跨文化交际英语案列分析

1、大学英语跨文化交际所有CASE答案！是WORD格式不是PDF格式的！来源：王迪Alicia的日志Case 1:An Interview in IndiaCase analysis: The case is about an interview between an American program host and anIndian interviewee. They talk about some aspects of Indian culture and the changes occurred theseyears. The case reflects some basic cultur

2、al elements people may find in all cultures: language,family pattern, marriage, wedding ceremony, food and the way to eat food, etc. From this case,guide the students in culture study and culture comparison. The students should realize that thereare both similarities and differences in culture. Cult

3、ure is in fact very dynamic and pervasive.Case 2:White DressCase analysis: The Indian women might think the wedding ceremony is a funeral if they seethe western bride in white gown. The case reflects the similes and metaphors in the text. Culture islike an iceberg: we can identify the color of the d

4、ress worn by women in different cultures, but wedo not know the values underneath. Culture is like the water a fish swims in: people wear dress ofdifferent colors for different context but they usually take it for granted and never ask why.Case 3:The French in North AmericaCase analysis: The French

5、were able to see Indian behavior only in the light of their ownhierarchical social system, where it is natural for the few to command and the many to obey.Social systems that worked on other principles were literally unimaginable.Case 4:Coconut-skatingCase analysis: The case reflects the characteris

6、tics of culture. We can tell from the case thatculture is pervasive and its learned. People may invent different ways for things even as simple asthe issue of floor moping. The Philippine woman must have learned this way of mopping from herown culture.Case 5:A Black Girls IdentityCase analysis: Alth

7、ough we may say that identities are constituted by our communication, itis obvious from the case that we cannot simply choose at any moment what our identity will beregardless of the context. First, we often do not share the recipe for certain identities with otherseven if we belong to the same ethn

8、icity, gender, or nationality. Understanding this can help usavoid some of the broad assumptions made about groups of people based on the reflective way ofthinking. Second, as we learned in the very first chapter, all meaning in communication is to someextent situational. Thus, the context mediates

9、what identities we can choose. Sometimes thingsone may have no control over, such as age or skin color, are seen as essential parts of how onecommunicates an identity.Case 6HippiesCase analysis: Hippies could be defined as a subgroup, as the hippies culture tends to betemporary. In modern American s

10、ociety, hippies culture could also find traits, but it has widespread influence on American value system.Case 7Clean up the Bathroom!Case analysis: Cultural differences decide the two students are going to communicate indifferent ways. The Chinese student wants the American student to understand the

11、 underlyingmeans of his words, but the American student is used to the direct style of communication. This isdecided by culture. In Chinese culture, people want to save face of both themselves and others, sothey would not express their ideas directly. However, in the United States, unless you expres

12、syourself clearly and directly, the others cannot understand you.Case 8:She Has Three HandsThis case can reflect the different communication styles between Chinese and Canadians. Inwestern cultures, communication is the means of transmitting ideas. Western people usuallycommunicate directly with eac

13、h other. That is why the Canadian in this case says what is in hismind directly in front of the Chinese woman without hiding anything. While Chinese culturestresses harmony and emphasizes the relationships between the communicators. Chinese peopleview communication as a process where all parties are

14、 searching to develop and maintain a socialrelationship. So the Chinese woman in this case tries not to argue with the Canadian face to face tokeep the “harmonious relationship between them.Case 9:A Piece of CakeThis case wants us to recognize some components of communication. Sender/source refers t

15、othe person who transmits a message. Receiver is any person who notices and gives some meaningto a message. Context refers to a setting or situation within which communication takes place. Inthis case, Marilyn and Richard are simultaneously the senders and receivers. And their room,where the communi

16、cation event happens and which makes the couple feel comfortable andrelaxed, is just the context.Case 10:The Place to Have LunchThis case reflects that communication is contextual, which means that communication doesnot happen in isolation and it must happen within a setting or context. Whether this

17、 context isquiet or noisy is important to the smoothness of communication. When the communication eventis disturbed by noise, the communication can not go smoothly. In this case,Case 11:Making an AppointmentThis case can reflect how culture affects its communication style. Each culture encourages ap

18、articular communication style expected within it. This implies not only using correct symbols,but also applying the appropriate communication style for the occasion. Communication stylesinclude mannerisms, phrases, rituals, and communication customs appropriate for varioussituations in a culture. In

19、 this case, knowing the communication style of the Americans which ischaracterized by direct, exacting and instrumental, the exporter manager fulfills his jobsuccessfully.Case 12:Why Dont You Eat the Pizza?This case can reflect the problems appearing during intercultural communication and howignorin

20、g cultural differences can affect communication. In Malaysia, where most people areMuslims, people think the left hand is used only for cleaning the body and thus it is dirty and cannot be used to pass food. Knowing nothing about the cultural difference, the American studentputs himself in an embarr

