跨文化交际PPT

English proverb
“One man‟s meat is another man‟s poison.”
Montaigne
“There never were, in the world, two opinions alike, no more than two hairs, or two grains; the most universal quality is diversity.”
• Americans are willing to help their friends but in most cases, in trivial matters, such as driving a friend to an important event when his/her own arrangements for transportation fail.
Reading I
Different Lands, Different Friendships
1. Easier to make friends in US
• Few Americans stay put for a lifetime. With each move, forming new friendship becomes a necessity and part of their new life.
5. Friendship compartmentalized
• A man may play chess with a friend for thirty years without knowing his political opinions. • He may talk politics with him for a long time without knowing his personal life. • Different friends fill different niches in each person‟s life.
• The pattern of thought is quite similar to ours. • There will be no problem in making friends with them so long as one is on good terms with them. • If one has language barrier, they would like to correct the error. They would not get bored with a person whose Japanese is not good so long as they like you and take you as their good friend.
8. The concept of friendship
• Chinese:
– It lays great emphasis on personal loyalty and also has much to do with family. – It may be similar to German friendship to some extent. – It may be quite different from other western friendships.
Asking too much
• Qian who works in US and Zhao who lives in China are really good friends because they have helped each other from time to time in each other‟s business. • Since Zhao lent Qian a large sum of money to help his business get over the difficulty, Qian was greatly indebted to Zhao. • In Chinese culture, friendship means a willingness to be indebted and to repay the debt more than owed.
3. Friendship in US and EU
• US:
– „Friend‟ can be applied to a wide range of relationship and a friendship may be superficial, casual, situational or deep and enduring.
Making friends in Japan
• Though Most Japanese are very polite and kind, it is difficult to make real close friends with them. • Japanese seem to be very deep in thought. The young Japanese are very modern. • Some of them, particularly those whose clothing is somewhat absurd sometimes, are not necessarily bad persons. They do not mind what others would think about them. They just wear what they want to.
7. Common elements of friendship
• Friendship is a matter of choice, unlike kinship. • A friend is someone who chooses and is chosen. • Each friend gives the other of being a special individual. • Between friends, there is equality of give-and take.
• EU:
– Friendship is quite sharply distinguished from other more casual relationships. – It is usually more particularized and carries a heavier burden of commitment.
Intercultural Communication
Lecture 5
Cultural Divewk.baidu.comsity
Confucian saying
“Human beings draw close to one another by their common nature, but habits and customs keep them apart.”
• However, many Americans, like Jackson, would say that Zhao was asking too much, for what they value more are individual achievement and independence rather than relationship with one another, and they do not like to put themselves in other‟s debt.
4. Friendship and family
• Germany:
– Friendship has much to do with family as friends are usually brought into the family.
• France:
– Two men may have been friends for a long time without knowing each other‟s personal life.
Making friends with the Koreans
• It is usually not very easy. • The reason is the Koreans are hardworking people. They are busy with their study or job. They have no time to chat with others.
Making friends with the Russians
• One may make friends with the Russians when learning the Russian language there. • Some Chinese artist happened to make a Russian friend when visiting the gallery in Russia not by way of the owner but by contacting the artist according to the contact information found at the back of the paintings. • The Russian artist invited the Chinese to his home and then they gradually know each other well and help each other in teaching the other person Chinese painting and western oil painting respectively. They are on a teacher-student relation and finally become good friends. • However, the Chinese artist did not think that he has learned something about the Russian way of thinking because most of his friends are Russians who like to come to the Chinese for the delicious Chinese food that he cooked for them.
2. Expectations about friendship
• People from different cultures have different expectations about what constitutes friendship and how it comes into being. • This has made it difficult for strangers from different cultural backgrounds to become friends.
6. Base for friendship
• England:
– English friendships are based on shared activities. – Activities at different stages of life may be very different. – Some are easy to be anticipated; others are critical situations.
American friendship