1. ♫ Listen and repeat these foreign words in English. Why do you think they were borrowed? What culture-specific phenomena (concepts, artifacts, etc.) do they convey?

French	faux pas, joie de vivre, déjà vu, fait accompli , carte blanche, en route , nuance
German	doppelagänger ,realpolitik, wanderlust
Spanish	incommunicado, mañana, El Nino (or El Ñino)
Italian	cognoscente, prima donna
Japanese	bonsai , kimono, origami
Chinese	feng shui, lychee, typhoon

2. ♫ Listen to the sentences and practise reading them aloud. Try to guess the languages the borrowed words in italics come from and interpret their meaning.

1. I’m not really au fait with the rules of cricket.

2. The negotiations have reached an impasse, with neither side wanting to back down.

3. They show a lot of avant-garde films at the cinema.

4. He went through a long period of angst during his teens.

5. She’s an aficionado of Spanish literature.

6. He complained that he couldn’t go anywhere without being followed by the paparazzi.

7. The tsunami killed over a million people.

8. He does an hour of t’ai chi every morning.

3. ♫ Listen and repeat these foreign words in English. Write the transcription of their pronunciation. What language do you think each word comes from: French, Chinese, Italian, German, Japanese or Spanish?

denouement	diva	ersatz	haiku	macho	ninja
nouvelle cuisine	ginseng	schadenfreude	sotto voce	kumquat	pronto

4. ♫ Listen and repeat the French words in column a. Then try to match them with the brief definition on column b. Use the example sentences below the table to help you.

A	B
1bête noire	adescribing something you must have or do to appear fashionable
2cause célèbre	ba false name used by a writer
3de rigueur	can embarrassing small disagreement
4clientele	da person or thing that particularly annoys you or that you dislike
5contretemps	ebeing able to do or say the right thing in any situation
6en suite	fthe customers or clients of a business
7nom de plume	ga controversial event that attracts a lot of public attention
8savoir-faire	hdescribing a connected bathroom and bedroom

1. My particular bête noire is people who use mobile phones when they are driving.

2. The trial of the two teenagers became an international cause célèbre.

3. Where I work, smart suits are de rigueur for the women.

4. The restaurant has a clientele that includes film stars and famous sportspeople.

5. There was a contretemps between the neighbours over the fence dividing their gardens.

6. All the rooms in the hotel are en suite.

7. She writes under the nom de plume of Cathy Kay.

8. I really envy him for his savoir-faire.

5. Make up your own similar sentences. Then read them aloud in class paying particular attention to the pronunciation of the foreign words.

6. ♫ Here are some Russian words used in English. First, try reading them aloud. Then listen and compare your pronunciation with the recording.

glasnost

intelligentsia

politburo

samovar

troika

OUTPUT

Study the information below and advise companies on reconciling cultural differences. Report your findings to the rest of the class.

H.L. Corp., a large electronics manufacturer, has decided to acquire a small but dynamic German electronics company (Kripp) as part of its strategy to transform H.L. Corp.’s traditional culture. By learning about the best practices of Kripp, the CEO intends to make H.L. Corp. a truly innovative and global corporation.

Your consultancy company has been hired to make a presentation to each company about the other’s culture, and to predict possible areas of initial conflict. Then think of some suggestions for reconciling at least two of the areas, and for encouraging respect between the companies.

H.L. Corp. They are very hierarchical, with many layers of management, although this has been changing slowly over the past decade. They are extremely punctual, and always arrive on time for meetings, etc. While at work, levels of formality (e.g. in the way people address each other) are high, although this changes when colleagues go out together. Women tend to hold few management posts in the business, but again this is changing slowly. They prefer a very direct style of communication, but make criticism very indirectly. Working long hours is valued as much as productivity, as it reflects loyalty to the company. Generally speaking, the English language level is reasonably high.

Kripp Over half of the management posts are held by women. The company employs a very flexible attitude to time. The company has a crèche so that children can be looked after while parents are working. The time spent in the office is relatively short, and many people choose to work at home for part of the week. In this company, friendliness is displayed through humour, and staff address each other using first names. There is little socialising outside the office between colleagues. English language levels are very high.

1 Whichever specific behaviours you noted in your own experience, you may have found it difficult to interpret the values underpinning them. The behaviour you noted may have as much to do with the particular individuals personality, or education, or profession/ occupation, as with his or her national culture.

18