Английский язык межкультурная коммуникация. Учебное пособие

cross-cultural interaction, speakers sometimes assume that what they believe is right, because they have grown up thinking their way is the best. This ethnocentric assumption can result in negative judgments about other cultures. Another manifestation of ethnocentric attitudes is that people become critical of individuals from different cultures.

[F]In the following example, Rosamine and Merita demonstrate that they cannot understand each other’s points of view. Rosamine and Merita are talking to each other about relationships between children and parents. In Rosamine’s culture children live with their parents until marriage because dependence on parents is considered positive. In Merita’s culture children leave home when they are eighteen because independence and self-reliance are considered positive.

ROSAMINE. I think it’s terrible that in your country children leave their parents when they’re so young. Something that shocks me even more is that many parents want their children to leave home. I can’t understand why children and parents don’t like each other in your country.

MERITA. In your country parents don’t allow their children to become independent. Parents keep their children protected until the children get married. How are young people in your country supposed to learn about life that way?

Both women are insensitive to each other’s values concerning family life. They have been raised and conditioned according to cultural norms. Therefore, each has a different view of what is right.

Stereotypes and Prejudice

[G]Sometimes negative reactions do not result from actual interaction but rather from the fixed, preconceived beliefs we have about other people. These overgeneralized beliefs or “stereotypes” frequently shape people’s perceptions of each other.

[H]Stereotypes originate and develop from numerous sources such as jokes, textbooks, movies, and television. Movies about cowboys and Indians portray cowboys as “civilized” and Indians as wild and “primitive.” A child who knows about the American Indian only through watching these movies will have a distorted and false image of this group of people. Stereotypes perpetuate inaccuracies about religious, racial and cultural groups.

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[I]Stereotypical beliefs prevent us from seeing people as individuals with unique characteristics. Negative stereotypes lead to prejudice: suspicion, intolerance, or hatred of other cultural groups. The close relationship between prejudice and stereotypes is illustrated in the following example:

Mr. Bias is a director of a small private company. He is interviewing candidates for the position of assistant manager. He selects a bright and ambitious applicant. Later, he discovers that this applicant is from the country of Levadel (a fictitious nation). Since he thinks that all Levadelians are stupid and lazy, he decides to select someone else for the position.

[J]Unfortunately there was nothing that this applicant could have done to prove that he was indeed qualified for the job. Rejected on the basis of his nationality, the applicant was a victim of an irrational belief.

[K]Stereotypical remarks can be made casually in daily conversations and may or may not have serious consequences. Nevertheless, people’s initial impulse is to become angry rather than to clarify the distortion. Educating others is one way to try to correct misperceptions. At the same time, individuals need to become fully aware of their own preconceptions. Establishing personal relationships with individuals from different religions, cultures, or races may be the best way to break down stereotypes and prejudice.

[L]Cultural conflicts occur as a result of misinterpretations, ethnocentrism, stereotypes, and prejudice. Preventing these conflicts is possible with increased awareness of our own attitudes as well as sensitivity to cross-cultural differences. Developing intercultural sensitivity does not mean that we need to lose our cultural identities— but rather that we recognize cultural influences within ourselves and within others.

Exercise 2. Choose the best answer for the following questions. You will find the answer either stated directly or indirectly in the reading passage. (*The capital letter in brackets refers to the corresponding paragraph in the reading)

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1. In the introduction it is stated that people in foreign countries “may be unusually self-conscious” of their “normal behavior.” This means:

a)What is “normal” in one country is always abnormal in another.

b)What is “normal” in one culture is unnatural in all other

cultures.

c)What is “normal” in one culture may not be normal in

another.

2.What is the main topic of this reading? a) Communication styles.

b) Cross-cultural problems.

c) Language learning problems.

3.The authors state that: [A]

a)Intercultural communication always results in conflict.

b)Successful intercultural communication is impossible.

c)Intercultural communication can be complex.

a)Cultures are made up of individuals; individuals within cultures communicate with each other.

b)Governments restrict communication between countries.

c)Citizens of one country do not speak the same language as citizens of another country.

a)How cultures are influenced by individuals.

b)The relationship between cultures and actors.

c)How individuals are influenced by their cultures.

