- •Методический комментарий
- •Introduction
- •1. Write or say the word you think of first to go with each of the words below. Possible answers are given on the right.
- •2. Now, play the game the other way round. Write or say the nationality you associate with the things listed below.
- •Exercise 3. Where are they?
- •In which cities are the following landmarks?
- •He/she comes from… He/she is… He/she speaks…
- •1.1 National characters
- •Text 1*
- •III. Comprehension check
- •V. Writing
- •Text 2 notes on the british*
- •In the following extract Bill Bryson, an American writer, makes observations of the British people.
- •IV. Language focus
- •1. Match the word with its definition.
- •2. Pick out the words from the text describing the American and the British ways of life.
- •Italian neighbours*
- •II. Skim Extract 1 with Tim’s interview about his living in Italy and find answers to the questions:
- •Extract 2
- •Baby? I'd rather have a mobile phone
- •VIII. Writing
- •Text 4 westerners and the japanese
- •II. Read the first part of the text about Leadership and decide which of the following statements accurately reflect John Mole’s comments.
- •Leadership
- •Attitudes and Behaviour
- •IV. Language focus
- •1. Find English equivalents to:
- •2. Translate the following sentences into English.
- •V. Speaking
- •Text 5 the amish
- •II. Read the article carefully and do the tasks that follow.
- •III. Comprehension check
- •V. Writing
- •Vocabulary box
- •Achievement test 1 national characters
- •Information check (orally)
- •Vocabulary check (in writing)
- •1. Match the two columns.
- •2. Match the definitions below with the words from the box.
- •3. Translate the sentences into English.
- •1.2 Communicating interculturally
- •Importance of intercultural communication*
- •II. Read the text and find information on the following points.
- •IV. Speaking
- •V. Writing
- •Text 2 main concepts of intercultural communication*
- •Culture
- •Subculture
- •Culture Shock
- •Ethnocentric reactions
- •IV. Writing
- •Text 3 understanding culture*
- •II. Read the following text and check if your predictions were right.
- •Text 4 activity orientation
- •Text 5 time orientation
- •Text 6 predictions of communication problems*
- •In what way can we predict communication problems with people from foreign countries?
- •II. Read the text and check whether your predictions were right.
- •1. Control Issues
- •2. Intrapersonal Factors
- •3. Biological Factors
- •4. Interpersonal Factors
- •5. Space and Time Factors
- •6. Geopolitical Factors
- •IV. Language focus
- •V. Speaking
- •VI. Writing
- •Text 7 recognizing cultural differences
- •II. Read the following text and write down the main cultural factors to fill in the table below the text.
- •IV. Writing
- •Text 8 dealing with language barriers
- •Barriers to written communication
- •Barriers to oral communication
- •IV. Language focus
- •1. Fill in the gaps with the prepositions where necessary.
- •2. Find synonyms to the following words in the chart below and learn them.
- •V. Speaking
- •Text 9 suggestions for the cross-cultural sojourner*
- •1. Learn the Rules of the New Culture.
- •2. Assume Responsibility
- •3. Observe Carefully
- •4. Tolerate Differences
- •5. Develop Flexibility
- •IV. Speaking
- •V. Writing
- •Acting out
- •1. Role-play the conversation.
- •2. Role-play the conversation in a travel-bureau.
- •Project writing
- •Social Customs
- •Vocabulary box
- •Achievement test 2 communicating interculturally
- •Information check (orally)
- •Vocabulary check (in writing)
- •1. Define the meaning of the following words in English.
- •2. Match the two columns.
- •3. Translate the sentences into English.
- •1.3 English as a global language
- •Text 1 ways of learning*
- •Starter activities
- •How do you like to learn languages? Look at these extracts from advertisements for methods of learning languages. Choose the methods you would like. Explain and discuss your answers.
- •People learn languages in different ways. Here are some descriptions and explanations of different kinds of language learners. Match the descriptions (1-6) to the explanations (a-f).
- •The table below lists the ways of learning. Complete the column about “you” and discuss your answers.
- •Discussion
- •Text 2 why don’t we all speak the same language?
- •How Did the English Language Begin?
- •III. Comprehension check
- •Text 3 the english language*
- •The english language
- •The english language in north america
- •1. Say whether each of the following sentences is true or false. Correct the false sentences to make them true.
- •2. Give examples of different borrowings in the English language.
- •V. Speaking
- •Text 4 british and american english*
- •The main differences of American English in pronunciation are:
- •1) The pronunciation of r in all positions, e.G. Part, first, corner;
- •VI. Writing
- •Text 5 english as a world language*
- •In the countries listed in the table, English is used either as a first language or as a second. Identify the 7 countries in which it is used as a first language.
