4. B). While watching the film pay special attention to how the characters speak.

A well-known Japanese scientist D.Barnlund states that “Culture determines how much speakers reveal of themselves-both in what they choose to speak about and how they express themselves. This is true for verbal as well as non-verbal communication”.

Before watching the film read the text for useful information.

English language: levels of usage

As we are members of a civilized society, there are a number of matters we do not have to decide independently for ourselves. Instead, we more or less unconsciously comply with social conventions - the customary ways in which groups of people behave together. The styles of clothing we wear derive from such conventions; so do our styles of etiquette, and first of all, our use of language.

Although everyone knows the expression "clothes make the man", few really believe it. We like to think that we can recognize the admirable qualities in people whether they are wearing bathing suits or business suits. Yet we cannot truthfully say that people's clothes make no impression on us at all. We pay no particular attention to what people wear so long as their clothes are more or less what we would expect under the circumstances. We expect to see bathing suits at the beach, and business suits at the office. We would notice a business suit at the beach, and vice versa. In other words, it is only when clothing is obviously singular or inappropriate that we are drawn to notice it emphatically, and forced to consider the motives of its wearer.

It is much the same with the language a person uses. As long as it is appropriate -"fits in" with what others use - we do not pay special attention to the way in which people form their sentences, or to the vocabulary they use. However, when a person's use of language strikes us as clearly unsuitable to the situation, we become distracted from what is being said and begin to think mainly about how it is being said. Language that deliberately calls attention to itself interferes with communication instead of making communication easier.

Language conveys more than mere ideas. It also conveys the speaker's own personality. If you speak stiffly you may give the impression of being standoffish, whether you mean it or not. If you speak as casually with a company manager as you do in conversation with close friends, the impression you create of yourself may lose you the job.

In general, we can distinguish two broad categories of English: standard and nonstandard.

Standard English. It is the kind of English usage most widely recognized as acceptable. It is the language of most governmental, legal, educational, and professional documents. Although standard English differs in different situations, it has certain conventions regularly observed by all who use it. Standard English is associated with education. And because the people who use it are the people carrying on the wider affairs of the world, their language conventions are respected. That is why this variety of English is called standard- a term that denotes an example or model which others may follow.

Nonstandard English. Standard and nonstandard English are not, of course, different languages. While there some words that appear only in one or the other, most English words can appear in either. Standard English is the medium of communication certain to reach the broadest audience of speakers of English. Nonstandard English is by definition, as its name suggests, a form of usage more proper to a smaller group that the whole of the English-speaking world. The more general the audience one is trying to reach, the more one tends to use the standard language. The more personal and informal the occasion, the less one needs to be conscious of the conventions and rules applying to standard usage.

Two kinds of Standard English. Standard English is used in so many situations - ranging from casual telephone conversations to formal speeches - that it would be impossible to name a particular kind appropriate for each situation. But we can distinguish two major kinds of Standard English: formal and informal.

Formal Standard English, like formal dress and formal manners, is language for special occasions. Sometimes referred to as "literary" English, it is the language of all serious writing. It should be used in formal essays and reports, research papers, literary criticism, scholarly writing, addresses on serious or solemn occasions, etc.

Informal standard English is the language most English-speaking people use most of the time. It is the language of magazines, newspapers, most books, business letters and talks intended for general audiences. The conventions of informal English are less rigid than those of formal English.

The basic characteristics of three major categories of the English language are represented in the table.

Formal standard English
Typical areas of usage	Typical features
Research papers, serious speeches, books and articles for special audiences	Bookish words and phrases seldom used in ordinary speech; long and elaborately constructed sentences; refinements in usage; few contractions; no slang
Informal standard English
Typical areas of usage	Typical features
Conversations of educated people; most writing in books, newspapers, and magazines; business letters, lectures to general audiences; political speeches; most textbooks	Wide variety of sentence length; less difficult vocabulary than formal; sentences that sound like good conversation, even when written; contractions; some slang words and phrases
Nonstandard English
Typical areas of usage	Typical features
Conversations in recognizably nonstandard words and phrases; dialogue intended to represent local dialects in films, books, radio, and television: conversations of poorly educated people	Verb and pronoun forms not appearing in standard English (e.g. you was, he don't, hisself, etc.); adverbs without the - ly ending (e.g. She sings bad); regular use of slang and localisms

While we can speak generally about three kinds of English - formal standard, informal, and nonstandard - the lines between them are not always easy to draw. One kind of usage shades into another; an expression we think of as being informal may turn up in a formal address; a slang word that originates in nonstandard English may become an acceptable part of the informal vocabulary; many words and constructions that we think of as belonging to standard speech may come into use among speakers of nonstandard English. The great majority of our words and our ways of putting them together are common to all three.

• Study the text and give a brief characteristic of Formal Standard English, Informal Standard English and Nonstandard English. Supply your own examples to prove your point.

• Agree or disagree with the following statements. Give reasons to prove your point.

1) We can recognize admirable qualities in people irrespective of how they are dressed.

2) We pay no attention to what people wear.

3) Language can interfere with communication instead of making it easier.

4) Language conveys more than ideas.

5) There is practically no difference between Informal Standard English and Nonstandard English.

6) A distinct line can be drawn between Formal Standard and Informal Standard English

• Comment on the traditional sources of language usage information:

To study special textbooks

To read books, newspapers, magazines

To refer to all kind of dictionaries

To communicate with native speakers

To listen to tape recordings

To watch films

4. c). Be ready to speak on the problem: “How to use verbal and nonverbal components for communicating successfully. Before making your own report read the article “The First Four Minutes”, pieces of advice produced by K.Davis, A.Leontyev and I.Seryakova.

K.Davis: “Certain forms of speech are used to keep up a conversation on a friendly level, though there is a conflict of interests and even antipathy between people”.

A.Leontyev: “While communicating take turns, say your word clearly, listen when other people talk, don’t interrupt, think before you speak”.

I.Seryakova: “In reality, people enter every conversation with concrete personal needs, interests and intentions. To avoid conflict of any kind, people tend to behave supportively, showing the assertive style of communication by means of verbal and nonverbal actions.

Remember that the first four minutes are crucial in conveying a good impression of yourself. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Dress appropriately for the image you want to convey. While communicating, keep a comfortable distance corresponding to the type of relationships.

Speak clearly. Control your speech and your style of expression. The way you speak is almost as important as what you say. Know when to keep silent, and when to speak up. Control your emotion. Never lose your nerve or temper.”