- •К.В.Голубина
- •Introduction the cultural impact of a foreign text
- •Unit 1. Think global, speak local (Tape)
- •Unit 2. Basic brit-think and ameri-think
- •The most important things to know
- •1. I’m gonna live for ever
- •2. New is good
- •3. Never forget you’ve got a choice
- •4. Smart money
- •5. The consensus society
- •‘Them ‘n Us’
- •(Brian Walden The London Standard)
- •6. ‘Me-think’ vs. ‘We-think’
- •7. Good Guys and Bad Guys
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 3. Brits and yanks abroad
- •Amer-Executive
- •Ameri-wife
- •Brits on us hols ... A word of warning
- •A Brit goes Stateside
- •Mrs Brit
- •Brit groovettee
- •Us / uk guide to naffness-avoidance: What not to do in each other’s countries
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Shopping (uk)
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 4. Strictly business
- •Succeeding in business
- •Intimidation and desks
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 5. Brits and yanks at home Home as backdrop
- •Home as bolt-hole (‘Don’t tell anyone I live here’)
- •1. For the affluent, aspirational, or upwardly mobile:
- •2. For everyone else:
- •Some like it hot
- •Brits on heat
- •Ordeal by water
- •Beddy-bye
- •American dreams
- •Closet needs
- •Comprhension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 6. Going places (Film)
- •Unit 7. What do they aspire to? ‘Having It All’
- •Brit soap
- •Strike it rich
- •Success story Double standards
- •Nothing succeeds like success
- •Failure: Anglo-American excuses Making dramas out of crises
- •Delegating blame: ‘It’sa notta myfault!’
- •Bouncing back Recovery from adversity
- •Set-backs
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •The Neasden connection ... Place-names
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Writing
- •Unit 9. Patriotism (Multi-media support available)
- •Eco-chauvinism
- •Buy British:
- •Dollar allegiance … big bucks
- •Pound of flesh
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 10. The establishment
- •The Brit-Establishment includes anyone who:
- •It does not include such instruments of the Establishment as:
- •Amer-Establishment
- •America’s Haute-Establishment – Anyone who:
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 11. Yes, prime minister. The smoke screen (Film)
- •Unit 12. A better class of foreigner ‘Foreigner’
- •The foreign menace
- •British league-table of foreigners (reading from most to least reliable)
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 13. Class The thorny question of Class Gotta Lotta Class
- •If you are a Brit, you will vote Labour if:
- •If you are a Brit, you will vote Conservative if:
- •If you are a Brit, you will vote Liberal, sdp, or sdp-Lib. Alliance if:
- •Class Act
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 14. Only fools and horses (Film)
- •Unit 15. The food connection
- •Eating in Britain: Things that confuse American tourists
- •The importance of sharing
- •Brit guide to Ameri-portions
- •British/american food
- •Unit 17. The importance of being cute
- •Other cosy things Brits do
- •1. Extol the amateur
- •2. Obstruct mPs
- •3. Fill their national newspapers with ‘Around America’ columns
- •4. Cultivate their gardens
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 18. Goods and services Consumer durables and vice versa
- •Conspicuous Ameri-consumption:
- •Attacking the problem
- •Example:
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit19. Doctor doctor Medicine
- •Moi first, doc
- •Doctors
- •Perfect Brit patients
- •The perfect Ameri-patient
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 20. Laws of the lands
- •Comprehension and language
- •Unit 21. Rumpole and the age of miracles (Film)
- •Unit 22. Judging a nation by its television Meet the Press: The media we deserve
- •Ameri-vision: You are what you watch
- •Brit-tv: They’re watching me
- •You are what you read
- •1. Brit tabloids are more explicit.
- •2. Brit papers declare political affiliations.
- •3. Yanks don’t have national newspapers.
- •Snigger Press
- •The international co-production deal: Brit-mogul meets Yank-mogul
- •The 8 commandments of international co-production
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 23. Good sport
- •Fair play
- •American football is:
- •Brit-footie is:
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Unit 24. Oxford blues (Film)
- •Unit 25. Humour travels? Transatlantic laughs:
- •To be funny in America, you have to be:
- •To be funny in Britain, you have to:
- •Comprehension
- •Unit 28. One foot in the grave (Film)
- •Unit 29. East-enders (Film)
- •Unit 30. The final solution: or, whatreally counts
- •1. The Royal Family
- •2. The Pub
- •Double raspberry ripple to go
- •Appendix I The Special Relationship
- •Yanks (on brits)
- •Brits (on yanks)
- •Appendix II Glossary of us-uk equivalents
- •Glossary (and translation) of Anglo-American weather terms american
- •British
- •Appendix III The ones that don’t translate
- •Appendix IV The very, very best things in America
- •The best of British
- •Contents:
Language practice
Exercise 3.Give the meanings of the words and phrases below, comment on their register and expressiveness and suggest synonyms of various degrees of formality. Think up appropriate contexts with them:
to stay put / to keep sth. at bay / swamped / to turn on / to beat up / to sit on the fence / up-market / mad as a hatter
Exercise 4.What other language from the text would you like to select for intensive study and why?
Exercise 5.Identify and comment on the cultural information and stereotypes that come through in the text.Note: you are expected to be able to sort out factual information from the author’s emotional attitude and evaluation.
Exercise 6. International Quiz.
Pair off the adjectives with the nouns to make idioms and think up contexts with them:
Welsh / Turkish / Dutch / French / Greek / Irish
Delight / treat / uncle / concert / stew / comfort / rabbit / it is all / nightingales / double / fry / bath / leave / window / courage
Exercise 7.Study the list of Politically Correct English terms in the Supplementary Materials and cull examples from the current press to show how they are used. Comment on the degree of political correctness of the text above.
Speaking
Exercise 8. Use your outside reading, personal experiences, TV and video-watching, etc. to support, expand on or question the points and observations made in the chapter. Use compelling evidence and appropriate language to sound convincing.
Exercise 9.Which characteristics do you associate with each nationality?
a) French; b) Spanish; c) Italian; d) English; e) Irish; f) Dutch; g) German; h) your nationality.
1) Arrogant; 2) Stylish; 3) Devious; 4) Sexy; 5) Easygoing; 6) Greedy; 7) Cowardly; 8) Boring; 9) Efficient; 10) Lazy; 11) Clever; 12) Courageous; 13) Add your own.
Exercise 10.Listen to the conversation about jokes based on national stereotypes of the Scots, sum up the main points trying to sound as English as you can. Provide your personal response to the problem of national stereotypes. What in your opinion makes the worst and most offensive kind of jokes today?
Writing
Exercise 11.Read extracts from ‘the Politically Correct Bedtime Stories’ in the Supplementary Materials and translate them into ‘ordinary’ English in writing.
Exercise12.Write a 350-400-word essay on the topic ‘National stereotypes: do they hinder or contribute to cross-cultural communication?’
Unit 13. Class The thorny question of Class Gotta Lotta Class
BRIT-THINK: Brits have more class (and class distinctions) than any country in the world with the possible exception of India. This is why the two nations reached a certain understanding during the period of the Raj; in some respects, they have much in common. Even today, questions of British caste, income and voting patterns are oriental in their complexity.
Outsiders can seldom be taught. You have to be born British to understand, to grasp the nuances. Sometimes, it’s just a lilt in the voice.
There are, however, perceptible voting patterns which are some clue to class and social status. Yanks may be helped by the following guidelines: