Appunti inglese Conoscenti PDF

Preview

Summary

Appunti corso Conoscenti, più slide integrate...

Description

APPUNTI INGLESE Part One Multi-modality: an English Linguistics approach. Basic Tools and Methodological Issues. 24/9 Language : The method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. • Language as Science: The language is variable, it can assumes a range of forms. In fact words are able to generate reality and shape things, so they have the power to create. ex. Bereishit ( Jewish principle) that refers to the moment before God creations. God with the power of his words has create reality and also the concept of dualism (division) by creating the day and night. According to this principle before world's creation God was watching the alphabet from the last to the first letter. It reflects the concept of Framing. Framing → process that make us think of things form the last to the first. → For Taoism the concept of dualism is related to the Ying/Yang. •

Language as technology : shape reality

•

Language as a tool: Language is a tool that allow us to get trough our physical limitations. It's a natural process. If it used in the wrong way it can generate bad effects

We live in a trash era/culture: Trash culture is a subculture. Culture → Is a set of behaviour's rules used by a group of people to survive. It's complex. Trash → It's an oversimplification of reality. Everything seems easy and affordable. ex. politicians will use trash language to talk about complex subjects, in order to connect and influence a certain demographic. How can we connect in trurly meaningful ways with ourselves in this modern technological age? Hate speech it's a toxic communication 25/9 What is the age to use English in a social way?It's socially proved by studies, that humans begin to interact socially around the age of 30, during the period of maturity. According to the Chakras at the age of 33, you use the language as philosopher → Kukai → For Jews people, speaking is a transfer of energy (God has 72 names) → “Thich Nhat Hanh”, the human issue is the use of internet. We must communicate with ourselves, with food and others people. OUR COMMMUNICATION IS OUR CONTINUATION (concept of language as a Tool) → We are born whit the gift of language. But we are unskilled when we have to communicate with others. We make mistakes. We can fail due to facial expressions, body gestures and the tone. ex. Men/Women relationship problems. → Ganesha (elephant) Symbolism: Big head → think big, Large ears → listen more, Axe → cut attachment feelings. 26/9 Communication works in frames, but it depends from culture We have to be aware from the real meaning of words in a certain language! → In Australia the desert is called Outback, for reasons of positions (sea, islands). → Far East, estremo oriente, for us is referred to China, Japan, Corea... BUT it depends from the point of view.

→ I'm going under, For British means Australia. Also the Dialogue changes from culture to culture: For Americans → “How are you doing today?” They're not real interested Australians → “How are you today?” They want to talk, to socialize > We have to use language in a appropriate way, because it can change meaning in different contest and we can risk to say something that means something else. (ex. Girls behaviour) > Language can also be used to change your mind and influence it ← an action usually done by leaders. • Audience: (for information activities) can be individuals, groups or population. → A group to whom NATO public affairs efforts are directed to > Communication, transfer of information in agreed conventions can be 1) Transactional (you → me) 2) Interactional IT'S DIFFERENT FROM > Communications, what makes easier the communication (telecommunication). Each group has a specific set of words The language can influence INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, it should be used properly because it's a way for people to manage their relationships with others. → Otherwise it can divide and create a dualism . → What is appropriate for someone, it's different form someone else, so the culture plays an important role. ex. Let's think about JOKES, the meaning changes in relation with the culture and usually they're mocking minority people and also they're teaching things. Function of language 1) TRANSACTIONAL, we transfer informations to make aware someone ex. Shipping forecast, it's a transactional and cultural language 2) INTERACTIONAL, we establish and maintain a social relationship. People should feel comfortable , we should be polite and as kind as possible. → the body language influence the idea of politeness that depends from culture, this last one has different contextual judgement based on mental framework. (frame work = cultural conventions which make sense of reality). → Culture is an ambiguous term, it has a lot of definitions and general characteristics interwined with personal traits. 1/10 • Speech community, people who speak the same language, it coincide with the same nation ex. The French spoken in France and in Belgium is different • Discourse community, group of people who use a specific language to achieve the same goal, because they share the same purpose. ex. The language used by doctors and teachers is different ex. A foreign who use a language to be understand in a different country • Cross cultural, you become aware of two separate realities and you try to avoid something thinking that's right. In this step there is not a common point between cultures, there are misunderstandings. • Intercultural, when two cultures interact together product of many realities. > De-contextualised information: to find the sense of an unknown information in a context that we can understand. We have to Message Production under uncertainty conditions. If we are unable we produce; an emotional reaction , so we create unexpected products and we end in a situation of emergency → when people do not understand, they get angry, an emotion get out from them. ex. English humour, a joke that can sound bad to the others. Because it makes no sense to someone else. AN INFORMATION NOT CONTEXTUALISED MAKES NO SENSE.