21、assing situation.Case 13:We and They?This case reflects that in intercultural communication, people always regard themselves as thebest group in the world. This is actually inappropriate and should be avoided.Case 14:Perception of WarThis case can reflect different cultures can give different influe

22、nces on human perception.People can have very different perceptions even on the same object or phenomenon because theyhave different cultures and are living in the different social realities. In this case, Jim and Olgahave very different attitudes and perceptions towards historical events because th

23、eir nationsdifferent experiences and histories.Case 15:Observations on a SoldierThis case can reflect the basic model of human perception. Human being is equipped to sensethe outside stimuli and perceive the outside world. And the perception follows a certainmodelafter being gained through the five

24、basic senses, information is processed throughselection, organization and interpretation. In this case, Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft didobservations on the soldier according to the basic model of human perception. They selected someuseful information which they gained from outside world through their

25、 five basic senses,organized it in a reasonable logic and then attached meanings to it.Case 16:Different Responses to NoiseThis case can reflect different culture can give different influences on human sensation. No two ofpeople can assume that their sensations are the same, especially when they com

26、e from different cultures.Different social reality and living conditions can equip them with different way to sense the world. So it isvery common for them to have totally different sensations even towards the same condition. In this case,the German professor and Japanese professor have very differe

27、nt response to the noise producedby the same motor for the heating system because of their cultures and living habits.Case 17:What Is Black?This case can reflect we have some barriers to accurate perception in interculturalcommunication. We have the ability to perceive the outside world, but we cann

28、ot always get theaccurate perceptions, especially when we do the perception on other cultures, we often give theinaccurate and negative perceptions. In this case, on discussing the impersonal color “black, wegive so many bad and negative meanings while black pupils can give some objective descriptio

29、nsand associations about the color. The barriers can include ignoring details, over-generalizing,holding on to preconceptions and stereotypes imposing consistency, preconnecting causes and effects,preferring simple explanations, ignoring circumstances, crediting irrelevant information and focusing o

30、nthe negative.Case 18:Are Perceptions Always Right?This case can reflect our perceptions on outside world are not always right, especially whenwe do perceptions on other cultures. We usually perceive others according to our own culture.This can lead to ineffective intercultural communication. In thi

31、s case Pat and Chris gaveinaccurate and negative perceptions on Akira and Michiko just because of theirIrresponsible judgment and they also gave completely positive perceptions on Marie just becauseof their simple expectations. In order to avoid the inaccurate perceptions, we need some skills,includ

32、ing increase your understanding of the perceptual process; increase your observational acuity;recognize the elements to which you attribute meaning; check your perceptions; increase your Awarenessof perceptual inaccuracies and compensate for them ;increase your awareness of others perceptionsof you;

33、 and develop social decentering, empathy, and other-orientation.Case 20:Chinese Hospitality OverdoneThis case reflects that sometimes people unconsciously assume that people from anotherculture may behave in a way which is similar to theirs. The Chinese usually attach a lot ofimportance to taking ca

34、re of their guests. When it comes to a foreign visitor, Chinese hospitality isusually more than what can be understood by a Westerner, who is uncomfortable when he isalways surrounded by people attempting to be kind. Concerning this case, Hong tried to respecther traditions and her friend by doing m

35、ore than she could really afford to do for Joes visit, havingno idea that Joe ended up feeling frustrated.Case 21:A Danish Woman in New YorkThis case can reflect assuming similarity instead of difference. When communicating withpeople from another culture, one is likely to regard and treat other peo

36、ple as “his people and toassume there must be only one way of doing things: that is “his way. In this case, the Danishwoman assumes that her behavior of leaving the baby alone, which is common in Denmark, is alsoappropriate in New York. Here, she assumes what is suitable in her own culture is alsoin

37、disputable in another culture. That is why the small conflict happens.Case 22:Ambiguous TimeThis case can reflect ethnocentrism. Cultures train their members to use the categories oftheir own cultural experiences when judging the experiences of people from other cultures. Theywill believe that their

38、 culture is the center of the world and their standard should be the role modelfor the rest of the world. Concerning this case, somehow Chinese people have habitually referred12:00 a.m. as the time around lunchtime, making 12 : 00 p.m. midnight. Fortunately, the way theytell other times are the same

39、 as that used in the States, so theres usually no misunderstandingbetween people from the two cultures. However, there is this one difference and Fan learns it bypaying a fine since she may hold that her culture is the center of the world.Case 23:Girl-nessThis case can reflect one of the translation

40、 problems: the lack of conceptual equivalence,which refers to abstract ideas that may not exist in the same fashion in different languages.Different cultures may attach different meanings to the same thing or person. Concerning this case,we should know what young females call themselves is very diff

