american culture

abigdifferencebetweenchineandamericancultures

ihavelongsiineathleteschoo

milymemberswouldkeepbadnewsfrom

berreadingaboutachinesoldierwhofatherormotherdied

buteveryoneelli,inamerica,it

'tverymuchaboutpeopleinotherfields,butamericanathletes,forexample,nbaplayers,

ne

everheardanyonecomplainaboutaplayer'sabnceeventhoughtheabnceledtoadefeat

inakeygame.

forchineathletes,tagoiwatcheda

chineolympicplayersaidinatelev.

reathonortoreprentthecountryandyouneedtodoeverythingpossibletohonor

hersand

mothersareheardsayingwedon'cemaynotbeinapositiontosayanythingifachineathlete

choostogohomeandgiveupaninternationalgame,butmanyintheaudiencewouldprobablywonderwhythe

y

tothenationanddedicationtothenationisthemostimportantthing.

well,,wechinehavesufferedalotin

uewechinepeopleattachtothenationissomethingthatcameintobeinginthis

vivaldependsoneveryone'tostandtogether

'avehadthisvaluefromtheonly

svaluemaybecomeveryimportantinthefuture.

aynotbebigdifferenceinfamily

eeinchineathletes'choiceandamericanathletes'choiceinfaceoffamily

misfortunemaynoespointtoa

sdifferenceisinteresting.

黄圆芬DifferencesbetweenChineandAmericanCulture

ChinaAmerica

Individualconceptscollectivismmodestindividualismdirect

Socialrelationsofficialhierarchicalunofficialequal

Friendshipafewbutpermanentmuchbutchangeful

Relationandrulerelyoninterpersonalrelationshiprelyonblackandwhite

Timeconceptnostalgicfocusonthefuturelaystressonnow

Statussuccessivedependonindividualeffort

Astheinternationalizationgoeson,ethefact,themajorcharactersof

’sesomethingdifferentbetweenChinecultureandAmericanculture.

Individualconceoftenoweasuccesstoa

prai,hesimilarcircumstance,Americansaremorelikelyto

tendtoindividualismandwillacceptthepraidirectly.

epeopleemtogetudtotherelationsthattheyoften

ontrary,Americanspreferunofficialandequal

ketostaywithpeopleofthesamegenerationanddon’tattachtoomuchimportancetosocialclass.

FriendshipInChina,manypeopleusuallyhaveafewfriendsthoughtheirlife,butthefriendshipbetweenthemmaylastlong.

ica,peoplemayhavemanyfriendsandacquaintanceswhile

theirrelationsarenotdeepandtheyarechangeful.

RelationandruleToChinepeople,cedwithdifficulty,theyoftenthink

tosay,Chine,toacertainextent,oftenrelyoninterpersonal

ansusuallypaymoreattentiontowrittencontractsandagreements,suchasallkindsoflaws.

TimeconceptRelativelyspeaking,sthatthebygonecanbring

themcouragtely,peopleinAmericalaystresson

emoreinterestedonprentlife,sotheyoftenenjoyitbymeansofparities,whichismost

common.

StatusAsforstatus,ofteninheritnotonlyproperty

butalsoidentityfromtheirparentsandotherniorities，r,tomostoftheAmericans,

theirindividualstatuslargelydependontheirownachievements,includingtheachievementsoneducationalattainment：教育程度；

教育取得；学历；受教育比率andcareer.

Fromtheaboveaspects,ldrespect

culturaldiversity;atthesametime,weneedtoprotectourowncultureandlanguagebecautheyareavitalpartofanation.

TheDifferenceCulturalCharacteristicsbetwe

enChineandAmerican

(2007-06-2318:55:09)

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culture

TheDifferenceCulturalCharacteristicsbetweenChineandAmerican

uction

1.1Definition

Cultureisashared,learned,interrelatedtofsymbols,which

uniteandidentifymembersofsociety.(TerpstraandDavid,1991)

1.2TheRangeofCulture

(1)Valuesandbeliefs(moralandreligiousbeliefs)

(2)Communication(spokenandwrittenlanguage,bodylanguage)

(3)Normsofbehavior

(4)Customs

(5)Arts,music,dance,sport

1.3TheCharacteristicsofCulture

(1)soflearningone'scultureis

calledenculturation.