> Isotopy, is the first element that makes sense to the framework, an idea that become clear with what come after ex. We know when starts a lesson because we know that it will end To avoid emotional reactions and bad informations, it's better to ask. > When we try to stop the mind, doing a step back, we create a new type of silence and in that moment we learn what is happening because we're not judging. We stop our isotopy, giving to the brain the opportunity to learn other person. BUT our brain instead of working, burning energy, prefers to take a break “short cut”. Saving the energy and using an unconscious long term memory (stereotype) without doing any effort. We have to train our brain to think in different ways, but this bring an amount of energy, because there is a need to create new neural circuits to change the way that we normally converse with others. → A new change is perceived by the brain as a stressful event, the limbic brain become active and circuits in the frontal lobe become less active. [Umberto Eco, Isotopy]

2/10 When we have to face a situation that we don't know: • First, we try to compose a mental representation of the situation → Isotopy • Then we have an interactional goal • This goal give us some expectations and predictions, which brings us to → decode the informations → inferencing → discourse interpretations and strategies • But, if this step don't matches we fall in a emotional reaction, that can be : → a cognitive reaction, in which we use a discourse strategy with a plan and a rational verbal construction. Or we skip those steps and we have → an emotional reaction, in which we don't have a proper verbal construction and we don't listen anything. Elaborating information brings an emotive reaction. We start in a situation of stress and in time we end in a situation of adaptation. It's fundamental have a predisposition to learn something new and different from us, so an ethnic proximity. That's an intercultural transformation:

SOCIAL COMMUNICATION Host

Ethnic Communication

3/10 STAGE 1. • Harmony → Who and what is the best, it implies courtesy, face saving and body language. To live in harmony you have to sacrifice something to “save your face”. There are a lot of things that establish a STATUS during a conversation, but there is not a faceless communication. Usually we tend to remember the first who starts to speak during a conversation, because he has the power to chose the TOPIC, so he can start the PLANNING. ex. Chinese society use to face saving due to the Taoism and Confucianism. According to culture, we pay attention to DETAILS, which make sense to the conversation.

→ The time that we take in planing things goes to 5/10 years. For Chines people the right one takes 144 years (12x12) 12 is for them a magic number.

•

Sociolinguistic context: Is referred to the discourse community, speakers, values, beliefs, attitudes. (* in a discourse community people can chose their own rules). → The way that we interact makes a Symbol System, in which Meanings are capable to influence speakers. SPEAKERS

SYMBOL SYSTEM

MEANING

•

There are 4 dimensions of intercultural community competence: 1)We have to be aware if we have an attitude 2)We have to have skills for interaction 3)we have to have knowledge 4)

•

So intercultural communicative competence, includes → Linguistic competence, we should use it in a correct way → Sociolinguistic competence → Discourse competence, a particular place where use a common language

•

Belonging to Henrick Fexus “The art of reading mind” The only way to understand someone, is to feel him/her and know what is going in his/hers mind. → So we can affirm that the mind is influenced by the body and vice-versa, due to a perfect interaction. Our actions are emotional, what we think has an interaction on our body. (Nb: This is different from Decartes logic which meant a division of body and soul.)

