Culture differences

ComparisonbetweenChineseandEnglishlanguages&theirCultures英汉语言文化对比lecturer:彭春燕Feb.27th.2013Self-IntroductionHobbies:keepingpets;music;traveling;WatchingAmerican/BritishTVSeries;reading;dancingCountriesvisited:America;Britain;Canada;SouthKoreaPersonality:idealistic;sympathetic;sensitive;imaginativeandlow-keyWaysofcontactE-Mail:[e-mail]:!•IQ•EQ•CI:theintelligenceusedtoadapteffectivelytoforeignculturesorforeignpeopleandtofeelathomethere.Itisveryimportantininterculturalcommunication(跨文化交际).CIisaperson’scomprehensiveabilitythatincludes:linguisticknowledgeofthecultureculturalknowledgebehindthelanguageinterculturalawareness（asaying）communicationskillsandstrategies.•Tosumup,thiscourseisahumbleattempttodevelopyourCI,whichneedsourjointeffort.Unit1ABriefIntroductiontothecourse•Objectiveofthecourse•Featuresofthecourse•Contentofthecourse•Referencebooks•Themethodofevaluationandclassdiscipline•Groupingoftheclass(discussion)ObjectiveofthecourseHowlong?WhatdoesthestudyofEnglishusuallyfocuson?Grammar,vocabularywhileignoringculturalknowledge.Infactculturehaslongbeenneglectedintraditionalteaching:e.g.JohnBullandUncleSamHeisachickeninfrontofbigboys.Thatcarisalemon.Sheiscuckoo(布谷鸟).OneAmericaneditorcalledJeremylin“CHINK”andthengotfired.•Wetrytoexploreandcomparetheimplications(含义)ofsomeimportantWordsinourdailylifeintwocultures.Objectiveofthecourse•Today’sbigenvironmentChineseeconomyisdevelopingsofast;China’sentryintoWTO;China’ssuccessfulholdingof2008BeijingOlympicGames;Amajorplayerintherecoveryoftheglobalfinancialrecession.PeopleallovertheworldhaverealizedtheriseofChina.Cross-culturalexchanges&interculturalcommunicationshaveneverbeensofrequentandextensivebefore.•Tolearnalanguageisalsotolearnitsculture.Ifwewanttosurviveintheglobalvillageandmulticulturalworld,weshoulddevelopourinterculturalcommunicationskills.•Whathappensifonefailstoknowtheculturaldifferences?Culturalmistakes“Nativespeakerstendtoberathertolerantofmistakesinpronunciationandsyntax,butfarlesstolerantofculturalmistakes.”Seriousconsequences:leadtomisunderstanding,orevendisasters(okgesture)andthereforehindercommunicationExample1•ASwisscouplewhocouldn'tspeakChineseoncehaddinnerinoneChineserestaurantinHangKong.Afterorderingthedishes,theymadegesturestotellthewaitertomakesomethingfortheirdogtoeat.Thewaiterseemedtohaveunderstoodwhattheyintendedandtookthedogtothekitchen.Afterawhile,thewaitercameoutwithaplateofdogmeat.•Canyouimaginethecouple’sresponsetothis?•Foodtaboo（禁忌）inoneculturecanbeadelicacy(美味)inanotherculture.Example2•OneEnglishnativespeakercametoChinaforavisit.WhenhesteppedofftheplaneandhetoldtheChinesemanmeetinghimattheairport,“I’dliketogosomewhere.”TheChinesesmiledandsaid,“Youcangoanywhere”.Thereismisunderstandinghere,whatiswrongwiththeChinese’sresponse?Sometimesitisnotenoughtoknowtheliteralmeaningofasentenceorpassage,oneshouldknowitsculturalimplications(文化内涵)behindthelanguage.Example3•AChinesemanworkedinaforeigncompany.Onedayhewaslateforworkagain,soHesmiledandapologizedtohisforeignboss.Tohissurprise,hisbossgotevenangrier.•WhatiswrongwiththeChineseman’sbehavior?Whydidhesmilewhenheapologized?Whydidthebossgetangrier?Bodylanguagevariesfromculturetoculture.Example4•SomeAmericanswerelearningChineseinoneAmericanUniversity.Twoteachers(amaleandafemale)weregivingtheclass.Theywerenon-nativespeakersofChinese.Theywereusingactualobjectstodemonstratecertainexpressions.Afterpracticing“这是什么”（whatisthis?）,这是桌子，椅子等withvariousobjects.Theteachersthenasked,“Isthisathing?”(这是东西吗？)—是，这是东西。（Thisisathing.）Theythenturnedtonegativeanswers.Pointingtohimself,oneoftheteachersasked,“AmIathing?(我是东西吗？)”Theotherteachershookherhead,saying,“no,youarenotathing.”Themaleteacherthenpointedtoherandasked,“Areyouathing?”(你是东西吗？)“no,Iamnotathing.”Canyouimaginehowthetwoteachersfeelwhentheylaterfindoutwhatitmeanstosay“Apersonisnotathing.”inChineseculture?Example5Culturally-loadedwordsThesewords’implicationsvaryfromculturetoculture,fromagetoage.•SomeChinesewereknowntointroducetheirwifeorhusbandastheir“lover”andwesternerswereshockedtohearthatandtheycouldn'tunderstandwhyChineseweresoopenabouthavinga“lover”.Lover:apersonwhomonehasloveaffairwithbutisnotmarriedto.Wecansay“themanhasawifeandalsoalover.”Peasants:Canwecalltoday’sruralresidentsinChinapeasants?exploitedclass;ill-educatedandrudeIndividualism=selfishness=self-centeredness?ToAmericans,itisapositivewordindicatingself-reliance,self-achievementanditisthesourceofindividualsuccessandsocialprogress.Languageabuseintranslation•Inthepublicplace,therearesomanymistakesthistype•拿铁咖啡：takeironcoffee•一次性筷子：onesexchopsticks•残迹人电梯：disabledelevator•小心溺水：carefuldrowning•蟹粉小笼：crabpinksmallcageCausesofculturalmistakes•Differentvaluescollectivism集体主义VSindividualism•Differentthinkingpatternsandstylesholistic整体的VSanalytical分析的•Differentethics(道德体系)andcustoms(eating;marriageetc.)“孝”“仁”“义”•Seeminglyequivalentwordshavequitedifferentconnotations(内涵)色鬼，替罪羊separatethesheepfromthegoats分清良莠TheoryguidingculturelearningWhatiscu