t wait to leave?’
Incident 5 “An Invitation”
Kenji is from Japan. For some time he worked in England. Once a British colleague invited
Kenji to join his friends after work. They went to a pub where the colleague bought him a drink
and suggested a meal in a restaurant. At the end of the meal, Kenji was very surprised to see
everyone take out their wallets to pay the waiter. Kenji was expected to pay as well, but he felt it
was very mean of his colleague not to pay for him as he invited him.
Incident 6 “Friends indeed”
Hana, a student from Lebanon, has only recently arrived to the USA and doesn’t have many
friends. So she was pleased to meet a really nice American in the college cafeteria the other
week. They had a long conversation, her new friend told Hana a story of her life, showed her
photos of her family and finally left Hana her address. The following week Hana saw this girl,
but although she smiled and said ‘Hi!’ in a friendly way, she went and sat with other friends.
Hana felt very hurt. Now she is at a loss, she thinks that to call on her new friend she needs an
invitation.
Incident 7 “A visit”
Douglas, a Scottish businessman, was visiting Germany for the first time and he received an
invitation to visit his most important customer in her house. He decided to take her a beautiful
bunch of twelve red roses and her husband a bottle of wine. Douglas gave her the flowers, but
she just looked embarrassed.
Exercise 5: Culture Assimilations.
In this exercise you will have to imagine yourself in a different cultural milieu, i.e. in Englishspeaking country. You will read situations of classroom behaviour and social behaviour. What
would you do in each situation? In some situations more than one answer may be possible. Then
say what you would do in the same situations in your country.
Classroom Behaviour
1. You are 20minutes late for the class. The teacher is explaining something to the class when
you arrive. What would you do?
a. Go in, walk up to the teacher and apologize.
b. Wait outside the classroom until the class is over and then apologize to the teacher.
c. Knock on the door and wait for the teacher to tell you it’s OK to come in.
d. Go in as quietly as you can and take a seat.
2. The teacher gives the class some homework for the next day. You know that you won’t be
able to finish it on time. What would you do?
a. Explain the situation to the teacher and ask if you can hand in your work later.
b. Not go to class the next day.
c. Go to class the next day without the homework and say nothing.
d. Do as much of the work as you can and give it to the teacher the next day.
3. You’ve got a doctor’s appointment and need to leave class early. What would you do?
a. Not to go to class.
b. Get up and leave the classroom when it’s time to go to your appointment.
c. Explain the situation to the teacher before the class.
d. When it’s time to go to your appointment, get up and explain to the teacher why you have
to leave.
4. You’ve got a question about something the teacher has just said in class. What would you do?
a. Look confused.
b. Call out, ‘I’ve got a question.’
c. Raise your hand and ask the teacher to explain.
d. Wait and ask the teacher to explain after class.
5. You’re sitting in the classroom talking to your classmate, when the teacher comes in. What
would you do?
a. Stand up to show your respect for the teacher.
b. Look up and greet the teacher.
c. Look down to show your respect for the teacher.
d. Look up and pay attention to the teacher.
Social Behaviour
1. You’ve been having digestive problems for a week, and have just started to feel better. You
meet a British friend at a party. You friend says, ‘How are you?’ What would you do?
a. Start talking in detail about your problem.
b. Say, ’Fine, thanks. How are you?’
c. Say, ‘Not bad, thanks. How are you?’
d. Nothing.
2. You’re visiting an American friend in her new apartment. You like the apartment and you
want your friend to know. What would you do?
a. Say, ‘Your apartment is nice. How much is the rent?’
b. Say, ‘Gee, this place is really nice.’
c. Say, ‘I really like your apartment’
d. Say nothing, but show that you are interested by walking around, looking at everything in
the apartment, and picking up everything that is movable.
3. You’ve been invited to dinner at a friend’s home. You’re about to sit down to eat, but you
want to use the toilet first. What would you do?
a. Say, ‘Excuse me. Where is the toilet?’
b. Say, ‘Could I wash my hands before dinner?’
c. Say, ‘Do you mind if I use the bathroom?
d. Say nothing and start looking around the house for the toilet.
