II. Facts on Culture

1. Culture Shock!

Each society has its own beliefs, attitudes, customs, behaviors, and social habits. These give people a sense of who they are, how they should behave, and what they should or should not do. These "rules" reflect the "culture" of a country.

People become conscious of such rules when they meet people from different cultures. For example, in some cultures, being on time can mean turning up several hours late for an appointment, even for a business meeting; in others, 3 p.m. means 3 p.m. Also, the rules about when to eat vary from culture to culture. Many North Americans and Europeans are used to having three mealtimes a day and orga­nize their timetable around them. In some countries, on the other hand, people often do not have strict rules like this - people eat when they want to, and every fam­ily has its own timetable.

When people visit or live in a coun­try for the first time, they are often

surprised at the differences that exist between their own culture and the culture in the other coun­try. The most common way of com­paring two cultures is in terms of their differences - not their similari­ties. For some people, traveling abroad is an exciting experience; for others though, cultural differ­ences make them feel uncomforta­ble, frightened, or even insecure. This is known as "culture shock." Here are several things to do in order to avoid culture shock.

Learning how to adapt to a new culture:

1. Avoid quick judgments; try to understand people in another culture from their own point of view.

2 Become more aware of what is going on around you, and why.

3 Don't think of your cultural hab­its as "right" and other people's as "wrong."

4 Be willing to try new things and to have new experiences.

5 Try to appreciate and under­stand other people's values.

6 Think about your own culture and how it influences your atti­tudes and actions.

7 Avoid having negative stereo­types about foreigners and their cultures.

8 Show respect, sincerity, inter­est, acceptance, and concern for things that are important to other people.

Understanding and appreciating cultural differences can help peo­ple avoid misunderstandings, develop friendships more easily, and feel more comfortable when traveling or living abroad.

Tasks:

I. Use your own words to write definitions for the following:

Culture-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Culture shock--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Name the two pieces of advice from the list above that you think are the most important for avoiding culture shock.

3. Write two differences between your own culture and another one.

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4. Culture check. Read these statements about cultural behavior. Is it the same or different in your country?

1 People often kiss friends on the cheek when they meet.

2 People usually shake hands when they are introduced to someone.

3 It's OK to blow your nose in public.

4 It's all-right to chew gum while talking to someone.

5 It's OK to ask people how much they earn.

6 It's all right to ask someone what his or her religion is.

7 It's common to bargain when you buy things in stores or shops.

8 It's common to introduce yourself to new neighbors and give them a small gift.

9 In an office, people usually prefer to be called by their first name.

10 In high schools, it's common to call a teacher by his or her first name.

11 Students always stand up when the teacher enters the classroom.

12 People always arrive on time when they are invited to someone's house.

13 It's OK to drop by a friend's house without calling first.

14 If you are with strangers and want to smoke, you should always ask if it's OK.

15 You should take a small gift when you're invited to someone's house for dinner.

16 It's OK to bring a friend or family member when you're invited to a party at someone's home.

17 It's OK to ask for a second helping when eating at a friend's house.

18 When friends eat out together, each person usually pays his or her share of the bill.

19 Parents usually decide who their children will marry.

20 Teenagers go out on dates a lot.

21 A man usually gives a woman a gift when they go out on a date.

22 Young people usually live with their parents after they get married.

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2. Communication of Cultures and Culture of Communication

A very important problem that arises when you travel abroad is the problem of food. Every country has its own traditions and it is easier to adjust to any inconve­nience than to change your eating habits. In Russia there is an ancient saying "What is good (to eat) for Germans is a poison for Russians". At the same time food is obviously a very important part of peoples' cul­ture and if you want to understand the nation it is important to try national food. That is why any western travel guide to Russia contains a detailed description of Russian eating habits.

In the nineteenth century many "specialists" on Russia persistently recommend to abstain from tasting tradi­tional Russian cuisine. This recommendation is fol­lowed by the recipes of the most popular dishes of Russian cuisine:

"Kvass (national drink) — is made of a pound of salt, two pounds of barley meal, and a pound and a half of honey."