These 4 steps determine us, our intercultural communicaton

Our communication is physical, body and mind are linked, that's why it sets out a electrochemical process. (thoughts have reflection on our body) 8\10 Our brain prefers frameworks already known, we like patterns previously established. It has a complex system, but it's easy to manipulate. There are words that change our hormones: - Positive words → hope,love... works for production of endorphins - Negative words → fear, anger... produce an amount of adrenaline, which causes stress. Small words for us are sweet and give us a good mood, they make feel us more important. → Our thoughts have a result on our body. The concept of mind reading, help us to understand people mental process just by observing their physical reaction. Language is the first element that helps us to understand a group, then the tone of the voice, body language, eye movements, and tempo of verbal and non speech.

• SOCIALIZATION Those steps influence each others, we can start from • FORMS OF DISCOURSE ---------> each of this group. • IDEOLOGY • FACE SYSTEMS Language tell us how to use power, but what happens when we interact in a different group than usual? If we are lucky we use the same “forms of discourse”, we can understand each others because we the same language. Patterns of communication TASK ORIENTED CULTURES A ____ B

____

____

____

____

____

While one speaks the other stay in silence.

____

This is a transactional communication. That's typical of German, Switzerland, Netherlands communication. MULTITASKING CULTURES A _____ B

______

________

_____

_______

______

They do a lot of things at the same time

________

This is an overlap communication so a interactional communication. That's typical of Italy, Southern America, part of Mediterranean Greece, part of south Africa. (They install business terms only after a relationship) LISTENER ORIENTED/ REACTED CULTURES A ___ B

____ ____

_____

They're respectful cultures. Silence is important.

_____

Silence is a way to show respect. They elaborate an answer before talking, that's why it is an interactional communication full of respect. ex. In a conversation a student can't ask a direct question and introduce a topic in front a teacher for respect and the STATUS. It's typical of Chinese, Japanese and Finland ← they invented mobile phone (Finish, Hungarian, Turkish, spoke a language coming from Mongolia) 9/10 The perception of time is different in each culture, it's a problem. For example: – time for Europeans is linear, they want to control FUTURE (Past → Present → Future) – Malagasy cultures are focused on PAST, the only known. Future is on the back, because we can't know it (Future → Present → Past) – Catholics are Past/Present oriented while Protestants are Future oriented

1° diapositiva → Italy WORD BASE Verbose approach → Misunderstanding → increase in verbosity → flexibility → clarity In Italy after a misunderstanding there is an increase of verbosity that will give more flexibility. 2° diap → UK WORD BASE reasonableness → understate for effects → use of humour → harmonize → clarity 3° diap → USA WORD BASE Aggressive approach, wishes to do business as soon as possible. (sarcasm, provocations, summary) 4° diap → Finland WORD BASE Minimal speech → Misunderstanding → summarize, succinctness → Clarity 5° diap → Germans Review past history → accurate examinations of facts → follow the agenda → Truth is truth 6° diap → Republic of China (Continental China) Negotiation behind the scenes. Louder, thought talk, use position of power, no losing face The group is more important than the person The status is important everybody should do their job 7° diap → Cantonese China and Southern China (Hong Kong) Negotiation compressed to save time rather verbose, restate position, increased eloquence, quick, deal, clarity They like to save long relationship (N.B. What's a contract? It's a deal with a company or group, based on a idea of obligation to respect the rules, because is legally bonded.) → But for Chines the contract is a relationship based on a future collaboration, so it's important a relationship, including concessions. • LINEAR ACTIVE, task oriented planners. A few group controlling the financy • MULTIACTIVE, loquacious people oriented • REACTIVE, respected oriented listeners (time consuming) The time is a variable for each. L.A. L.A.

600.00.000

M.A.

3.300.000.000

R.

1.700.000.000

Hybrid Indonesia, Philippines M.A/R.

difficult

satisfactory R.