4. You’re a guest in a British or American Friend’s home. Your friend asks if you would like
something to drink. You really would like to drink. What would you do?
a. Say, ‘Yes, please.’
b. Say, ‘Yes, that would be lovely.’
c. Say, ‘No, thank you’ and wait for your friend to ask you again.
d. Say, ‘That’s OK. I can get it myself.’
5. You’ve just been introduced to a British or American friend’s parents. What would you do?
a. Say, ‘Hello’, and bow.
b. Say nothing and shake hands.
c. Say, ‘Nice to meet you’, and shake hands.
d. Say, ‘Hi!’
Part 5 “Communication Strategies”
Culturally different patterns of communication are often a cause of misunderstanding and can be
a source of discomfort in cross-cultural situations, so to be successful it is necessary to know
them.
Exercise 1: Answer, add and ask.
‘Answer, add and ask’ is a general pattern of British/American conversations. In the following
conversation find the stages in which the rule of three “A”s is revealed. Then in pairs make your
own conversations following this general rule.
- Do you think mothers of young children should stay at home and not to do a paid job?
- No, I don’t. I don’t think all mothers should be expected to stay at home with their children.
Sometimes mothers have to work to support their families. And some fathers may feel happier
staying at home with the kids. What do you think?
- I agree with you. I also think business should provide childcare for their workers’ children.
Why do you think business and industry have been so slow in providing childcare?
- They probably think it costs too much. But the truth is that it’s probably good for business
Don’t you agree?
Exercise 2: “Trap” words.
In each culture there are phrases and set-expressions that often mean different than they may first
seem or are mostly polite forms of communicative behaviour in certain situations. Define the
meaning of the following words and expressions by inventing a context in which they are
appropriate.
- How are you?
- Let’s have lunch sometime.
- Please.
- Pardon?
- Sorry.
- Excuse me.
- Sir/Madam.
- Have a nice day!
Exercise 3: A Matter of Style!
Every culture has preferred styles of speech. Among these we can differentiate two contrasting
poles – direct and indirect styles. However in reality no culture is 100% pure in its style. Most
often we meet mixed styles of speech which are closer to direct or indirect contrasting styles.
1. Study the following styles of speech identified and described by scholars.
Direct: Saying exactly what you think, being Indirect: Saying what you think in a very povery honest and open
lite, careful, roundabout way.
Self-Enhancing: Pointing out your best quali- Self-Effacing: Being modest and humble, not
ties, praising yourself, drawing attention to praising oneself, not drawing attention to oneyourself, exaggerating your good points
self, making yourself seem less than you are
Talkativeness: Enjoying talk very much, Silence: Feeling comfortable with silence in a
feeling something is not quite right or company conversation, not needing to fill a “vacuum”
is not so enjoyable if people are too quiet
with words
2. Which of the six styles of speech best describes the examples below?
1. A personal add beginning, “handsome, fun-loving, athletic man seeks beautiful, fun-loving,
athletic woman”.
2. A personal add beginning, “I am not very handsome but I am willing to do my best and work
hard”.
3. Chatting with strangers at a bus stop or while waiting in a line.
4. Disagreeing with a friend by saying, “You’ve got to be crazy!”
5. Disagreeing with a friend by saying, “Well, perhaps…” followed by a long pause.
6. Enjoying long quiet evenings with family and friends where no one feels the need to speak
much.
7. Replying “Thank you very much!” when a guest praises a meal you have prepared.
8. Giving a very expensive and beautiful gift and saying “It’s nothing special…”
3. Think of examples of each style of speech– from Russian culture or other cultures you know
from travel, books, movies or stories.
Exercise 4: Englishmen and Americans – One Language, One Style?
You will read a dialog between two American business people, Mary and Bill. They had to
inform Nigel, a visiting Englishman, that an important document they promised to deliver today
will not be ready on time. After reading the dialog, you will take a short quiz.