"Batvinia (national soup) — is not only composed of raw herbs, berries, chopped cucumbers, black bread, lumps of ice, and cold fish, but the whole of these ingre­dients swim in cold kvass."

In these recipes everything is directed towards keeping the careless traveller from taking a risk; everything - the intonation, choice of words, sometimes open lies. However it is well known that a benevolent mood is extremely important for the perception of another cul­ture. Many foreigners, horrified by the description of botvinya in a guide-book, would certainly like to try it after having read the following phrase from family chronicles by S.T.Aksakov: "After it (Schii) came botvinya with ice, with transparent balyk (cured fillet of sturgeon), with yellow as wax salted sturgeon and with scaled lobsters."

Unfortunately this situation has not much improved since then. In modern western guide-books the recom­mendations and recipes remain the same: cucumber, onion, hard-boiled egg, thin slivers of meat, and a secret ingredient, kvass, a beer-like beverage made from fermented rye bread."

"... Moscow's restaurants should be sampled, if only for a cultural experience or a good laugh (for example, try forcing down a typical Moscow breakfast of sardines, pickled garlic cloves and beef tongue)."

"...botvinya (cold smoked fish soup with radish, cucumber, onion and kvass)..." "Kvass is a type of lemonade made from dried black bread fermented with yeast and raisins."

You can have it all in "... stolovaya, a dirty Russian workers' cafeteria, where the proletariat is served cheap slop like a plate of rice topped with a few bits of fat and a ladle of grease."

Thus the noble task of introduction to another culture, the description and study of national cultures and tra­ditions most guide-books turn upside down while it is well known that communication of cultures, as well as satisfaction with travelling is possible only with a set­ting of mutual comprehension or at least with a desire to understand each other, to try to look at each other without prejudice and the ideas which some guide­books impose.

Task:

1. Retell the text.

2. Name other Russian foods.

3. Look for and give some recipes of Russian food.

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3. BODY LANGUAGE

This is the first language that mankind as a whole learned and each human being learns early in his life. It includes your posture, gestures and facial expressions. Few of us realize how much we depend on these. Sometimes this silent language becomes more important than verbal communication. Have you ever had the feeling that a person you are talking to is not sincere, that you do not believe what he is saying and cannot rely on him? Usually it means that his body language reveals what he is trying to hide from you with so many words.

People from different countries have different "silent languages". What is proper and polite (even nice and friendly) in one culture may seem awkward and rude to a person with a different cultural background. Jose Corrida and Sir Edward Style meet at a party. It is important for them to establish good relations - they are business partners. They are both trying hard to be friendly. As they speak, Jose, in Latin fashion, moves closer and closer to Sir Edward. Sir Edward thinks Jose is too pushy, even aggressive and keeps backing away. Jose regards this as coldness and unfriendliness. "Personal distance" is different in different cultures. For example, the English, German, Scandinavians and Americans tend to avoid contact and maintain greater "personal distance". Italians, Russians, Latin Americans and the French like close personal contact. Silent languages are sometimes more difficult to learn than spoken ones. But first of all we should become aware of their importance.

Task:

I. Look at the expressions, describing common gestures. In different countries they can mean different things. Choose the alternative you think is correct.

1. FINGERS CIRCLE

In America:

a) Okay.

b) Zero.

2. FINGERS CROSS

In England:

a) Buzz off.

b) Good luck.

3. THUMB UP

In Australia:

a) rude

b) Good luck!

4. TAPPING THE NOSE

In Scotland:

1. I’ll consider it.

2. We’ve got a secret.

5. ONE-FINGER POINT

In the Middle East:

a) polite

b) impolite

6. HEAD TAP

In Argentina:

a) I'm thinking.

b) He's crazy.

7. HEAD NOD

In Greece:

a) Yes.

b) No.