跨文化交际 复习资料

1、文化：culture

It is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

The Characteristics of Culture:

Learned、transmitted、Subject to change、unconscious、integrated、symbolic、adaptive.

2、跨文化交际：intercultural communication

Intercultural communication means the communication between people from different cultural backgrounds. It is communication between people whose cultural perceptions and symbol systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event.

3、高语境文化：High-Context Cultures

①Infer information from message context, rather than from content.

②Prefer indirectness, politeness and ambiguity.

③Convey little information explicitly.

④Rely heavily on nonverbal signs.

4、价值观：Values

A standard by which members of culture define what is desirable or undesirable、good or bad、beautiful or ugly、acceptable or unacceptable. V alues are standards set by the members of a society.

V alues are often highly contexted. V alues can change significantly over time. V alues can differ within one society and around the world.

5、言语交际：verbal communication:

It refers to any form of communication that is directly dependent on the use of language.

非言语交际：Nonverbal communication

It will be defined as the process by which nonverbal behaviors are used, either singly or in combination with verbal behaviors, in the exchange and interpretation of messages within a given situation or context.

6、本地化：Localization

The process of adapting a product or service to a particular language, culture, and desired local “look-and-feel.”Aspects to be considered in localization: Language、Time zones、Money、National holidays、Local color sensitivities、Product or service names、Gender roles、Geographic examples 、Advertisements

7、刻板印象：Stereotypes

A fixed general image, characteristic, etc. that a lot of people believe to represent a particular type of person or thing.

Stereotypes are a form of generalization about some group of people, or a means of organizing images into fixed and simple categories that are used to stand for the entire collection of people. It is found in nearly every intercultural situation. The reason for

the pervasive nature of stereotypes is that human beings have a psychological need to categorize and classify.

8、文化休克：Cultural shock

It is caused by the anxiety that results from losing all familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse.

9、符号：Symbol

A person，an object, an event, etc. that represents a more general quality or situation.

1、猫头鹰的故事：

①This is because Chinese and English native speakers assign different associative meanings to the same bird—owl.

②Owl in China is the sign of bad luck. The mere sight of an owl or the sound of the creature’s hooting is enough to cause people to draw back in fear.

But in English it is associated with wisdom. In children’s books and cartoons, whenever there is a dispute among birds or beasts, it is the owl that acts as judge.

③The term dog elicits different feelings in these two cultures. In China gou(dog) often has derogative meanings, such as 狼心狗肺. But in West is considered the best friend of man, which is well established in their cultures. So the feel disgusted at eating dog meat.

④Long(龙) is a symbol of the emperor in ancient China. It has been almighty to us Chinese. Today long is often identified with China or Chinese. But to the English—speaking people, the Chinese long has been rendered in English as “dragon”. Dragon is a fire—spitting monster, cruel and fierce that destroys and therefore must be destroyed.

⑤In Chinese ,松、柏、鹤、桃stand for longevity. In English, they are just plants.

2、气泡空间：

①This is because each person has a “bubble” of space (territory). Studies show that people from South America, Arab countries, and many Asian countries have a smaller personal territory than do North Americans, British and Germans. In Mexican and Arab cultures, physical distance between people when engaged in conversation is very close. In order to feel comfortable while talking, what the Mexican does is to move closer, while what the North American does is to step back a little.

②In Western counties, personal territory is highly valued. Each one has his/her own space at home or in office which should not be invaded. In public places, they have “temporary territory”, not be intruded upon either.

③As is in the case of human behavior, the use of space is directly linked to the value system of different cultures. The Americans whose culture stresses individualism generally demand more space than do people from collectivistic cultures and tend to take an active, aggressive stance when their space is violated.

3、家庭第一：

①One of the reason that Annie could not understand Rosa is this:：in American culture, the nuclear family is much more important to the individual than the extended family. Most Americans feel little responsibility toward their second cousins, and may never even have met them. Therefore, Annie was confused because Rosa put so much effort into helping “just” a second cousin.

②But in Rosa’s culture there is not such a big difference between nuclear and extended family responsibilities. In some countries, the extended family is the main financial and emotional support for people in times of crisis. However, this is not so far most Americans, who rely more on friends, institutions, and professionals.

③Another reason is their possession of different cultural values. Rosa felt that “family comes first”, which means that her own needs come second. Annie had a hard time understanding that point of view because in her culture the individual usually comes first. In the United States the person who can “make it on his own”without help from family is respected, although of course many people do get help from their families.

④Because of these differences, it is sometimes difficult for people to understand and accept the way family members in other cultures seem to treat each other. It is important, however, to remember that families show their love in different ways. These differences sometimes make it hard to see the reality of family love in every culture in the world.

4、男女之间的约会：

①Blanca thought that Kevin was going to pay for her because he had invited her to go out, this was the American custom. But things are changing. One reason is that many more American women work today. Therefore, many men and women think it is unfair for men to always pay for everything when they go out.

②Another reason is that some women say that if a man pays for them, they feel like they own him something. And some American women prefer to pay because they like to feel like an equal partner on a date. They don’t feel equal if they are taken places and paid for.

③Blanca’s understanding that Kevin was going to pay for her is an example of a cultural assumption. Our cultural assumptions are so much a part of us that many times we cannot believe that the whole world does not see things as we do. Trying to understand cultural assumptions that other people make can help to explain their way of thinking and acting.

④Most Hispanic parents assume the worst will happen if they let their daughters go out alone with a man. And the Hispanic assumption about women is that they will not be able to stop a man.