BILL:
MARY:
BILL:
MARY:
BILL:
MARY:
BILL:
How was the meeting with Nigel?
Much better than I expected!
What happened? Did you explain everything to him?
Yes. I told him we’re very sorry, but we simply cannot meet the deadline.
And?
He just said, “Well, that’s a bit of a nuisance” and changed the subject!
Great! I’m so glad he’s not upset. I thought he was in a hurry and I was worried.
Interpretation Quiz
Answer the following questions about the meeting and conversation Mary has described. Choose
(a) or (b).
1. How do you think Nigel feels?
a. Nigel is not upset. He understands that the document will be late and does not mind
waiting.
b. Nigel is upset and is sure Mary understood that he is not happy.
2. Nigel said, “Well, that’s a bit of a nuisance.” What do you think Nigel meant?
a. Nigel meant what he said. “It’s a small problem, it’s really nothing to worry about.”
b. Nigel was being indirect. “That’s a bit of a nuisance” is an understatement. Nigel really
meant “That’s a problem indeed.”
3. Nigel changed the subject. Why do you think Nigel did this?
a. Nigel wanted to talk about something new — the document was not on his mind any
more.
b. Nigel did not want to discuss the document being late because he was upset about it.
Exercise 5: Men and Women – One Language, One Style?
There has been a research into women and men communicating. These are some of the
differences the surveys found between women and men in conversation. Write ‘men’ or
‘women’ in the spaces. Then check with the keys. Do you think these results are true?
_____ talk more about feelings and relationships. _____ talk more about things.
_____ use fewer adjectives than _____, and describe things in less detail.
_____ ask fewer questions in conversation.
_____ rarely discuss their personal life.
_____ use more polite formulas than _____.
_____ tell more jokes.
_____ interrupt more than _____ (three times more often).
_____ more often smile when listening. _____ more often frown.
_____ are more attentive listeners (smiling, nodding, agreeing).
_____ use a greater range of intonation than _____.
_____ ask others for help less often than _____.
_____ make more direct statements. They begin sentences with It is…, We will…
_____ get to the point of conversation more quickly than _____ do.
_____ make more indirect statements. They begin sentences with I think…, I hope…, I feel…
_____ use more quantifiers (words like all, none, every, always).
_____ use more qualifiers (words like a bit, kind of ).
Keys
Part 1, Ex.2:
Products: Literature, folklore, art, music, artifacts
Ideas: beliefs, values, institutions
Behaviour: customs, habits, dress, food, leisure
Part 1, Ex.3:
12.5 % of an iceberg is visible above the water. The remaining 87.5 % is below.
Part 1, Ex.4:
Above the water line: Food, Music, Literature, Styles of Dress, Celebrations, A Typical Day of
Your Life
Below the water line: “Russian Soul,” Concept of Beauty, Beliefs about Health, Religious and
Folk Beliefs, Rules of Polite Behaviour, Beliefs about Hospitality
Part 2, Ex. 3 (1):
Universal, Cultural, Personal
Part 2, Ex. 3 (2):
__U__ Giving gifts
It is a universal impulse to present gifts to others, though the rules of who gives gifts to
whom, when it is appropriate to give gifts, and what one should do in return are different.
For example, in Japan people who move into a new home give gifts to their new neighbors
as a sign of good will. Neighbors are not expected to give gifts in return. In Mexico, if you
admire the only thing of beauty or value in a host’s home, the host will feel he or she must
give it to you. However, you are expected to give the host something of equal value.
__C__ Considering a gift of an even number of flowers unlucky
This is a feature of Russian culture. In the US, roses are commonly sold by the dozen or
half dozen. An even or odd number of flowers has no meaning at all in American culture.
__P__ Preferring to receive pink roses
A matter of personal taste.
