Reading Comprehension Check

1. How do you understand the term a hybrid language?

2. What are the reasons for Spanish and English being mixed with each other in the USA?

3. What strategies do all Spanglish speakers employ in the process of communication?

4. What factors from the author’s point of view explain the existence of Spanglish in the USA?

5. What is the role of bilingual education in the spread of Spanglish in the USA?

6. What is your attitude towards bilingual education?

7. Do you consider Spanglish to be a language or a dialect?

Text 4. When Cultures Collide

Richard D. Lewis

One of the factors leading to poor communication is very simple – the nationals of each country use their language in a different way. Language is a tool of communication, delivering a message – but it is much more than that, it has strength and weaknesses which project national character.

How do the French use their language? Like a rapier. French is a quick, exact, logical language and the French fence with it, using it for advantage, expecting counter attacks. French is a good tool for arguing and proving one’s point. The French know how to manipulate their language, often at great speed, to corner their opponent, leaving the latter breathless and without reply.

The English use their language differently; they are not quick to attack with it. They will lean heavily on understatement and reservation. They know how to be vague in order to maintain politeness or avoid confrontation. The English will use a quiet tone always trying to remain low key.

Spaniards and Italians regard their language as instruments of eloquence and they will do their utmost to achieve greater expressiveness. To convey their ideas fully they will use their hands, arms and facial expressions and make maximum use of pitch and tone. They are not necessarily being dramatic or overemotional. They want you to know how they feel. They will appeal directly and strongly to your good sense, warm heart and generosity if they want something from you, and you often have to decide whether to say yes or no.

Germans, like the French, rely to a large extent on logic, but tend to amass more evidence and labour their points more than either the British or the French. Germans come in with heavier armour and have usually thought through the counter arguments. Often the best way to deal with a German is to find common ground and emphasize solidarity and reliability in cooperation. The splendid German language is heavy, logical, disciplined and has such momentum that it is invincible in any collision with another language.

Scandinavians are something else. In the long dark nights they have thought about matters well in advance and they list all the pros and cons before giving you their conclusion, which they will justify. They will not abandon their decision easily for they believe they have proved their case, but on the other hand they do not ask for too much.

Exaggeration and hyperbole are at the bottom of most American expressions, contrasting sharply with the understated nature of the British. In the early days of pioneering, when immigrants speaking different varieties of English were thrown together in simple, often primitive surroundings, plainness of language was at a premium. The American language has never recovered from the exigencies of this period. The ordinary man’s speech tends to be “tough talk”, rather reminiscent of cowboy parlance or Chicago gangland speech of the 1920s. The nation’s obsession with show business and the influence of Hollywood have accentuated and to some extent perpetuated this trend. To make a start is “to get a show on the road”, to take a risk in a business venture is “to fly by the seat of your pants”, lawyers are “shysters”, and if you have no choice it is “the only game in town”.

The Japanese use language in a completely different way from the rest of us. What is actually said has no meaning or significance whatsoever. Japanese use their language as a tool of communication but the words and sentences themselves give no indication of what they are saying. What they want and how they feel are indicated by the way they address their conversation partner. Smiles, pauses, sighs, nods and eye movements convey everything. The Japanese leave their fellow Japanese knowing perfectly well what has been agreed, no matter what was said. Foreigners leave the Japanese with a completely different idea. Usually they think that everything has gone swimmingly, as the Japanese would never offend them by saying negative or unpleasant.

In English, French and a good number of languages, people often aspire to elegantly polite discourse in order to show respect to their interlocutor. This process is carried on to a much greater degree in Japanese, where standards of politeness are much higher than in the USA or Europe. On all ceremonial occasions a whole sequence of expressions is used which bears little or no relation to the actual sentiments of the individual present. When these Japanese thoughts are translated, other nationalities tend to look at the content rather than the mood. Consequently, all they hear is platitudes or flattery. There is no doubt that most Japanese businessmen in England and USA are often successful at conveying the idea that they are very agreeable people to deal with. When at each meeting hosted by the Japanese they go through the ritual of thanking the visitors for giving up their valuable time Anglo-Saxons in particular feel uncomfortable about the sincerity of their hosts. The Japanese, however, are simply being courteous and caring.

The phenomenon of the different effects caused by national tongues has been noticed throughout the centuries. Charles V of Spain said he thought Germans could be spoken to soldiers, English to horses, Italian to women and Spanish to God. Vincenzo Spinelli, Italian linguist, remarked that while Italian is sung, Spanish is declaimed, French if danced and only Portuguese is really spoken.

We have, therefore, a variety of cultures using speech not only according to the structures imposed by grammar, vocabulary and syntax and not many people are clever linguists and all over the world thousands of misunderstandings are caused every day through simple mistakes.