Transcript 1. Verbal Communication 言语交际Please read the text from page

Unit 2 Communication between
Cultures: Verbal Communication
Lili Chen
Learning Objective
• Know the definition and functions of verbal
communication
• Understand the relationship between language and culture
• Explore the influence of culture on verbal communication
from the perspective of Semantics and Pragmatics
• Reveal the cultural factors behind the oral and written
communication
Lead in activity
Please try to translate the jokes below into Chinese. Can they be rendered in
Chinese as humorous as the original?
Eg 1. - A: Why time flies?
- B: Because somebody wants to kill it.
Eg. 2 - A: Why couldn't Cinderella be a good soccer player?
- B: She lost her shoe, she ran away the ball, and her coach was a
pumpkin.
-Here it seems to be almost impossible for us to translate the dialogues into Chinese
and render them as humorous as the original. It is difficult to convey things like puns
(双关语) by translation across languages due to connotations in different cultures.
1. Verbal Communication 言语交际
Please read the text from page 26~27 and answer the questions below
1. What is verbal communication?
2. When does verbal communication take place in the business
area?
3. What are the attributes/functions of verbal communication?
4. What is required in skillful and effective verbal communication?
1. Verbal Communication 言语交际
Please read the text from page 26~27 and answer the questions below
1. What is verbal communication?
The cummunication that is carried out either in oral or in written
form with the use of words.
2. When does verbal communication take place in the business
area?
Building business
Dealing with difficult situations (Eg. Coping with complaints)
Revitalizing a team
Create exceptional customer service climate
1. Verbal Communication 言语交际
Please read the text from page 26~27 and answer the questions below
3. What are the attributes/functions of verbal communication?
Verbal communication can express almost all kinds of ideas we want to
express.
Verbal communication can keep and disseminate information.
Verbal communication can be clearer and more efficient than other ways.
4. What is required in skillful and effective verbal communication?
It involoves careful choice of language that takes into account
logical and emotional effects, as well as cultural factors if the
message sender and receiver come from different cultural
backgrounds.
1.1 Language and Culture 语言与文化 (page 27~28)
1. What is language?
Language, in its broadest sense, is the symbolic representation of a nation’s culture.
Specifically
speaking, language is a means to express and exchange thoughts,
concepts, knowledge and information as well as to transimit experience and
knowledge.
2. What is the relationship between language and culture? Please find examples in
the text on page 28.
Language is part of culture. Culture, in turn, enriches and shapes language.
Culture teaches us what to speak and how to speak in different situations. In
learning how to speak, a child must not only master the vocabulary and grammar of a
certain language, he must also absorb the social rules that govern how he should use
his vocabulary and grammar in concrete situations.
 Eg. :

“Have you eaten yet”? is a typical Chinese greeting
genereated from the agrarian culture (农耕文化), where
people live together and cooperate with each other. By this
means of greeting, peole show familiarity with each other and
consideration for each other's comfort and health.
 “Good
fences make good neighbors.” is a typical American
proverb, which emphasizes the personal privacy, probably
because of the fact that the pilgrims who migrated to the
North America needed to carry out the political activities
secretly, and they tend to keep a safe distance from each
other.
1.2 Semantics in Intercultural Communication
语义学与跨文化交际 (page 29~30)
1. What is Semantics?
A system that associates words to meaning. It is the study of the meaning of words.
2. What is denotation? What is Connotation?
•Denotation 本义 The most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class
of objects that an expression refers to.
Eg. Bird: 2-legged, winged, egg-laying, warm-blooded creature with a beak.
•Connotation 内涵 (p127): The additional meaning that a word or phrase has beyond its
central meaning. It reflects the valuing process of interpretation.
Eg. Proverbs with dog in English vs. those in Chinese.