- •II. Read the text carefully the spread of english
- •Basic characteristics
- •III. Comprehension check
- •IV. Speaking
- •Text 6 a global language*
- •II. Read the text and check your guesses.
- •V. Writing
- •Imperial english*
- •In this article below Professor Anne Eisenberg writes about the importance of English in the scientific world. For which jobs or subjects is it important to know English in your country?
- •II. Reading
- •1. The statements below express the main idea of each of paragraph. Read the article and match the statements to the paragraphs.
- •2. Decide which sentences in each paragraph express the main ideas.
- •97 % Населения мира предпочитают английский язык для международного общения
- •Text 8 the language of business
- •II. Read the text and write questions for these answers.
- •Look at the expressions in the box using rule. Use your dictionary to check the meanings of any of the expressions that you don’t know.
- •Complete these sentences using the expressions from the box in Exercise 1. Change the verb tense if necessary.
- •Do You Speak Japanese?
- •Project writing
- •Essay writing
- •Vocabulary box
- •Acievement test 3 english as a global language
- •Information check (orally)
- •Vocabulary check (in writing)
- •1. Define the meaning of the following words in English.
- •2. Give synonyms to:
- •3. Match the professional areas with language needs.
- •3. Complete each sentence with the words from the box.
- •For reading, discussing and reporting
- •Text 2 the japanese sense of beauty
- •Text 3 you have to catch them young…
- •Text 4 when the locals are friendly Free accommodation with plenty of surprises ... Servas is a cheap - and enlightening - way to see the world, says Patricia Cleveland-Peck
- •Text 5 must one be so polite that it hurt?
- •Text 6 should americans be required to learn another language?
- •Discussion
- •Text 7 tips for communicating with people from other cultures
- •Text 8 developing intercultural competence
- •1. Privacy and its implications
- •2. "So much for complaining"
- •3. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"
- •4. Meals
- •5. Attitude to time
- •6. Academic life
- •7. Facial expressions
- •8. Gestures
- •9. Clothes
- •10. Topics for small talk
- •11. Politeness Strategies
- •Text 9 the image of russia in western travel guides
2. Match the definitions below with the words from the box.
objective (n) flippancy (n) reluctant (adj) assumption (n) self-deprecation (n) be renowned for alleviate (v) |
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Unwilling to do smth…
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Trying to make your own abilities seem unimportant…
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To make smth less painful and difficult…
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Smth that you think is true although you have no proof…
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An aim that you are trying to achieve…
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Known and admired by a lot of people for some special skills…
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Not being serious about smth…
3. Translate the sentences into English.
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Иногда бывает трудно преодолеть культурный барьер при общении с незнакомцем.
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Человеку свойственны такие качества, как слабость, легкомыслие и самоуничижение.
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Стереотипы являются препятствием на пути прогресса.
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Японцы демонстрируют необычную преданность своему начальству.
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Принять решение также трудно, как и осуществить его.
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Стереотипизация – это предвзятое мнение о каком-то народе.
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Неиссякаемый оптимизм американцев совершенно незнаком британцам.
1.2 Communicating interculturally
As communications technology advances and international transportation shrinks the world, intercultural communication opportunities are likely to increase. Opportunities for misunderstandings can also increase. For example, one business executive considered his counterparts in Athens, Greece, to be rude. They asked "personal" questions (i.e., questions about the business executive's religious beliefs, his political views, and how much money he earned on his job) just a few weeks after his arrival. The Greeks, of course, did not consider themselves rude. They were just being friendly. To them, such questions signaled their acceptance of the American.
Such stories are commonplace. They point to a growing challenge for all of us because our intercultural communication effectiveness is usually inadequate. In fact, the gap between our intercultural communication skills and the need for those skills is increasing.
This chapter examines the most common cross-cultural communication problems. It suggests certain skills to improve cross-cultural communication effectiveness.
TEXT 1
Importance of intercultural communication*
(Upper-intermediate)
I. Pre-reading task
Look up the meaning of the following words and expressions.
business executive (n) to establish citizenship
counterpart (n) ethnocentrism (n)
prejudice (n) human mobility
to be commonplace a “global village”
to merge a host country
Before reading try to predict the major factors of intercultural communication in the modern world (the words in bold type can help you).
II. Read the text and find information on the following points.
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Reasons for increasing intercultural communication skills.
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Ethnocentrism.
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Fourteen separate types of cross-cultural contact.
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The essence of “a global village”.
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Importance of economic and political contacts.
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Immigration and migration patterns in the USA.
Contacts across cultural and national boundaries will increase. People are more mobile than ever. They travel from country to country and from continent to continent for both business and pleasure.