__C__ Eating with a knife and fork
In Japan, China and Korea “chopsticks” are used except —for special occasions like eating
in a French restaurant. In other countries, like India, Sri Lanka, and Ethiopia, it is common
to eat with one’s right hand, using bread or rice to scoop up pieces of meat, vegetables and
sauce from a curry or stew. The left hand is considered dirty, used only for unclean tasks. It
requires a great deal of skill to eat properly with ones hand or chopsticks, and it takes
visitors a long time to master the art.
__P__ Not liking vanilla ice cream
Purely personal!
__U__ Eating regularly
All human beings must eat regularly to survive — though the number of times per day and
the amounts eaten at different times vary. Traditionally, Spaniards and Italians eat the
largest meal at mid-day and have a short rest before returning to work. They have a light
meal in the evening.
__P__ A woman offering her seat on a bus to an elderly man who looks very tired
No culture has a rule that women must give seats to older men. This is a personal decision.
__U__ Being polite
Every culture has rules for proper and polite behavior among its members.
__C__ Burping after a meal as a compliment to the hostess
While burping is bad manners in Europe and the Islamic world, in China and Korea it is
perfectly acceptable — even at formal banquets — as a sign that you are appreciating your
meal.
__U__ Feeling sad when a loved one dies
Absolutely universal.
__C__ Wearing white mourning clothes after the death of a loved one.
White is the colour of mourning in China, Japan, & Korea — and in regions of India and
Brazil. (In China, one never wears blue or white at social functions; they are the colours of
death and mourning.)
__P__ A widow growing tired of wearing mourning clothes for a year and a day.
Wearing mourning clothes for a year and a day is a cultural norm, but growing tired of it is
personal. Some widows might think it their proper duty. Wearing mourning clothes for a
year and a day was a cultural norm of Victorian England — though the colour was black
and not white!
Part 3, Ex.2:
Independence – A friend refuses to help you on a competitive written test.
Informality – Wearing jeans everywhere — restaurants, the theater, the symphony.
Formality – Dressing very nicely to go to work (teachers, professors, bank clerks).
Interdependence – Friends are friends, they never refuse to help each other.
Egalitarianism – Inviting the cleaning woman into your office for tea.
Sharing – Always offering food to friends who stop by.
The Future – Saving all your money for a rainy day.
The Present – Living well today because we don’t know what tomorrow may bring.
Part 3, Ex.3:
1 – Economy or thrift;
2 – Independence;
3 – The Present;
4 – Generosity;
5 – Health;
6 – Respect to others;
7 – Hope;
8 – Patience;
9 – Time;
10 – Knowledge and learning;
11 – Prudence and care.
Part 4, Ex.2:
The events for which you should arrive early are 1,2,3,5,7,12.
The events for which you should arrive on time are 4,6,8,9,10,11.
You should not arrive late for any of the events listed.
Part 4, Ex.4:
Incident 1:
1. The most likely explanations are (b) and (c). Usa may have felt uncomfortable at being singled
out for such a compliment, and looking down is a sign of respect in many cultures.
2. The most likely explanations are (c) and (d).
Incident 2:
1. The most likely explanation is (b). In many cultures students, no matter what their age,
address their teacher as ‘Teacher’ to show respect.
2. The most likely explanation is (c).
Incident 3:
1. The most likely explanation is (c). Young people in Japan and many other countries in Asia
often arrive at social events in a group and leave in a group.
2. The most likely explanation is (a).
Part 4, Ex.5:
Classroom Behaviour
1. a. Wrong. This would disrupt the class.
b. Wrong. You’ll miss the classwork and can be marked absent.
c. Wrong. This would disrupt the class.
d. Right.
2. a. Right.
b. Wrong. You’ll miss the classwork and the teacher will probably realize why you are
absent.
c. Wrong. The teacher will expect an explanation.
d. This is OK. But if you do this you should explain the situation to the teacher.
3. a. Wrong.
b. Wrong. If you have to leave the class early you should explain the situation to the teacher
before the class.
c. Right.
d. Wrong.
4. a. Wrong. The best thing to do is to raise your hand and ask the teacher to explain.
b. Wrong. It’s OK to say that you have a question but not shout.
c. Right.
d. This is OK, but it is probably better to ask the teacher to explain during the class. You’re
probably not the only student who needs an explanation.