Love me, love my dog. vs. 狗眼看人低/狗嘴里吐不出象牙
他得了红眼病=He is green with envy
Group Work——Please summarize the connotations of color terms in Chinese culture
Red
Green
Yellow
White
Black
①
festive, jubilant
e.g. 红娘，红火
②
revolutionary
e.g. 红军，红色政权
③
successful, smooth
e.g. 红人，走红
④
beautiful, nice
e.g. 红颜，红装
⑤
envious, jealous
e.g. 眼红
①
young
e.g. 绿窗(指少女闺阁)；红男绿女
②
knightly, chivalrous, feral
e.g. 绿林好汉；绿林大盗
③
low-classified, shameful
e.g. 戴绿帽子
① royalty, power
e.g. 黄袍，黄马褂，黄榜
② erotic, sensual
e.g. 黄色书刊
① funeral, sadness
e.g. 红白喜事
② failure, unvalued, foolish
e.g. 白费力气，白旗，白痴
③ tricky, crafty
e.g. 白脸
④ politically reactionary
e.g. 白匪
① wicked, sinister
e.g. 黑心肠
② secret, tricky
e.g. 黑幕，黑名单
Group Work——Please summarize the connotations of color
terms in different cultures
Black
— death, evil, mourning, sexy
White
— good, innocent, peaceful, pure
Red
— anger, hot, love, sexual impurity
Green
— envy, greed, money
Yellow
— caution, happy, sunshine, warm
Blue
— cold, masculine, sad, sky
Pink
— feminine, shy, softness, sweet
Japanese and
Koreans:
red
——longevity, splendor, and wealth;
white
——pure 白无垢（しろむく），白衣民族
Moslems：
green
——holy color
Indians：
yellow
——sunny, noble
white
——a funeral color
red
——wedding color in parts of India
black
——strength, certainty, integrity (健全，正直),
white
——paleness, anemia (乏力，无生气), unnaturalness, deviousness (偏离正道，不光明正大),
untrustworthiness.
Americans：
Caribbeans and
Africans：
Group Work——Please summarize the connotations of color terms in different cultures
Fill-in Task
Try to use the appropriate color term given on page 124 to fill in each of the blanks in the
following sentences. Many of these terms may be used more than once.
black
blue
brown
green
red
white
yellow
1) He’s just a _____
green recruit fresh from college.
2) I tried to call her many times but she was in a brown
_____ study and didn’t hear me.
blue , a girl rang up and said she was my sister.
3) One day, out of the____
4) The new office block has unfortunately become an expensive white
____ elephant.
black sheep of the family.
5) Mary was always regarded as the _____
6) You’d better do something to prove you’re not_____
yellow .
7) Can you see the_____
green in her eyes?
red .
8) The mere thought of her husband with the secretary made her see ___
black looks from the shopkeeper when I cancelled my order.
9) I got some_____
blue .
blue , all I have to do is take a look at you, and then I’m not so ____
10) When I’m feeling ____
11) Don’t tell me any white
____ lie to make me feel good.
Group Work——Please summarize the connotations of color terms in different cultures
Fill-in Task
Try to use the appropriate color term given on page 124 to fill in each of the blanks in the
following sentences. Many of these terms may be used more than once.
black
blue
brown
green
red
white
yellow
13)
red tape to get the permission.
It may cost over a week to go through all the ___
blue for my tastes.
His type of humor is a bit too ____
14)
Are you all right? — You look absolutely_____
green .
15)
He based his judgment on headlines and yellow
_____ journalism.
12)
1.3 Pragmatics in Intercultural Communication
语用学与跨文化交际 (page 30~33)
1）What is Pragmatics?
 It is the study of the effect that language has on human perceptions and behavior; it is
the study of how speakers use the language to reach successful communication.
2）Which aspects show the Intercultual differences in the realization of speech act (言
语行为)?
①How
to address people.
②Different perceptions of titles.
③How to show gratitude.
④Conversation topics.
⑤Being modest.
2） Which aspects show the Intercultual differences in the
realization of speech act (言语行为)?
1) How to address people.
Chinese
English native speakers
Tongzhi
Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms.
Shifu
Sir/Madam
Extended system of kinship Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms.
(uncle, aunt, grandpa,
granny)
Collectivism
Individualism
Frequency of Kinship Terms in different cultures
 What are the major differences between Chinese and
English in categorizing kinfolk?
Compared with Chinese, English has fewer kinship terms.
