Chapter 3 – ( Culturally Appropriate Terms, Expressions, Images) PDF

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CHAPTER 3 – CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE TERMS, EXPRESSIONS, IMAGES “Every country has its own way of saying things. The important thing is that which lies behind people’s words.” (Freya Stark, n.d.) Cultural differences result in misunderstanding, and “language, more than anything else, is at the heart of culture.” The previous statement implies that being proficient in English does not guarantee our being able to understand what another speaker of English is trying to communicate unless we become fully aware of how that speaker uses English based on his own culture.

AMERICAN ENGLISH

BRITISH ENGLISH

first floor

ground floor

second

floor first floor

elevator

lift

Apartment

flat car

parking lot

park

diaper

nappy

Differences are also found in: 1. Pronunciation 2. Spelling

World Englishes and English as international language. In the present era of high technology, the issue on culture and use of English has become more complicated than what it seems because of the emergence of the now recognized “World Englishes.” These varieties of English are used by three identified “concentric circles” of societies.

THE CIRCLE OF ENGLSH LANGUAGE

The Inner Circle covers the native English speaking countries such as: England USA Canada Australia New Zealand The Outer Circle comprises the former colonies such as: India Malaysia Africa Singapore Nigeria Philippines Pakistan Bangladesh The Expanding Circle consists of countries such as: China Saudi Arabia Japan Korea Germany Taiwan Turkey Egypt Israel. When turning to other circles, the question of what counts as a language and what may be considered a variety of English is somewhat intricate. Pidgins and Creoles belong to this issue. Pidgins are used as lingua franca for trade or any other practical interaction. A PIDGIN uses words from the languages of communicators to understand each other, but it is not the language of either communicator. The pidgin is a “little more than strings of nouns, verbs and adjectives, often arranged to place old, shared information first and new information later in the sentence

Example of Hawaian Creole Bible text. Day Numba One “Den God say, ‘I like the light shine!’ an the light start to shine. God see how good da light. Den he put the light on one side, and da dark on da odda side. Da light time, he give um da name ‘Day time.’ Da dark time, he give um da name ‘Nite time.’ So, had da nite time and day time, az day numba one. The language providing vocabulary is called lexifier, and the language that provides the syntactic structure is call the substrate. After an extended period of using a pidgin in a community, when the pidgin becomes more fully developed and serves as the language community, it becomes a “CREOLE.” In the process of learning English as either a second language or a foreign language, people from the outer and expanding circles develop an interlanguage, a “learner language” that deviates from the norms of the target language. This is a TRANSITIONAL LINGUISTIC SYSTEM at all levels

(Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, Pragmatics). The Interlanguage results from a several language-learning processes, such as borrowing patterns from the mother tongue, extending patterns from the target language, and expressing meanings using the words and grammar that are already known.

In Philippine English, we hear many Filipinos saying sentences like the following: ❖ I already ate. (Kumain na ako.) ❖ He will come with us, isn’t it? (Sasama siya sa atin, hindi ba?) ❖ One of my classmate is inside. (Isa sa mga kaklase ko ay nasa loob.) ❖ They will come there. (Pupunta sila doon). Example of Indian English: ❖ You have taken my book, isn’t it? ❖ You are soon going home, isn’t it? In India English, the meaning of the tag in tag questions is its social meaning not the meaning of the main proposition (or the independent clause) as expected in American or British English. The two examples show how the linguistic for is affected by cultural constraints of politeness in India. The tag (isn’t it) is governed by the politeness principle of non-imposition. In standard American or British English, tag questions are formed by using the subject of the independent clause and an appropriate modal auxiliary such as: ❖ You have taken my book, haven’t you? ❖ You are soon going home, aren’t you?

LINGUISTIC PREFERENCES AND NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR

Variations in the way different cultures use language – like linguistic preferences and nonverbal behaviors – also cause miscommunication. Nuances in linguistic preferences provide hints about behavior, manners, and thinking as a cultural group. Examples: Spaniards and Italians prefer eloquence and expressiveness to exactness, tend to be flowery with their language. The English are very polite, use understatement to avoid confrontation, hence, sometimes end up being ambiguous. Asians, including the Japanese and Chinese, consider harmony an important virtue, so to avoid confrontation, they often say “yes” to many things with the understanding of “Yes, I hear you” or “Yes, I understand,” and not necessarily “Yes, I agree

People in Latin America, and Southern Europe are not comfortable with ambiguity because they are conditioned to expect absolute truths. Scandinavians tend to be reserved; they are completely focused, dedicated listeners. Germans, on the other hand, are very logical in both manner and words. EDWARD T. HALL called nonverbal behaviors “the silent language.” Nonverbal behaviors are expressive human attributes that impart feelings, attitudes, reactions, and judgment which need to be given continued attention because they are acquired mainly through acculturation.

DIFFERENCES IN NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR

Australia - thumbs up means obscene V sign with palm facing toward the speaker is the obscene “up yours” insult. France - your hands should be visible at all times even when seated at a table. Germany - it is impolite to put your hands in your pockets. Show respect; be punctual. Hong Kong - maintain a two-arm’s-length distance with the person. Touching and patting are taboo. When you are seated, your feet should be facing the ground; the soles of your shoes should not shown. Indonesia - when you are in a private home or mosque, be sure to remove your shoes. Position them by pointing them toward the door from which you entered. Japan - the bow is still the tradition in greetings. Bend your body a 30-degree angle from the waist. For men: Palms should be face up, toward the knee. For women: Hands should be folded in front of you as you bow. Saudi Arabia - expect greeting to be very emotional. They consist of a “salaam alaykum” (“May God be with you”) followed by a handshake and then a “keef halak” (“How are you?”). * Singapore - gesture with your entire hand in conversation. Pointing with one or two fingers is rude. Avoid showing the soles of your shoes. Your feet should be used for walking – nothing else. South Korea - hen meeting someone, slight bow is appropriate. It is considered good manners to acknowledge an older person by standing when the person enters the room....