6. The misunderstanding between the young woman and her male acquaintance illustrates: [C]

a)Rejection of aggressive sexual behavior.

b)Cultural differences in nonverbal communication.

c)Avoidance of conflicts and nonverbal differences.

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7.The conversation between Rosamine and Merita demonstrates their: [F]

a) Cultural conditioning.

b) Tolerance for cultural differences. c) Acceptance of different values.

8.Stereotypes are: [G] and [H]

a)Accurate and complimentary descriptions of groups of people.

b)Overgeneralized and sometimes distorted descriptions of groups of people.

c)Harmful descriptions because they always lead to hatred and prejudice.

9.Reread the passage about Mr. Bias and the Levadelian. “. . .

he thinks that all Levadelians are stupid and lazy . . .” is an example of: [I]

a) A stereotype. b) Ethnocentrism.

c) A misunderstanding.

10.The authors believe that in order to be sensitive to other cultures people should: [L]

a) Change their cultural beliefs and assimilate into the new culture.

b) Change other people’s cultural beliefs.

c) Recognize how they have been influenced by their own cultures.

Exercise 3. Choose the word that best defines the italicized word.

1.The student’s explanation for his tardiness was so complex that the teacher stopped listening. [A]

a)logical c) rational

b)simple d) involved

2.At the department store, the shopper unintentionally put some merchandise in her purse. [A]

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4. A child leaving home before he is ready is analogous to a bird trying to leave the nest before it can fly. [B]

5. The politician’s message was so subtle that no one understood it.

6. The young woman rejected the man’s flirtatious advances. [C] a) fires c) moves

b)winks d) plans

7.How could we have remedied the problem when we didn’t know that it existed? [D]

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Cross-Cultural Questions

Answer the following questions about your own culture and then discuss intercultural similarities and differences.

1.In your opinion, what areas of culture create the most serious problems in intercultural communication? Explain.

2.What kinds of cultural conflicts exist in a heterogeneous society? How are they similar to cultural conflicts between people from different countries?

3.What is the difference between having pride in one’s identity and being ethnocentric? Why do groups of people become ethno centric?

4.Can you think of cases where stereotypes have turned into prejudice or hatred?

5.How can harmful stereotypes be combatted?

Active Vocabulary temperament – темперамент

sanguine – оптимистичный, уверенный в успехе phlegmatic – флегматичный, спокойный, невозмутимый melancholic – меланхоличный, грустный, печальный choleric – холерический, вспыльчивый, раздражительный to smooth over issues – смягчать/сглаживать проблемы predominance – превосходство, преобладание

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Exercise 4. Read the text paying attention to active vocabulary.

according to personality type or temperament. Hippocrates believed there were four different body fluids that influenced four basic types of temperament. His work was further developed 500 years later by Galen. These days there are any number of self-assessment tools that relate to the basic descriptions developed by Galen, although we no longer believe the source to be the types of body fluid that dominate our systems.

B – The benefits of understanding communication styles

handling styles, or other aspects of individuals is that they help depersonalize conflict in interpersonal relationships. The depersonalization occurs when you realize that others aren’t trying to be difficult, but they need different or more information than you do. They’re not intending to be rude: they are so focused on the task they forget about greeting people. They would like to work faster but not at the risk of damaging the relationships needed to get the job done. They understand there is a job to do. But it can only be done right with the appropriate information, which takes time to collect. When used appropriately, understanding communication styles can help resolve conflict on teams. Very rarely are conflicts true personality issues. Usually they are issues of style, information needs, or focus.