(2)"cultureofone."

(3)tedthroughaconstantprocessofsocial

interaction.

(4)e,languageandthoughtarebadon

symbolsandsymbolicmeanings.

(5)edon"naturallaws"externaltohumans,

butcreatedbyhumansaccordingtothe"whims"ofthe

e:standardsofbeauty.

(6)ve

das"natural."

ferenceCulturalCharacteristicsbetweenChineand

American

-Context

Chineculturebelongstohigh-contextculture,whileAmerican

plefromthe

twodifferentcultureshaveobviousdifferentcommunicationway.

Chinepeople,whocomefromhighcontextculturemuchgounsaid

anddependontherelationshipbetweenthespeaks,eachisable

tointerpretbodylanguageand”readbetweenthelines".However,

Americanpeople,whocomefromlow-contextculturespeakclearly

anddirectlyandcomestraighttothepointandsayexactlywhat

ore,whenChinepeoplearecommunicatingwith

Americanpeople,ChinepeopleperceiveAmericanpeopletoo

talkative,ontrary,American

peopleperceiveChinepeoplenon-disclosingandmysterious.

Hence,thepeoplewhocomefromthetwodifferentcountries

shouldrealizethedifferentcommunicationwaysbetweeneach

otherinordertocommunicateeffectively.

2.2Value:anvalue

Valuesareasociety’sideasaboutwhatisgoodorbad,right

rmineshowindividualswillprobablyrespondin

anygivencircumstances.

ChinecultureisguidedbythevalueofConfucianism.

Confucianethicisusuallydepictedasatofvaluesinwhich

loyalty,hierarchyandobediencetosuperiorswhoareparamount,

anculture

isguidedbywesternvaluewhichbadonindividualismformed

alogicfoundationforindividualfreedomsinsociety,entailing

reedomsarethebasis

ofthewesternvaluesystemsthatunderlinethemarketeconomy.

Thetwovaluesarepasdfromgenerationtogenerationand

changeslowly,itishardtosaywhichvalueisbetter,butthe

valuesarekeptinthepeoplefromdifferentcountries,and

influenceeverythingtheyaredoingaswellasguidethemtodo

theappropriatethingsinthedailylife.

2.3ModeofSpeaking

Intheprocessofcommunication,Americanpeoplearemoreud

toexpressingtheiraffirmativeandconfirmedopinionorthoughts.

However,Chinepeopleprefertoavoidtheresoluteanddecisive

rwords,AmericanspeakmoredirectlywhileChine

tance,intheUnitedStates,ifaman

lovesawoman,healwayssay:＂Iloveyou＂directlytohislover

neldomsay:＂Ilove

you＂vesawoman,hewilldoalot

ofthingsforhertoobtainherheartandexpresshislovefor

rexample,ifaChinewanttoborrowfromhisfriend,

healwaysmentionotherthingforalongtime,andhavenot

mentionedthatheplanstoborrowmoneyuntiltheendsoasto

avoidtoobeoffensiveandabrupt;whileifanAmericanwantto

borrowmoneyfromhisfriend,hewillgettothepointdirectly

andheislackofmoneyrecentlyandwouldliketoborrowsome

money.

tivism

Individualismreferstothetendencyofpeopletoimmediate

lookafterthemlvesandtheirfamily,soneglecttheneedsof

tivismextenttowhichindividualsperceive

themlvesdependent,morecollectivistandmoreintegratedinto

ethemlvesasintegratedinto＂in-groups＂.

