英语跨文化交际案例分析

Revision

for the final test

at least 5 possible explanations

1.Perhaps the professor feels that students

have a right to have their opinion considered in the grading process.

2.Maybe the professor asks students to give

themselves grades because she wants them to reflect on their own performance. She

feels students will learn better if they

evaluate themselves.

3.It is possible that the professor doesn?t feel

grades are very important, and wants to

minimize the pressure of grades.

4.Perhaps the professor wants to know

students? opinion of their own work because it will be helpful information for her as she

decides their grades.

5.Possibly, the professor values highly the

students? ability of self-reflection. And she

believes this is just the best way for them to reflect.

6.Maybe western teachers tend to believe

that it is fairer for students if their own voices are included in deciding their final grades.

1.Maybe the taxi driver is trying to cheat Lee.

2.Perhaps there are extra charges for luggage that Lee doesn?t know about.

3.It may be that the driver has included a tip for himself, perhaps because he knows Lee is a foreigner and thinks she doesn?t know that she should tip.

4.One possibility is that there are extra charges for tolls (过路费) that Lee doesn?t know about.

5.It is possible that there is something wrong with the meter, or fares (车费) have recently gone up and the meter hasn?t been adjusted yet.

Encounter (1)

U1 The Taxi (P.1)

6. Maybe the driver has included a tip for himself –an unreasonably large one.

7. Possibly, the driver has included a generous –but not entirely unseasonal –tip for himself, perhaps because he knows she is a foreigner and thinks she doesn't know that she should tip, or cause in the past other foreigners have given him very stingy tips.

1.Ms. Kelsen may feel that teachers should not accept gifts, especially valuable ones, from students . (In the West, it is rare for individual students to give teachers gifts, especially expensive ones.)

2.Maybe Ms. Kelsen does not think it right to accept a gift, especially a valuable one, just for doing her duty as a teacher.

3.Perhaps Ms. Kelsen is afraid that other people will find out that she accepted the gift , and they will think she took a bribe .Encounter (2)

U2 The gift (P.13)

4.Ms. Kelsen may feel that she only did her

duty, so she has done nothing to deserve

such a special gift.

5.Ms. Kelsen may feel uncomfortable

because she assumes Frank cannot afford to give expensive gifts.

6.Ms. Kelsen may feel that accepting the gift

would put her under obligation to Frank.

(Most Westerners feel that accepting a

valuable gift entails a degree of reciprocity(酬答) .

1.Maybe the teacher really isn't very interested in helping Hal and his friends. She was just being polite in offering to help them.

2.Perhaps the teacher is willing to help some, but afraid that she will end up doing most of the work in running the club, so she is trying to minimize expectations.

3.It is likely that the teacher already teaches English all day and doesn ’t want to do any more.

Encounter (3)

U7 The English club (P.68)

4. Maybe the teacher would really like to help,

but simply doesn’t have enough time for the club. (time demands)

5. The teacher may not be too busy now, but

she is reluctant to make a major time

commitment before she knows how much

free time she will have in her new life. (time demands)

6. The teacher may think the club will be better

if students run it themselves.

(teacher/student perspective differences)

7. Perhaps the teacher really isn't very interested

in helping Hal and his friends. She thinks that in helping her they were only doing their duty, so she doesn’t own them anything. (public and

private; official and personal)

8. Maybe the teacher is interested in helping but

she believes it is good for students to get the

habit of creating their own practice opportunities rather than waiting for the teacher to tell them

what to do.

从中西文化角度分析

Kathy and David,a couple from the US,signed a one-year contract to work in China.both were extroverted and soon made some Chinese friends.

Before long,people started calling them at home. David was sometimes away on business trips for a few days,and if someone looked for him,Kathy often would find the conversation awkward.“Where did he go?”the caller typically would ask.“Can I pass on any message?”Kathy asked politely, trying to avoid the question.

“Is he out of town?”the caller was usually very persistent.

“Yes,can I help you in any way?”Kathy tried to be polite,but she could not help feeling uncomfortable.

Chinese perspective:In China, when someone calls a person who is not home, “where is

he/she?” or “where did he/she go?” are natural questions. By asking them, the caller may not necessarily be interested in finding out exactly where the person is. Usually, the questions are asked simply as a way to carry on the phone conversation before hanging up. It is typical Chinese telephone courtesy.

?American perspective: In America, information about one?s daily actions should be private and not generally shared with just others. Questions about where someone went or if he/she is out of town are private, and hence asking them is seen as rude. If the caller had to speak with David before a certain date or time, that person could say so by stating something like, “Yes, I?d like to leave a message,” and could indicate the date before which he/she needs to talk with David.

?Shortly after Raymond started teaching English in an English training center in China, the director told him in a round-about way that the students were unhappy about some of his method and had made some suggestions about his teaching. Raymond felt very embarrassed, not just because the students had some concerns about his teaching style, but because they had complained directly to the director.

?Chinese perspective: In china, preserving good relationships and harmony between people is generally considered very important, so people generally try to avoid telling a person directly that he/she did something wrong. When it is a must to tell, it is usually done through a third party. In this case, the students thought they would upset the teacher if talking to him directly and in person. To avoid face-to-face embarrassment, it is good to keep their relationship by turning to the director, their boss as the mediator, about the issue.

?American perspective:Americans like to maintain a harmonious working environment, too. However, the way they do so is different from that in china. In America, students would normally expect and be expected to speak directly with the teacher. If students go to a teacher?s supervisor, their action would be seen as a state that the teacher is not respected or trusted by the students and that they have to “go above his heard” to bring down the power of his boss on him. In this case, actually Raymond must have felt terribly hurt. If the student come directly to Raymond, he could have responded directly to their suggestions and thus avoided the embarrassment of being criticized by his

?Lu was invited to a Christmas party organized by graduate students. Most of the people there were Americans. After a few drinks, Lu noticed that people became more relaxed. The things they said to each other and their body language soon turned very flirting(风骚的). Men and women would lean

against each other in the couch almost like boyfriends and

girlfriends.

?One male graduate student sat behind Lu. She could felt that his hands were playing with her long hairs. She turned around and wanted to stop him, but before she said anything, he said, “you look very seductive tonight.”

?Lu felt terrible.” do I? I'm sorry. I don't mean to seduce you.”?The student laughed, “Why are you feeling sorry? You're very attractive. It?s a compliment!”

?Lu was confused. She did not know how to respond.

?Flirting is associated with having a low moral standard. It is seen as wrong and would usually arouse disgust. And flirting with another person would be the basis for a fight between spouses or a boy and girl friend.