C – Summarising personality types

Hippocrates and later Galen determined there were four basic temperaments: sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic and choleric. These descriptions were developed centuries ago and are still somewhat apt, although you could update the wording. In today’s world, they translate into the four fairly common communication styles described below:

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D – A lively person who encourages

The sanguine person would be the expressive or spirited style of communication. These people speak in pictures. They invest a lot of emotion and energy in their communication and often speak quickly. Putting their whole body into it. They are easily sidetracked onto a story that may or may not illustrate the point they are trying to make. Because of their enthusiasm, they are great team motivators. They are concerned about people and relationships. Their high levels of energy can come on strong at times and their focus is usually on the bigger picture, which means they sometimes miss the details or the proper order of things. These people find conflict or differences of opinion invigorating and love to engage in a spirited discussion. They love change and are constantly looking for new and exciting adventures.

E – Factual and analytical personality

Tile phlegmatic person – cool and persevering – translates into the technical or systematic communication style. This style of communication is focused on facts and technical details. Phlegmatic people have an orderly methodical way of approaching tasks, and their focus is very much on the task, not on the people, emotions, or concerns that the task may evoke. The focus is also more on the details necessary to accomplish a task. Sometimes the details overwhelm the big picture and focus needs to be brought back to the context of the task. People with this style think the facts should speak for themselves, and they are not as comfortable with conflict. They need time to adapt to change and need to understand both the logic of it and the steps involved.

F – Cautious and caring

Tile melancholic person who is soft hearted and oriented toward doing things for others translates into the considerate or sympathetic communication style. A person with this communication style is focused on people and relationships. They are good listeners and do things for other people-sometimes to the detriment of getting things done for themselves. They want to solicit everyone’s opinion and make sure everyone is comfortable with whatever is required to get the job done. At times this focus on others can distract from the task at hand.

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Because they are so concerned with the needs of others and smoothing over issues, they do not like conflict. They believe that change threatens the status quo and tends to make people feel uneasy, so people with this communication style, like phlegmatic people need time to consider the changes in order to adapt to them.

G – Demanding and unsympathetic personality

The choleric temperament translates into the bold or direct style of communication. People with this style are brief in their communication – the fewer words the better. They are big picture thinkers and love to be involved in many things at once. They are focused on tasks and outcomes and often forget that the people involved in carrying out the tasks have needs. They don’t do detail work easily and as a result can often underestimate how much time it takes to achieve the task. Because they are so direct, they often seem forceful and can be very intimidating to others. They usually would welcome someone challenging them. But most other styles are afraid to do so. They also thrive on change, the more the better.

H – Combined styles for workplace

A well-functioning team should have all of these communication styles for true effectiveness. All teams need to focus on the task, and they need to take care of relationships in order to achieve those tasks. They need the big picture perspective or the context of their work, and they need the details to be identified and taken care of for success. We all have aspects of each style within us. Some of us can easily move from one style to another and adapt our style to the needs of the situation at hand-whether the focus is on tasks or relationships. For others, a dominant style is very evident, and it is more challenging to see the situation from the perspective of another style. The work environment can influence communication styles either by the type of work that is required or by the predominance of one style reflected in that environment. Some people use one style at work and another at home.

The good news about communication styles is that we have the ability to develop flexibility in our styles. The greater the flexibility we have, the more skilled we usually are at handling possible and actual conflicts. Usually it has to be relevant to us to do so, either because we

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think it is important or because there are incentives in our environment to encourage it. The key is that we have to want to become flexible with our communication style. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right!”

Exercise 5. Reading Passage has eight sections A-H. Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.

List of Headings

1.Summarising personality types.

2.Combined styles for workplace.

3.Physical explanation.

4.A lively person who encourages.

5.Demanding and unsympathetic personality.

6.Lazy and careless personality.

7.The benefits of understanding communication styles.

8.Cautious and caring.

9.Factual and analytical personality.

10.Self-assessment determines one’s temperament.

Exercise 6. Read the text and say if the following statements are true, false or not given in the text.

1. It is believed that sanguine people dislike variety.

2.Melancholic and phlegmatic people have similar characteristics.

3.Managers often select their best employees according to personality types.

most effective.

Exercise 7. Choose the correct variant a, b, c or d.

The writer believes using self-assessment tools can:

a) help to develop one’s personality.

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