Generallyspeaking,Americanpeoplearemoreindividualistic,

extent,the

individualisticpeopletenttoshowtheirpersonalitiesinpublic

todistinguishthemfromothers,becautheybelievetheyare

theuniqueonesintheworld,theyshouldbehaveordress

heless,thecollectivistic

peoplepronetofollowothers,andmakethembelongtoaspecific

mple,inChina,if

somepeoplesaythatthefoodinthatrestaurantisprettygood;

peoplewillfollowothers’footstepandrushtothatrestaurant

lieveitisimportantforthem

tofollow,andcatchupwithothers’footsteps.

ersion

Competitively,Americanpeopletendtobeextroverted;while

mple,inaparty,

Americanalwaysliketoknownewfriends,andtheyfeeleaful

andexcitedcommunicatingwithstrangers;butChineliketolook

areunfortunate

thattheyhavefoundoldfriendsintheparty,theymaybehide

inacornerinsilencedrinkingordoingotherthingsbyhimlf

andherlf.

onship

AmericanstressrulesandprincipleswhileChinestress

tance,ifamanagemakea

mistakeorbreaktheruleofcompanyintheUnitedStates,the

bosswillpunishhimorhernomatterhowclotheirrelationship,

becautheybelievethatrelationshipisonething,ruleis

anotherthing,theyshouldmakedecisionaccordingtotherules.

However,Chinepeopleattachimportancetorelationshipvery

much,insomecas;relationshipcanbeatdownrulesand

atsortofthinghappeninChina,theboss

islikelytoforgivehimorherandsayIgiveyourfacethistime

butdon’＂face＂meansa

lottoChinepeople.

erDistance

UnitedStates,employeehasmorefreedomtonegotiatewithboss

mple,inChina,

ifanemployeeistakingvocation,andhisbossgivehimacall

anddemandhimbacktodobusiness,hewillbebackrightaway

ethebosshastheabsolutepower

tocontrolhim,ifhedon’

thatsortofthinghappensinanAmericanemployee,hewill

negotiatewithhisboss,becauvocationisveryimportantfor

American,andhedonothopeanyonetodestroyit,bossisno

exception.

Conclusion

ChineandAmericanpeopleliveinthedifferentcultural

environment,andleadtoagreatamountofculturaldifferences

rtocommunicateeachotherwell,

thepeoplefromthetwocountriesshouldstrengthen

communicationtoacknowledgeeachotherwellandavoidthe

morethecross-culturalcommunicationcarrieson,themore

gso,the

t,itisntial

andvitaltocommunicateamongcountriesforcreatingamore

wonderfulworldcountry.

DifferencesBetweenChineCultureandNorthAmericanCulture(1)–Food

Style

BeforeIcametoNorthAmerica,IhadbeenlivinginChinafortwentyyears.I

wasborninXining,Qinghaiprovince,ly

’shometownisatthe

r,myfather

grewupinNanjing,thefamouscitywhichlocatesbesidetheYangziRiver.

MostofpeopleinsouthernChinaareudtohavericeastheirdailymainfood

resource,atterwhichpartof

China,epeoplealwaysbelievethat

rice,wheat,vegetable,rast,meatwould

givemoretroublestoourhealth,forexample,heartattack,highblood

pressure,andetc.

AfterIcametoAmerica,Ifoundthatpeoplemostlyhavemeatastheirfood

timportantisthattheymostlyhavebeef,chicken,shrimp,

turkey,aurants,youcaneasilyfindhamburger,

steak,vethatthefoodstyle

emuch

thefact!

IhaveheardofaninterestingstoryaboutYaoMing,whoisoneofthefamous

hisfirstasoninNBA,millionsofpeopleare

r,heisnotstrongenoughto

playNBAgameyet!Heevertoldthereporterthathelikestohavesoupthat

uldnothelphim,onlysteak,chee,butter

rtoincreahis

competition,hehastobeudtoAmericanfoodstyle!

EventhoughIhavelivedinAmericafortenyearsnow,IstilllovemyChine

enotonlythefood,nevergiveitup.

Meanwhile,IhavebecometobemoreudtoAmericanfoodaswell.

“Customisthegreatguideofhumanlife”,wroteScottishphilosopherDavid

gthecustomsofacountryis,ineffect,aguidetounderstanding

eignlanguageleaner,we

shouldknowthecultureinourtargetlanguage’thisway,we

canreallylearnthelanguagewell.

Peopleexpresstheirculturethroughtraditionsinfood,clothing,recreation,

andceremonies;throughtheeducationsystemandinstitutionsoflearning,

includingmuumsandlibraries;andthroughthearts,encompassingthe

visual,literary,ult,wewilltalkaboutthe

differencesfromsomeaspects.

First,a,wewillputthefamilynames

beforeourgivennames,andtheninordertoexpressourpoliteness,wewould

liketoadd“sir”or“lady”rast,inAmerica,

peoplewouldliketoputtheirfamilynamesaftertheirgivennamesandfirst

namesandtheywillputMr.,Mrs.,Miss,Ms,

isforemostandfirstforustoknowthedifferencessothatwewon’tmake

misunderstandings.

ItisgreathonortomeetanAmericanfriend,butdon’tbefrightenedbytheir

theircommonwaytoexpresstheirwarmthand

a,peopledon’tmakeembracestoexpressthofeelings.

ldlearntheproperwayto

expressourfriendlinessindifferentcountries.

ica,theirlivingbeatis

quitefast,,whentheyacceptan

invitation,theywouldtrytheirbestnottobelate,buttheyalsodon’tgoearlyto

theinviters’,asthisisconsideredtobeimpolite,anditemstodisturbthe

inviters’a,weshouldalsonotbelatefortheinviters.

However,inordertoshowourthanksandpoliteness,wewouldgotothe

inviters’houtohelpthempreparethemealsandthenwewillhaveahappy

timetogether.

Toopenaconversation,

China,whenpeoplemeettheirfriendsbychance,theywillsay.”Whereare

yougoing?”or“haveyoueaten?”andthentheywillgoontalkingaboutother

oudothisinAmerica,youwillbemisunderstoodthatyouwantto

answouldliketosay,”beautifulday,isn’tit?”toopena

tbecautheAmericanscan

predicttheweatherbutforthesakeofcustoms.

icksareudforallmealsin

placedatthecenterofthetableandmayincludemorethanone

foodwillbesharedbyallthe

personsandwon’nAmerica,theywould

ersonhashisowndishesand

theywon’inkthisisquitehygienicandthey

r,whattheyeatisnotsohealthy,

becautheywouldliketoeatalotofmeatandsomethingwithhighcalorie.

Maybeitisgoodforthemtoobtainmorefibersandkeepahealthybody.

Finally,Iwouldliketomentionsomethingaboutthedifferenceinmarriage.

Besidestheceremonyformarriagehasobviousdifference----Americanswill

holditinachurch,whileChinewillholditinahotelinvitingtheirrelatives

andfriendstohavedinner----theirmarriagenotionhasquitealotofdifferences,

ll,Iwouldliketogiveacatoyou.A28-year-oldgirl,whowas

studyinginNewYork,saidsheneverthoughthishusbandwantedtodivorce

ed

hedidn’equestioned

himdidn’,”AtthattimeIlovedyou,

soImarriedyou;butnowIdon’tloveyouanylonger,soIwanttodivorcewith

you.”Shewasveryangryandthoughthehadcheatedher,butinher

husband’sopinion,hetreatedhersohonestlythathewoulddivorcewithher.

anspursuitthetruelove,no

eyfindthereisnolovebetweenthe

husbandandthewife,a,however,people

inkdivorceisthelastwayto

kwehavetheresponsibilitytokeepthe

familypeacefulandcompleteandgiveaharmonyenvironmenttoourchildren

erycoupleshouldheadthewaythathusbandsand

wivesshouldfinishtheirliveshandinhand.

Fromalltheaspects,wecanthinkofmanydifferencesinvalues,suchas

thenotionofsocialstatues,collectivismandsocialism,thetreatmentsto

,wecannotsaywhichoneisright,whichoneis

wrong,asweallknowAmericansandChinearenotinthesamegroup,

peopleontheoppositesideoftheglobecanneverachievethethousandth

shoulddoistolearn

thedifference,andthenwecanreallylearnthelanguagewell.