The terms used to specify the complex Chinese kinship system
reveal its cultural value orientations as distinct from those of
others. Within this collectivistic extended family system,
everyone is assigned a specific positional role and set of
appropriate behaviors associated with it.
Frequency of Kinship Terms in different cultures
Yang’s version
Hawkes’s version
贾母
The Lady Dowager
Grandmother Jia
老祖宗
Old Ancestress
Granny dear
二舅母王氏
Lady Wang, her second uncle’s
wife
Her Uncle Zheng’s wife,
Lady Wang
黛玉忙赔笑见礼， Tai-yu lost no time in greeting her
with a smile as “cousin”
以嫂呼之
Dai-yu accordingly smiled
and curt-eyed, greeting her
by her correct name as she
did so.
竟不像老祖宗的外 She doesn’t take after her father,
son-in-law of our Old Ancestress
孙女 儿
She doesn’t take after your
side of the family, Granny
Which one do you prefer?
Yang’s version: more culturally loaded meanings are
conveyed from the original.
Hawkes’ version: easier for English-speaking readers to
comprehend
2） Which aspects show the Intercultual differences in the
realization of speech act (言语行为)?
2) Different perceptions of titles.
Chinese
English native speakers
Manager Zhang;
Director Wang;
Teacher Lin
Address people by their title to
indicate their influential status
Large Power Distance
President Obama;
Professor Einstein;
Dr. Hawking
Title is seldom used in addressing
people. It is your professional role
that defines you.
Small Power Distance
2） Which aspects show the Intercultual differences in the
realization of speech act (言语行为)?
3) How to show gratitude.
Chinese
People rarely say thanks to their
colse friends or family members
English native speakers
People tend to show their gratitude
more verbally to others who have
helped them.
People often express their gratitude
not just by what they say, but also by
what they do and what they give to
others who have done them a favor.
Collectivism; High-context
Individualism; Low-context
2. Which aspects show the Intercultual differences in the
realization of speech act (言语行为)?
4) Conversation topics.
Please role play the dialogue on page 32 and
find out which topics are acceptable and what
are not in conversations in English-speaking
cultures as well as in our culture.
In English-speaking cultures
Acceptable Topics of
Conversation
1. weather
Unacceptable Topics of
Conversation
1. age, especially a
lady’s age
2. mariral status
2. pet
3. work
3. property
4. hobby
5. films, restaurants, public
events, vacations and TV
shows
Individualism
4. politics
5. Religious belief
In Chinese culture
Acceptable Topics of
Conversation
1. family
2. age
3. income
4. property
5. marital status
Unacceptable Topics of
Conversation
1. disease
2. death
3. sex
4. disability
“家丑不可外扬”/“别见外”
To Chinese, Privacy is of group-orientation, and the individual in the
same group would not have much consciousness of privacy.
Collectivism
2）Which aspects show the Intercultual differences in the
realization of speech act (言语行为)?
5) Being modest.
Chinese
People tend to decline praise to
show modesty.
Collectivism
- “How beautiful your wife is!”
- “Where, where.” (哪里，哪里。)
English native speakers
People tend to accept the
compliment naturally.
Individualism
Negative pragmatic transfer
（语用负迁移）
Self-Enhancement vs. Self-Effacement Verbal Styles
A. Self-enhancement（彰显自我）verbal style
 It emphasizes the importance of boasting about one’s
accomplishments and abilities, according to sender responsible
value. (Eg. US)
B. Self-effacement（自谦） verbal style
 It emphasizes the importance of humbling oneself via verbal
restraints, hesitations, modest talk, and the use of self-deprecation
concerning one’s effort or performance, according to observersensitive value.(Eg, Japan, most Arabian countries)
“枪打出头鸟”（ The loudest duck gets shot）
1. More and more Chinese people, particularly the young, tend to use 谢谢(thank you)
to respond to a compliment, like the English-speaking people.
2. However, the Chinese are still different from the English-people concerning
compliment and respond to it. For instance, implicit compliments (隐形恭维语) are more
likely to be found in the Chinese society.
E.g.