Richard W. Brislin has identified fourteen separate types of cross-cultural contact that Americans are most likely to encounter [Richard W. Brislin, Cross-Cultural Encounters: Face-to-Face Interaction, New York, 1981, pp. 8-10]. Not all of them require travel to other lands. Notice how increasing mobility plays a part in such contacts. Have you already experienced one or more of these fourteen types?
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Overseas study at the college level.
Students from the United States commonly travel to other countries as part of their study. Students from other nations commonly study in U.S. colleges and universities. The data's conclusion is clear: students from all over the world are interacting with each other in increasing numbers.
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A business assignment in a country other than one's own, usually as a representative of an international business.
With each passing year, international business travel increases. For instance, a man whose career has taken him to the executive suite in Del Monte Tropical Fruit Company travels somewhere each month overseas. During the most recent twelve-month period, he has traveled extensively in Japan, Kenya, The Philippines, Costa Rica, Guatemala, England, and Monte Carlo. This travel is not uncommon. As American and foreign businesses continue to expand and merge, such travel will increase.
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Diplomats and embassy staff who represent one country while stationed in another.
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Language interpreters who work in permanent international organizations or in short-term multinational conferences.
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Technical assistance personnel assigned overseas.
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Participants in organized programs emphasizing contact with people of another nation or culture.
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Military personnel assigned as advisers to governments or defense units of other countries.
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Emigrants moving from one country to another, who then establish citizenship in the host country.
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Researchers who work on cultures other than their own.
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International and interregional tourists.
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Members of a certain ethnic group who interact with members of another.
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People who participate in "arranged interethnic contact," such as legally desegregated schools.
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Members of ethnic groups who are required to move from one area of a country to another.
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Students who, as part of their education, live and work with members of an ethnic group other than their own.
Thus, it seems clear that more and more contact is being made with other cultures and that this trend will increase in the coming years. Each of us will have to learn to improve our ways of communicating in cross-cultural events. Now, we truly are members of a global village.
In general, U.S. citizens - especially members of the ethnic majority - tend to have a chauvinistic attitude about communication across cultural lines. That is, Americans unconsciously assume and project that their own culture is correct. In doing so, they create unnecessary problems for themselves. This chauvinistic attitude and its resulting problem is called ethnocentrism. The term means the attitude that one's own race, nation, or culture is superior to all others.
In addition to human mobility, the United States and most other countries are also so intimately linked economically and politically that cross-cultural contact seems inevitable. The patterns of this economic and political contact are changing. In the past, economic ties of the USA were primarily to Europe. Now, it is increasingly involved with other countries, such as China, Japan, and Korea. The reality of economic and cross-cultural interdependence is apparent every time you read a national news magazine or turn on the evening news.
Communication across national and cultural boundaries has become more rapid and less expensive than ever before. In part, this rapid communication has been thrust upon us by major advances in technology. TV news and entertainment programs bring foreign cultures into our living rooms every day, and international telephone and computer hookups are common in business. Calling home is commonplace when traveling overseas.
People of different cultures are heard every day through communications media, and we form impressions and stereotypes on the basis of these sources.
Television news industry is having an enormous impact around the world. With the aid of technology, it will be possible to tune in English language programming throughout western Europe. The American film and television industry has become the largest importer and exporter of high and low culture programming. Dubbed versions of Dallas and Dynasty, for example, have faithful fans in Paris and Tokyo. The reverse is also true. Television programs produced in Mexico, Brazil, and Spain are finding increasing Spanish-speaking audiences in the United States.
Finally, the mobility of peoples from all over the world has greatly influenced immigration and migration patterns in the United States. The West Coast, for example, is experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of people from Pacific rim nations. All over America, people are moving from rural to urban centers, and from region to region.
Northern and southern borders of America are practically wide open. The Canadian province of British Columbia, for example, is admitting some 10,000 new people from around the world every month, many of whom migrate, again, into the United States. The flow of people from Latin America across our southern border has reached an all-time high. All this movement increases the likelihood of needing effective intercultural communication skills.
The United States is still a melting-pot nation. Many U.S. cities - especially those that are seaports - contain international populations. These people eat different foods, speak different languages, and make different assumptions about the world.
Therefore, there is a good deal of reason to study intercultural communication behaviour. Ignoring the likelihood of communicating across cultural boundaries will create problems. However, understanding that increased contact with people from other nations and other cultures is inevitable will give you an opportunity to develop intercultural communication skills.
You can become more effective in intercultural events if you choose to develop them, but you must make an active choice. [6, 406-415]
III. Comprehension check
Answer the questions.
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Why intercultural communication skills are so important today?
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How do you understand the phrase “the mobile world”?
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Have you ever experienced one of the fourteen types of intercultural contact?
Which of them are more popular with the people in your country?
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What is the role of Mass Media in intercultural communication?
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What is your view on ethnocentrism? Have you ever experienced a biased attitude from foreigners?