5 Other Ways to Guide the Conversation:

“Could you speak a little more slowly, please?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t hear you very well.”

“Could you speak louder, please?” (“More loudly” is also used)

“Sorry, I didn’t hear that.”

“I’m sorry, but could you use simpler words?”

“I’m not a native speaker of English. Would you mind using simpler words? Thanks.”

Ways to Delay Your Answer. Sometimes you really don’t want to answer a question when someone asks it. You want to think about it first and talk about it later. You need to delay your answer.

“How soon can you start this?”

“Uhm…can I get back to you on that?”

“Could you give me some time to think about this?”

“Let me get back to you about that tomorrow/ this afternoon/ after the meeting/ on Wednesday, etc.”

“Uh… we’re working on that. I’ll have to get back to you.”

Other ways of guiding conversation such as hints, expressing doubt and uncertainty are used. A hint is something that you say to show what you are thinking or feeling, without saying it directly. There can be strong and mild hints. Strong hints are not conventionalized and thus require more inferencing activity on the part of the hearer.

e.g. (Intent: getting a lift home) (strong hint)

Will you be going home now?

Mild hint contains no elements which are of immediate relevance to the intended proposition, thus putting increased demand for context analysis and knowledge activation on the interlocutor.

e.g. (Intent: getting a lift home) (mild hint)

I didn’t expect the meeting to end this late.

On the whole English people are still rather reserved and restrained, at least in comparison with Slavonic people. This means that they are reluctant to assert their opinions too forcefully, or express their feelings strongly, at least to strangers and mere acquaintances. It also leads them to play down the seriousness of their misfortunes and failures. These tendencies are reflected in the following conversational habits:

1) wide use of such words as well, personally, as a matter of fact, etc. and question tags (e.g.: Sally’s a nice girl, isn’t she? It was a good concert, wasn’t it?);

2) use of understatement:

e.g.: a) (When one is very ill) – I’m not too well at the moment.

b) (When one has failed to get an important job) – Well,

naturally I’m rather disappointed.

This particularly desirable when speaking of one’s own possessions or achievements (to avoid seeming boastful).

e.g. – Congratulations on winning the chess championship.

– Thank you. We didn’t do too badly, did we?

Well, In a way, It all depends…:

Well is used to express hesitation or uncertainty, often before answering a question:

a) e.g. – Shall we go to the pictures tonight?

– Well, I really ought to stay at home and write some letters.

b) e.g. – Is it easy to get tickets for their concerts?

– It depends (who’s conducting / what’s on the programme).

Doubt and uncertainty is the fact that something is not known or has not been decided.

I’m not sure / certain. I think so.

I’m not quite at all sure / certain. If I’m not mistaken.

I can’t /couldn’t say (for sure /certain).

As far as I know. These may also be used when one knows some-

If I remember rightly. thing but does not wish to seem dogmatic.

Cross-Cultural Interaction