大学英语跨文化交际unit3
Review
What is culture? What is communication? What is intercultural communication?
Unit Three Cultural Diversity
I. Warm Up
Plea read the story on page 76, then answer the question:
1. Why does Jackson say that Mr. Zhao has asked too much?
2. What are the differences in the opinions of friendship between
Chine and Americans?
II. Reading
1. Read the article of “Different Lands, Different Friendships”. Who is a
friend? What are the similarities and differences between the Chine
concept of friendship and the western ones? Compare the different
values of friendship in America, France, Germany, England and
China.
Differences in Friendship
(1) In France:
(i) Friends generally are of the same x, and friendship is en as
basically a relationship between men.
(ii) Friendship is a one-to-one relationship that demands a keen awareness of the other person’s intellect, temperament, and
particular interests.
(iii) Friendships are compartmentalized. They are not made part of family life.
(2) In Germany:
(i) Friendship is much more articulately a matter of feeling.
(ii) Friends usually are brought into the family.
(3) In England:
(i) The basis is shared activity.
(ii) English friendships are formed outside the family circle, but they are not contrapuntal to the family nor are they parated from the
family.
(4) In China
The typical Chine concept of friendship lays great emphasis on personal loyalty and als
o has much to do with family. In Chine culture, friendship
means a willingness to be indebted and to repay the debt more than owed.
(5) In America: (p81-82)
“Friend” is often ud in a much wider n in the American culture than in the Chine culture. The term may be ud for both casual acquaintances and clo companions. American friends may not share with one another as much as Chine friends usually do. Americans would still prefer to consider themlves first as independent individuals. What they value more are individual achievement and independence rather than relationship with one another, and they do not like to put themlves in others’ debt. Of cour, Americans are willing to help their friends, but mostly on trivial things, such as driving a friend to an important event when his or her own arrangements for transportation fail.
Supplement:
Some American quotes about friendship will give additional insights into how friendships
are valued.
“A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.”
“A single ro can be a single friend, my world.”
“A friend brings out the best in you.”
“Grief can take care of itlf, but to get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.”—Mark Twain
Common Elements about Friendship:
There is the recognition that friendship, in contrast with kinship, is a matter of free choice. A friend is someone who choos and is chon. Related to this is the n each friend gives the other of being a special individual, on whatever grounds this recognition is bad. And between friends there is inevitably equality of give-and-take.
2. Read the article of “Family Structure” (p83-84), then identify the
different roles of family in cultures.
Many cultural differences exist in family structures and values.
1) In some cultures, such as Filipinos, Vietname, Japane, Latin Americans and Chine, the family is the center of life and the main frame of reference for decisions; while in others, like Americans, the individual, not the family, is primary.
2) In some cultures, the family’s reputation and honor depend on each person’s actions; in other cultures, individuals can act without permanently affecting the family life.
3) Some cultures value old people, while other cultures look down on them.
Traditional Chine family structure
3. Comparing and Contrasting Cultures
Questions for discussion:
1) In what aspects do you think our culture is different from other
cultures?
2) Do you sometimes compare one culture with another? If you do, how
do you usually do that?
Plea read over the article on pages 85-89, answer the comprehension questions:
i) What is Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck’s value orientation?
The Kluckhohns and Strodtbeck, after examining hundreds of cultures, reached the conclusion that people turn to their culture for answers to the
following questions. (1) What is the character of human nature? (2) What is the relation of humankind to nature? (3) What is the orientation toward time?
(4)What is the value placed on activity? And (5) What is the relationship of
people to each other? The answers to the crucial questions rve as the bas for the five value orientations that are at the heart of their approach.
The five orientations might best be visualized as points on a continuum. It
is talking about meaningful values found in all cultures.