M.A.

time consuming

15/10 The language can be used to manage people, who are working with you. The approach is between cultures, for example: • • • •

• • • • •

Chines, Japanese: tend to hide a task, indirectly, in order to save their face Germans: have a close definitions of tasks, obedience and supervision Americans: are a task oriented culture, the tend to “pump up employee” in order to speed in execution to reach objectives (and have extra money, if the goal is attended) British: are a task oriented culture but also reacted. They have a small talk. Most of the time when they say something is not really what they mean and what others understand is different. Ex: - British: “With the greatest respect” - “Quite good” - meaning: “I think you are an idiot” - “A bit disappointing” - what we understand: “He's listening to me” - “Quite good” French: use the language as an example of correctness Arabic: have an huge use of rhetoric, they're linked to Muslim precepts and the leader's rule is to teach trough the use of didactic . Russian: use coercion, compliance to find results Swedish: they consult inside a ring of colleagues and they wait boss rules to have a consensus Spanish: use an irreversible strategy and form them logic is not required.

We have learned how cultures use language in order to manage business relationships, but how can be established trust in a business world? • • •

- Linear Active cultures are a few, but they're controlling markets and business. They have a trust in institutions, they always do what they says (good performance), they're consistent, use a scientific truth in particular the Darwinian belief, “which is the strongest will survive”. - Multi active cultures trust in group intimates, they show compassion, closeness (the solidarity is based on compassion), they refuse to capitalize on others weakness. (ex. Italy) - Reacted cultures trust in reciprocity that consist in protecting others face( independent strategy), courtesy, sacrifice and reciprocal attentions .

How tend to resolve an issue: British/Americans: minimal small talk → bullet points for discussion → fix agenda → task → discussion → solution → Minutes (verbale) → summarize things settled. Italians: extensive small talk → preliminary discussion of issues → wide raging of all embracing discussion. OPPOSING

CONVERGING

CLOSING

MERGING

16/10 Audience expectations: British: They question you to have a feedback → they listen politely (context need, low key profile) → they interrupts for humour → they want clarification (mental notes, prepares for debate) Americans: Listen in snatches → “time is money” (right to the point) → entertainment (new things) → database culture (facts and figures, keep it simple) → “If you're going to sell it, sell it hard” → What is the bottom line? Germans: Listen well for informations → needs past history and context (“historia magistra vitae”) → linear active, takes things literally → no jokes or hard sell please → “what does it cost?” (good quality) → “does this sound too simple?”(logic is complex) → “what happens if?” Mediterranean: (Spaniards, Italians, Greeks) Listening mode: → Listening for informations but thinking of others things → watching persons and waiting for imaginative prhase Arabs: → Absorb facts → Looking for personal touch → defensive with Islam (the culture's pillar) → Wants flattery Republic of China: Eager(desideroso) to learn from the West → Wants flattery “face” consideration → Suspicious of foreigners Hong Kong: Listening → Thinking of other things → Wants to concise informations → Looking for benefits & bottom line (want entertainment)

east → Oriente west → Occidente

PRINCIPAL OF AUDIENCES: USA: humour, joking, modernity, gimmicks (cianfrusaglie), slogans, catch phrases, hard sell attention span : 30 minutes UK: humour, story telling, nice product, reasonable price, quality, traditional rather than modern

MED/ARAB: liveliness, loudness, may interrupt, want “extra”, talk afterwards attention span: Short!!!

17/10 FACE: → Is linked to identity (psychological identity), I-[dentity]= me → it relates to participants, who they are and the role they are taking: me in a relationship with someone else ex. “I'm an emperor only if I have a subject”- “I'm a teacher if I have students” → Interpersonal identity of the individuals in communication → Is associated with values such as respect, honour, reputation, status, belonging to a group, competence... It's depends from culture, they place these in a different order. Face implies an assumption (framework +isotopy)about people we are talking to. Every assumption linked to face implies a risk. ASSUMPTIONS: 1) When you talk to someone you try to speak in a language s/he will understand (normally a discourse community) 2) What kind of person s/he is. 3) What kind of person s/he would like us to think of her/him as being. “Many aspects of linguistic form depend from the speakers in making some analysis of the relationship among themselves” Bill Hutchinson We expect the regularity, and whe...