UNIT 4 - INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Question 1

THE ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION
Definition:

Answer 1

studies the norms of communicative conduct in different communities, and deals with methods for studying these norms

Question 2

learning a language

Answer 2

also learning a language is becoming able to know how to
converse and interact like a native

Question 3

FORMULAE

Answer 3

English speakers often feel ‘constrained’ for the absence of a real equivalent to please in Scandinavian languages

Question 4

Europeans are often distressed for the:

Answer 4

*absence in English of a real equivalent for bon appétit (French) or buen provecho (Spanish);

*much narrower function in English of please than bitte (German) or prego (Italian);

Question 5

British cheers!:

Answer 5

*minor leave-taking:
A: Well, my dear, take care of yourself, and I’ll see you in six months’ time.
B: Cheers!

*for minor thanking:
A: I’d like to take you out to dinner tomorrow night.
B: Cheers!

Question 6

Western societies

Answer 6

have a ‘no gap, no overlap’ rule for conversational turn-taking

Question 7

SILENCE
Western societies: the pairing of utterances (adjacency pairs)

Answer 7

in conversational situations is so strong

Question 8

North American Indian languages

Answer 8

prolonged silences are tolerated

Question 9

LOUDNESS
Americans speak

Answer 9

louder than British people

Question 10

LOUDNESS
Spanish people speak

Answer 10

louder than British people

Question 11

LOUDNESS
Yewish people speak

Answer 11

louder than British people and Americans

Question 12

DIRECTNESS & INDIRECTNESS
English people are more

Answer 12

indirect than Spanish speakers

Question 13

DIRECTNESS & INDIRECTNESS
Japanese never

Answer 13

say NO

Question 14

DIRECTNESS & INDIRECTNESS
In Asia, particularly in India, a remark about any object

Answer 14

may be taken as a request for it

Question 15

DIRECTNESS & INDIRECTNESS
Greeks seem to make beliefs and dislikes

Answer 15

known by rather more indirect means

Question 16

TELEPHONE BEHAVIOUR
In Japan it is the

Answer 16

caller who is expected to be the first to speak

Question 17

TELEPHONE BEHAVIOUR
In French it used to be normal for callers:

Answer 17

1.to check a number,
2.to identify themselves,
3.to apologize for the intrusion,
4.To ask for the addressee

Question 18

TELEPHONE BEHAVIOUR
In Western societies it is the

Answer 18

answerer who speaks first

Question 19

TELEPHONE BEHAVIOUR
Even within Western societies, there are

Answer 19

differences in telephone behaviour

Question 20

DISTANCE
Distance between participants in conversations

Answer 20

also changes cross-culturally

Question 21

DISTANCE
In Semiotics, Proxemics

Answer 21

is concerned with the variation in posture, distance
and tactile contact in human communication

Question 22

DISTANCE
Kinesics

Answer 22

studies the systematic use of facial expression and body gesture to communicate meaning

Question 23

The Ethnography of Writing
Cultural patterns of meaning notably

Answer 23

affect the formal organization of written language

Question 24

The Ethnography of Writing
English organizes

Answer 24

the whole argumentation in a linear way: a linear development of the paragraph

Question 25

The Ethnography of Writing
Semitic

Answer 25

does it in a parallel way: development through parallelism

Question 26

The Ethnography of Writing
Oriental

Answer 26

in a circular and tangential way: using a number of different outside perspectives

Question 27

The Ethnography of Writing
Romance language speaker

Answer 27

organizes the whole reasoning using many digressions

Question 28

The Ethnography of Writing
Russian speaker

Answer 28

also using many digressions but more irrelevantly and less related to the substance of the composition than the Romance language speaker’s writing

Question 29

Other routines cross-culturally variable:

Answer 29

• Rules for the narration of stories
• Rules for insults
• Irony, jokes
• Sounding (BVE speakers)

Question 30

Grammatical/Linguistic Competence:

Answer 30

the knowledge that underlies the ability to understand and produce sounds, grammatical structures and meaning in language.

Question 31

Socio-cultural Competence:

Answer 31

the knowledge which underlies the ability to understand/produce appropriate language according to the contextual features of a situation.

Question 32

Pragmatic Competence:

Answer 32

the knowledge which underlies our ability to interpret and express a range of intentions or purposes in language.

Question 33

Discourse Competence:

Answer 33

the knowledge which underlies our ability to understand and use rules for speaking and writing coherently and in a rule governed way taking account of surrounding discourse (grammar beyond sentence).

Question 34

Strategic Competence:

Answer 34

the knowledge which underlies our ability to compensate for inadequate competence in other areas or for breakdowns in communication.

Question 35

Communicative Competence:

Answer 35

the knowledge which underlies our ability to use appropriately in specific socio/cultural settings (inevitably has to be learn rather than acquired).

Question 36

Intercultural Encounters
John Gumperz (1982): Verbal communication

Answer 36

to overcome those barriers that exist between individuals of different social and ethnic backgrounds

Question 37

Intercultural Encounters
John Gumperz & Jenny Cook-Gumperz (1982): a communicative flexibility

Answer 37

is required in order to be successful