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Cross-Cultural Interaction1 Change the expressions of disbelief or scepticism which are less polite into more polite: 1 Nonsense! – 3 Give me a break. – 2 That’s baloney! – 4 That’s ridiculous / absurd / crazy / silly. 2 Match the given phrases expressingdisbelief or scepticism: A 1I think I saw a UFO last night. B a No, I stayed home and watched TV. 2 My girlfriend broke up with me b Give me a break. I don’t believe last night. in aliens. 3 Do you know a good way to get c Rub butter on it. rid of a sore throat? 4 I have a runny nose and a cough. d The best way is to drink hot tea with honey. 5 Do you think the number 13 is bad e Cheer up. I’m sure you’ll meet luck? someone new. 6 Were you out partying last night? f You’d better not go to college today. 7 What’s a folk remedy for a burn? g Really? I wonder where she got that idea. 8 My grandmother says it’s bad luck h No, I think that’s an old wives’ to give someone an umbrella as a gift. tale. Talking about Superstitions. a) Discuss the following questions with your group mates: 1 Are you, or anyone in your family, a superstitious person? 2 Every culture in the world has some superstitious beliefs. How dosuperstitions begin, and why do people believe in them? B) The chart gives examples of common American and Canadian superstitions in several categories. 1 Tell if you or someone you know has a similar belief. 2 Give other examples of superstitions. Fill in the chart. 3 To express disbelief, use the expressions from the cultural note. American and Canadian superstitions Numbers:The number 13 is bad luck, and Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. Objects:It is good luck to hang a horseshoe on the wall.It is bad luck to walk under a ladder.You should not open an umbrella indoors. Animals:It is bad luck if a black cat crosses your path. Nature / weather / seasons:If you see a falling star, you should make a wish. Food / health:It is bad luck to spill salt. Marriage / family:It is bad luck for a bride and groom to see each other the day before the wedding.
Arguing and Conceding. Acknowledging a mistake Culture Learning Questions 1 In your country, is it more polite to be direct or indirect? 2 Do you feel more comfortable with people who are direct or indirect? If someone is upset with you, how do you prefer to hear about it? 3 Do you often argue with your friends? While arguing do you often concede, to acknowledge a mistake and give criticism?Is it the same in English culture?
Cultural Note Conceding means to admit that something is true or to stop trying to win a competition or argument because you realize that you cannot win it. One can usually refer to conceding in the discussion the structure of which may be as follows: - One person states an opinion, for example, violent movies should be censored. - The other person disagrees. - Both speakers support their position with facts and reasons. - Sometimes one speaker concedes that the other person is right. This means that the speaker agrees, after much discussion, that the other person’s point of view is correct. It is like saying that the other person has “won” the argument.Here are some expressions that English speakers use to argue and concede. Conceding a point and continuing the discussion: Maybe you’re right, but…. I see your point, but… That may be true. You’ve got the point there, but… Yeah, but…. Conceding finally: You win. I give up. You’re right. Ending the discussion without conceding: I respect your opinion, but I don’t agree. We just don’t see eye to eye on this. I just don’t see it that way. In the conversations sometimes people have to acknowledge a mistake, i.e. to accept or admit that something exists is not true, or real or admit that he has made a mistake. The following expressions are ways that people acknowledge making a mistake: I goofed (up) (on something). I messed up. I screwed up(something). I blew it. The following expressions have special meanings: I put my foot in my mouth = I said something rude or improper. I made a fool of myself = I embarrassed myself by acting foolishly. Sometimes one person (let’s call him “Person A”) bothers another (“Person B”); he makes Person B angry or uncomfortable in some way. What can Person B do? There are several possible answers. First, Person B might do nothing at all. This is common when Person A bothers B only one time – or in small ways. In such a case, Person B doesn’t think that the situation is bad enough for him to tell Person A. However, if Person B wants to change the situation, he needs to say something about it to Person A. What can Person A say? In American culture, if B is an honest person, he’ll be direct with Person A. He’ll say what is on his mind; that is, he’ll say his thoughts. Sometimes it is difficult for B to do this because he doesn’t want to hurt A or make A sad. In this situation, B will still try to be direct. However, he may also try to be polite; he might say a few words to make his directness seem “softer”, e.g.: “I hate to say this, but I don’t think that’s good / a good plan /idea.” “I am sorry to say this, but I don’t… (agree, etc.)” “To tell you the truth, I think you might be…(in trouble, etc.)” A few people don’t like to be so direct. Instead, they might be sarcastic and say the opposite of their true thoughts; they hope that other people will still understand them. This however, causes problems. First, people might not understand that they are really angry. Second, people might understand them but also think that they aren’t polite. Most Americans believe that they can’t completely trust someone who isn’t direct.
Date: 2016-03-03; view: 761
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