Who on Earth are we 4

Callum: Hello. Culture and communication is the topic of this programme from the Talk about English series, Who on Earth are we? Communication's done so naturally by all of us that we take it for granted and we don't think very much about what happens when we communicate we just think, well we're all human and we all communicate therefore communication must be easy and it must be universal. But in fact communication isn’t a simple process at all as Marc Beeby finds out.
Marc:Communication seems such a normal thing to do that we tend to think that everyone - no matter where they’re from - will communicate in the same way that we do. But, as we’ve heard in previous programmes, ‘normal’ is a difficult word to pin down（迫使履行）. Take a business meeting, for example. How should a ‘normal’ business meeting be run? What sort of language should you use? Here’s Eilidh Hamilton, who has recently been living in Syria in the Middle East, on two very different ideas of ‘normal’ business behaviour.
Eilidh Hamilton
In terms of business, a westerner would definitely go in with things they want to talk about, things they want to achieve, and preferably within the minimum amount of time. In the Middle East, an Arab would look at it from a very different perspective. They would see that as a social interaction and as such it must be introduced in the same way as any meeting with friends. You'd always be invited to sit down you'd be served a glass of water, if it's hot, followed by a cup of coffee. You'd make talk about your family, what you have been doing and it might be twenty minutes before the actual topic for the meeting comes up. So I think if someone went in and said 'Well, this is what we're suggesting, what do you think?' they might well be dismissed （被解雇，靠边站）out of hand, purely 1 because of their manners rather than because of what they are actually proposing.
Marc:As Eilidh Hamilton makes clear, successful communication isn’t just a question of getting the language right, it’s also a question of using language that’s right for the situation - and what’s right for the situation will vary according to the things that people in a culture think are important. But language - our verbal 2 communication - is only one way we have of communicating. We also communicate non-verbally 3. We use body-language, we vary the sound of our voices to express emotions like surprise or anger. Our faces can communicate all sorts of things, as can our eyes. And, of course, we think the way we use non-verbal communication is ‘normal’. I like to use my hands when I’m talking -in fact I’m using them now. I also think looking people in the eyes is a good thing. So perhaps I need to be careful when I meet someone from, say, Japan - as Kjung-ja Yoo, who’s spent the last seven years in London, explains….

Kyung-ja Yoo
We don't use body language. I wouldn't say not at all but we don't use our hands or arms when we are talking. Whenever I go back to Tokyo my friend tells me that I've become more and more like gaijin - gaijin means foreigner, westerner, then I realised the way I speak maybe I use my hands as I speak English. And then also I try to catch the eyes a lot - but in Japan, especially women, really doesn't stare at the people - Looking at people intensely（一心一意的） is a rude thing to do in Japan .
Marc:Kjung-ja Yoo. It’s easy to think that non-verbal communication isn’t really very important. After all, if people understand the words we’re saying they’ll get the message, won’t they? Er…not necessarily. Rebecca Fong….

Rebecca Fong
In 1967 some researchers conducted an experiment on every day communication situations And what they tested was how much of the communication was through facial expression, how much came through the context 4 and intonation 5. And finally how much of the meaning of the conversation was transmitted through language itself. Their extraordinary findings were that 55% of the meaning came through facial expression, 38% of the meaning came through intonation（语调，声调） and what was understood from the context and only 7% of meaning was transmitted through language itself. So in fact the actual verbal content -the words that you use in a conversation are not as important as you might think.
Marc:Rebecca Fong. Clearly, non-verbal ways of communicating our messages are vital to the communication process. And we’ll be looking at non-verbal communication in more detail in our next programme. As Rebecca says, the words you use in a conversation aren’t as important as you might think. In fact, one of the big differences between cultures is how important a culture thinks words in general are. Many academic studies of culture make a distinction between ‘verbal cultures’ - cultures that value and enjoy talk, argument, explanation - and ‘non-verbal cultures’, where people respect listening, silence, social harmony. Here’s Rebecca again with comments from Dr George Zhang from China, Dionne Charmaine from Jamaica and Emma Kambangula from Namibia.

Rebecca Fong
Cultures are verbal to different degrees by which I mean some cultures like to talk more than others and this goes back to the idea that language is organised according to the values that your culture holds most dear . So for example, if you come from a culture in which social harmony is valued then you'll probably be less verbal because you'll be less willing to get into arguments with other people because that would destroy the harmony.

George Zhang
In Chinese language you would find examples where people would use their expressions more indirectly 6 - particularly compared to the English language and you don't tend to say things in a very direct manner. That is again I think influenced by the kind of collective culture. You are not encouraged to say that I don't really like it for instance - you would say it in a roundabout way（拐弯抹角的） and probably just giving a hint that you don't like it. Everybody who knows about the Chinese culture or even the Japanese culture would understand that very rarely people use the word 'no'.
Rebecca Fong
Verbal cultures value talk and they like to articulate（明白的说） ideas and reason out loud and in public. If you come from a verbal culture you'll need to think about the effect you'll have if you talk a lot in a non-verbal culture.

