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新编跨文化交际英语教程——案例分析（主编：许力生）
Unit 1
Communication Across Cultures
Case 1 (Page 23)
This case took place in 3 cultures.
There seemed to be problems in communicating
with people of different
cultures in spite of the efforts to achieve
understnading.
1
）
In
Egypt
as
in
many
cultures,
the
human
relationship
is
valued
so
highly
that
it
is
not
expressed
in
an
objective
and
impersonal
way.
While
Americans
certainly
value
human
relationships, they
are more likely to speak of them in less personal,
more objective
terms. In
this case, Richard’s mistake might be
that he choseto praise the food itself rather than
the total
evening, for which the food
was simply the setting or excuse. For his host or
hostess it was as if
he had attended an
art exhibit and compliment
ed the artist
by saying, “What beautiful frames
your
pictures are in!”
2
）
In Japan the
situation may be more complicated. Japanese people
value order and harmony
among
a group,
and
that
the
group
is
valued
more
than
any particular
member.
In
contrast,
Americans
stress
individuality
and
are
apt
to
assert
individual
differences
when
they
seem
justifiably to be in conflict with the
goals or values of the group. In this case,
Richard’s mistake
was
making
great
efforts
to
defend
himself
even
if
the
error
is
notintentiona.
A
simple
apology
and acceptance of the blame would have been
appropriate
3)
When
it comes to
England,
w
expect
fewer
problems
between
Americans
and
Englishmen
than between
Americans and almost any other group. In this case
we might look beyond
the
gesture of taking sugar or cream to the
valuess expressed in this gesture: for Americans,
“Help
yourself”;
for
the
English
counterpart,
“Be
my
guest.”
American
and
English
people
equally
enjoy
entertaining
and
being
entertained,
but
they
differ
in
the
value
of
the
distinction.
Typically,
the
ideal
guest
at
an
American
party
is obe
who
“makeshimself
at
home”.
For the
English host, such guest behavior is
presumptuous or rude.
Case
2 (Page 24)
A
common
cultural
misunderstanding
in classes
involvs
conflicts
between
what
is
said
to
be
direct
communication style and indirect communication
style. In American culture, people tend
to
say
what
is
on
their
minds
and
mean
what
they
say.
Therefore,
students
in
class
are
expected to ask questions when they
need clarification. Mexican culture shares this
preference
of
style
with
American
culture
in
some
situations,
and
that’s
why
the
students
from
Mexico
readily adopted the
techniques of asking questions in class.
However,
Korean
people
generally
prefer
indirect
communication
style,
and
therefore
they
tend not to say what is
on their minds and to rely more on implications
and inference, so as to
be
polite
and
repectful
and
avoid
losing
face
through
any
improper
verbal
behavior.
As
is
mentioned in the case, to many Koreans,
numerous questions would show a disrespect for the
teacher, and would also reflect that
the student has not studied hard
enough
.
Case 3
(Page 24)
The
conflict
here
is
a
difference
in
cultural
values
and beliefs.
In
the beginning,
Mary didn’t
realize that her Dominican sister saw
her as a member of the family, literally. In the
Dominican
view,
family
possessions
are
shared
by
everyone
of
the
family.
Luz
was
acting
as
most
1
新编跨文化交际英语教程——案例分析（主编：许力生）
Dominican sisters woould do
in borrowing without asking every time. Once Mary
understood
that there was a different
way of looking at this, she would become more
accepting. However,
she might still
experience frustration when this happened again.
She had to find ways to cope
with
her
own
emotional
cultural
reaction
as
well
as
her
practical
problem
(the
batteries
running
out).
Case 4
(Page 25)
It
might
be
simply
a
question
of
different
rhythms.
Americans
have
one
rhythm
in
their
personal
and
family
relations,
in
their
friendliness
and
their
charities.
People
from
other
cultures
have
different
rhythms.
The
American
rhythm
is
fast.
It
is
characterized by
a
rapid
acceptance
of
others.
However
,
it
is
seldom
that
Americans
engage
themselves
entirely
in
a
friendship.
Their
friendship
are
warm,
but
casual
and
specialized.
For
example,
you
have
a
neighbor who drops by in
the morning for coffee. You see her frequently,
but you never invite
her for
dinner------
not because you don’t think
she could handle a fork and a knife, but because
you have seen her that morning.
Therefore, you reserve your
more formal invitation to dinner for someone who
lives in a more
distant part of the
city and whom you would not see unless you
extended an invitation for a
special
occasion. Now, if the first friend moves away and
the second one moves nearby, you are
likely
to
reserve
this------see
the
second
friend
in
the
mornings
for
informal
coffee
meetings,
and invite the
first one more formally to
dinner
.
Americans
are, in other words, guided very often by their
own convenience. They tend to make
friends rapidly, and the
y
don’t feel like it necessary to go to a great
amount of trouble to see
friends often
when it becomes inconvenient to do so, and usually
no one is hurt. But in similar
circumstances, people from many other
cultures would be hurt very deeply.
Unit 2
Culture and
Communication
The analysis
of this case: (Page 38)
The least three
things among the following Tom did that were
regarded to be impolite:
b. Tom opens
the gift as soon as he is presented with
it.
d. Tom does not make a
second offer of drinks when they refuse the
first.
e. Tom talks about
the cost of living in the U.S.A.
f. Tom
does not ask them to stay longer when they say
they must be leaving.
g. Tom does not
go out to see them off.
Case 5
(Page 60)
Analysis:
The Chinese guide
should refuse the first offer because he is
obeying the Chinese rules
for
communication. We Chinese are modest, polite and
well-behaved. Maybe the guide is waiting
for a second or third offer of beer,
but he doesn’t know the reasons behind the rule in
American
culture that you do not push
alcoholic beverages on anyone. A person may not
drink for religious
reasons, he may be
a reformed alcoholic, or he may be allergic.
Whatever the reason, you do
not insist on offering alcohol. So they
politely never made a second offer of beer to the
guide.
Case 6 (Page 61)
When a speaker says something to a
hearer,there are at least three kinds of meanings
involved:
2