• （对一位家庭主妇说）你丈夫真有福气。
• （跳舞时，一位男士对一位刚认识的女生说）你不是学师范，而是学舞蹈的吧？
• （一位年轻棋手对一位上了年纪的棋手说）今天我体会到姜还是老的辣。
3. It is common to see people to respond to a compliment as the following, combining
the Western style and the Chinese style.
谢谢，你过奖了，我的文笔一般。
真的？多谢捧场。
2. Oral Communication 言语交际
2.1 Oral presentation
A.Please
read the text on page 34-35 and summarize 3 types of
presentation
Informative
presentations--provide new information. Eg. News
broadcasting
Persuasive
presentations--modify attitudes and behaviors or to
reinforce existing attitudes and behaviors. Eg. Roadshow.
Goodwill presentations--build goodwill. Eg.Toast.
2. Oral Communication 言语交际
2.1 Oral presentation
B. Please read the text on page 35-36 about tips for an effective
oral presentation and identify which step went wrong in the case
below
In an attempt to locate an outlet for its products in Europe, a large U.S.
manufacturer sent an young executive who can spoke fluent German to
Frankfurt to make a presentation to a reputable German distributor.
Drawing on his experience in his hometown, the U.S.executive started
his presentation with a few humorous anecdotes to set a relaxed mood.
At the end of his presentation, however, he sensed that his talk had not
gone well. In fact, the presentation was not well received, for the German
company chose not to distribute the U.S. company's products.
which step went wrong?
The U.S. executive failed because he didn't analyze his audience. To the
Germans who are well known for their serious personality, starting a
presentation with several jokes made the Germans think that he was not
serious about the business.
3. Written Communication 书面交际
轻快的龙舟如银河流星，瑰丽的彩船似海市蜃楼，两岸那金碧辉煌的彩楼连成一片水
晶 宫 ，是仙境？是梦境？仰视彩鸦翩飞，低眸漂灯流 霓 ，焰火怒放火树银花，灯舞回
旋千 姿百态，汽垫船腾起一江春潮，击手点破满天彩球，还有雀鸟争鸣，花卉盆景竞
艳 ， 书 画、工艺展览铺出琳琅满目的画廊……啊，滨江城是不夜城，龙舟会是群英会。
The lightsome dragon-boats appear on the river as though the stars twinkle in the milkway.
The richly decorated pleasure-boats look like a scene of mirage. The splendid awnings in
green and gold chain into a palace of crystal. Is this a fairyland or a mere dream? Looking
above, you can sec the doves flying about; looking below, you can see the sailing lamps
glittering. Crackling are the fireworks, which present you a picture of fiery trees and silver
flowers. Circling are the lantern-dancers, who present you with a variation of exquisite
manner. Over there, the motorboats are plowing the water, thus a tide stirs up. Over there,
the marksmen are shooting to their targets, thus colorful beads whirl around.Besides, the
bird's chirping, the potted landscape's charm, the exhibition of arts and painting, all claim a
strong appeal to you. Therefore, we should say: Binjiang a city of no night; its Dragon-Boat
Festival a gathering of heroes ...
3. Written Communication 书面交际
1. Do you think the original is well-written?
2. Is the translation faithful to the original? Is appropriated to
Western readers?
3. Written Communication 书面交际
The contrasts between Chinese and Western writing style
Style
Purpose
Main Idea
Introduction
Language
Structure
Argument
Statistics
Conclusion
Chinese writing
Poetic
Present the ideal picture
General; make a good impression
Reader infer writer’s intention
Broad perspective
Create an impression
Sensory images
General statements
Reader fills in detail
Loosely structured
Present all the details and let
the reader decide
Included in text
Present an optimistic view of the Future
Urge the reader to behave well
Western writing
Objective
Present a real picture
Specific; persuade the intended audience
Main idea is stated at the beginning
Keep to the specific topic
Convey concrete information
Observable facts
Specific statements
All relevant details included
Tightly structured
Convince the reader
Given in separate chart
Restate and expand the main idea
Urge the reader to take a specific action
Homework
• Please finish the exercises on page 44~45
Thank you!