5. a. Wrong. Teachers in the UK and the US do not expect students to behave so formally.
b. Right.
c. Wrong. If you look down the teacher will interpret this as a sign of guilt or lack of interest.
d. Right.
Social Behaviour
1. a. Wrong. You should respond to the greeting and should not start talking about your medical
problems.
b. Right.
c. Right.
d. Wrong.
2. a. Wrong. It is polite to praise the apartment but it is impolite to ask how much the rent is.
b. Right.
c. Right.
d. Wrong. You should not walk around the apartment or pick up anything unless you are
invited to.
3. a. Wrong. You should not mention the toilet directly.
b. Right. Your friend will know what you mean.
c. Right.
d. Wrong.
4. a. Right.
b. Right.
c. Wrong. Your friend will probably not ask you again.
d. Wrong. This would be appropriate only with very, very close friends.
5. a. Wrong. Bowing is not a custom in the US or the UK. You should say something like ‘It is
nice to meet you.’
b. Wrong. Shaking hands is OK, but you should say something. See answer (a).
c. Right.
d. Wrong. ‘Hi’ is too informal for an introduction to a friend’s parents.
Part 5, Ex. 2:
- How are you? – It is only a greeting. It does not mean that you should tell all your current
problems to the person you meet.
- Let’s have lunch sometime. – This is not always an invitation. More often it is a way of
disengaging from a conversation.
- Please. – It introduces a polite request and has nothing to do with pleasing.
- Pardon? – This means “Could you please repeat what you said?” It is not asking for
forgiveness.
- Sorry. – Although this is an apology, it needn’t indicate deep, heartfelt regret.
- Excuse me. – It is not asking for forgiveness. It is just a way of attracting attention.
- Sir/Madam – These rather formal titles are used in special situations.
- Have a nice day! – This cheerful farewell, used commonly in the US, may be considered
insincere in Britain.
Part 5, Ex. 3:
2. 1. Self-Enhancing
2. Self-Effacing
3. Talkativeness
4. Direct
5. Indirect
6. Silence
7. Self-Enhancing
8. Self-Effacing
Part 5, Ex. 4:
Answers to the quiz
1. b
2. b
3. b
Part 5, Ex. 5:
Women talk more about feelings and relationships. Men talk more about things.
Men use fewer adjectives than women, and describe things in less detail.
Men ask fewer questions in conversation.
Men rarely discuss their personal life.
Women use more polite formulas than men.
Men tell more jokes.
Men interrupt more than women (three times more often).
Women more often smile when listening. Men more often frown.
Women are more attentive listeners (smiling, nodding, agreeing).
Women use a greater range of intonation than men.
Men ask others for help less often than women.
Men make more direct statements. They begin sentences with It is…, We will…
Men get to the point of conversation more quickly than women do.
Women make more indirect statements. They begin sentences with I think…, I hope…, I feel…
Men use more quantifiers (words like all, none, every, always).
Women use more qualifiers (words like a bit, kind of ).
Acknowledgements:
1. Courses, Greenall S. Reward Intermediate. Macmillan, Macmillan-Heinemann, 2002.
2. Cultural Awareness, Oxford University Press. 2003.
3. Experiential Activities for Intercultural Learning. H.Ned.Seelye, ed. Intercultural Press Inc.
4. Hoops D.S., Ventura P. Intercultural sourcebook. LaGrange Park II: Intercultural Network,
Inc. 1979.
5. Lebedko, Maria, Culture Bumps: Overcoming Misunderstandings in Cross-Cultural Communication. Far Eastern State University Press, Vladivostok, 1999.
6. Soars J., Soars L. Headway Intermediate. New york: Oxford University Press, 1997.
7. Viney P., Viney K. Handshake. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
8. Zdanoski Julie E. Crossing Cultural Borders: Russia. English Language Office, Embassy of
the United States of America, Moscow, 2004. – 133 p.