41、erent in China from the States. InChina, girl means someone who is young and single. In a way, it makes a female sound moredesirable to be called a girl rather than a woman. For most people, woman means someone whois married and who probably is not young. In fact, most single Chinese females, such a

42、s universitystudents, would be insulted to be called women. While in the West, in formal, public settings, itis customary to call any woman who is past puberty a woman, even though she may not be legallyold enough to vote, marry, purchase alcoholic beverages, drive a car, or sign a contract. Thister

43、minology became widespread during the womens liberation movement in the 1960s. Theterm girl is sometimes interpreted to be demeaning or disrespectful.Case 24:An Unfair DecisionThis case reflects prejudice, which involves an unfair, biased, or intolerant attitudetowards another group of people. In th

44、is case, Mr. Bias decided to select someone else, instead ofapplicant from the country Levadel, for the position. That is just because he holds prejudice towardspeople from the country Levadel.Case 25:Success StoryOne of the sources of the frustration and misunderstandings that occurred in this case

45、 wasdifferent notions of what was verbally relevant. In this case, Mary was expecting a much moredirect response to her question. Ms. Goshima, however, was uncomfortable with the question andfelt her response should be very indirect and establish a proper sense of modesty before revealingthe answer

46、to the question. If Mary had been more patient, she would have eventually heard theanswer to her question, but she was not really paying attention when it finally came because shefelt that Ms. Goshimas comments werent really relevant to her query.Case 26:Slogans and the Importance of LanguageThe int

47、ercultural encounters we experience are not only influenced by language and perceptualdifferences, and language choice based on restricted and elaborated social situations, but also onlanguage and how it is translated for members of a culture. For many reasons linguisticinterpretation and semantics

48、provide the source of numerous misunderstandings. For instance, aninsurance company discovered that fires inadvertently occurred because warehouse employeesacted carelessly around empty barrels of gasoline, although they previously had exercised greatcaution around full drums of gasoline. The terms

49、full and empty seem to mask the real danger inworking with gasoline drums. Empty drums are extremely combustible, while full drums pose farless threat. The linguistic perception of the word empty in the general culture signified null or void,but in the work culture of volatile products like gasoline

50、 the semantic interpretation wasdisastrous. A story is told of a Christian Scientist who refused to take vitamins, since therecommender described them as medicine. However, the same person gladly took the vitaminswhen he was told they were food.Case 28:Two Different Communication StylesThe dialogue

51、takes place between a young couple who have been dating for a short time. Theman is a U.S. student, and the woman is from an Asian culture. Note the misunderstanding thatresults as a consequence of the use of direct and indirect modes of communication.In all likelihood, Jim is not going to get much

52、of an answer from Michiko. She continuesthroughout the dialogue using rather general answers to Jims very specific and direct questionsabout her feelings toward the United States. Michiko might believe that Jim is being far too directand invading her privacy. Besides, the fact that she has traveled

53、halfway around the world shouldlie indicative of her desire to be here, right? There must he something about the United States thatattracted her. Michiko cannot possibly say something critical about the United States because shewould lose face, as would Jim, as a native. She relies on imprecise and

54、indefinite answers.Case 29:MisunderstandingIdioms are simply statements that are not strictly true, but their meaning is understood by agroup of people. If you ask what happened to Martha and people say, She kicked the bucket, itdoes not mean that she literally did this; it means she died. Just like

55、 in the case my students frienddid not literally mean that Shang should get out of the apartment. Idioms are common in allcultures, but when used in intercultural settings they can create a lot of confusion. One potentialarea of misunderstanding related to idioms is when to use them and with whom. F

56、or example, Iwould not use the kick the bucket idiom just any setting or with just any person. If I am talkingwith my grandmother and I am going to tell her about someone who has died, I may use what isoften perceived as a gentler idiom and say the person has passed away. Understanding thecontext of

57、 when an idiom is appropriate or sensible is part of intercultural knowledge.Case 31:Going Out to EatIn the interaction, Jim is a student at a local university. He was born and raised in the UnitedStates. Akira is an exchange student from Japan. Jim and Akira are eating dinner together in alocal res

58、taurant. They have known each other for only a short time. Not only is Jims style ofcommunication overtly personal, but hes also quite direct.Jim is trying to involve Akira in the conversation by relating to him his personal experiencesand preferences. Jim uses the first person I no fewer than eleve

59、n times and even refers to Akiraas Buddy. Akira never refers to himself in the first person; Akira generally defers to Jim andsays little, even addressing Jim as Mr. Jim. As a foreigner, Akira probably sees Jim as sociallysuperior and uses a formal title. Moreover, rather than talking about his pers

60、onal preferences,Akira mentions that Japanese people enjoy restaurants.Case 32:What Is Wrong with the Interaction?This case can reflect different nonverbal communication patterns exist in the actualintercultural communication. Nonverbal communication differs according to different cultures.People mi