Dionne Charmaine
Jamaicans as a people we're very, very, very proud people and they have a lot to say about a lot of things - when we believe in something we tend to put that across very passionately（多情地，热烈地） and it can come over as being too direct or aggressive, or too insensitive sometimes. But it is, you know, as you get to know the people you'll find that it's just that they're so passionate 7

Rebecca Fong
The opposite side of the story is that cultures use silence very differently. If you come from a verbal culture then long silences might make you feel rather nervous or might make you feel uncomfortable. But there are cultures that value silence because it does maintain social harmony and in these cultures silence is considered a much more positive thing.

Emma Kambangula
I think Namibia is more of a silent culture. But I prefer our way of communicating than being loud and letting everyone know, because we believe in Namibia not to hang your dirty laundry in public. We are kind of quiet people, not aggressive. We don't like violence. And that's one thing I love among my people.
Marc:The distinction between cultures that like to talk - verbal cultures - and non-verbal cultures, where people feel that talk can sometimes be a problem, affects two very important areas of communication - how we deal with problems and disagreements -or conflicts - and how we ‘manage’ -or ‘take turns’ - during a conversation. Here, Rebecca gets help from Rajni Badlani from India, and Emma from Namibia…..
Rebecca Fong
If we look at the issue of turn-taking, imagine you're in a conversation and you've come to the end of what you want to say, somebody will take over from you to continue the conversation and later you will take over from them, so the conversation goes backwards 8 and forwards a bit like a game of tennis if you like. Turn-taking is very different from culture to culture.

Rajni Baldani
The turn-taking conventions 9 are very different. We intervene 10（调停，干涉）, interrupt very differently than say the people in the west do. I mean we don't wait for the person to finish the point if we have something to say we don't think it rude to intervene.

Rebecca Fong
Not all of our everyday communication is to do with exchanging ideas - quite a lot of it is to do with dealing 11 with problems and conflict and how every culture deals with these confrontations 13 in a different way is known as cultural confrontation 12（对抗，比较，对质） styles.

Emma Kambangula
Communication wise in Namibia , we do have a culture of listening. At the same time, my way of arguing is not answering back. I'll just listen to what this person is saying, whether they are right or wrong, and come back when they have clamed down and talk to them in a calm way. But if you are silent and you don't know how to answer the person you can come back with a second person and this person can be your spokesperson（代言人，发言人）. That's how we communicate also in Namibia.

Rebecca Fong
When I first went to work in Japan, I was working with a group of American trainers on the one hand and the Japanese on the other hand. So in a way I was caught between two cultures with which I wasn't really very familiar and I soon started to notice differences in confrontation styles - so that when the Americans had a problem they would very quickly want to get the problem out into the open verbally, argue it, discuss it and this would make them feel better and the problem would go away. With the Japanese on the other hand you'd come into work one day and you'd know, you could feel it in the air, that there was a problem, something was wrong. But nobody said anything and you could feel this for a succession 14 of（一连串的） days - it might have been two or three days sometimes and still nobody would said anything. And then finally one day you'd come into work and you could feel that the air had cleared. Whatever the problem had been it had disappeared. I've always wondered which was better.
Marc:And of course, as Rebecca Fong would be the first to say, there is no ‘better’. There’s just different. The important thing, as we’ve said in previous programmes, is to be aware of these different communication styles, and to think about how we like to communicate. If we do this, it can help us find ways of avoiding communication problems when we meet people from foreign cultures - and teach us a lot about our own.
Callum: That was Marc Beeby ending this edition of Who on Earth are we? Next time the topic is Culture and non-verbal communication. Join us then
(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

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1
purely

  
 


adv.纯粹地，完全地


参考例句：





I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。












2
verbal

  
 


adj.口头的，用言辞的，用文字的，动词的


参考例句：





Verbal statements are no guarantee.口说无凭。
I delivered a verbal protest against their brutal acts.我对他们的暴行提出口头抗议。












3
verbally

  
 


ad.用文字地；口头上


参考例句：





The company had received complaints both verbally and in writing. 这家公司收到了口头和书面的投诉。
He verbally laced into his son for his misbehaviour. 他严厉斥责儿子的行为不端。












4
context

  
 


n.背景，环境，上下文，语境


参考例句：





You can always tell the meaning of a word from its context.你常可以从上下文中猜出词义来。
This sentence does not seem to connect with the context.这个句子似乎与上下文脱节。












5
intonation

  
 


n.语调，声调；发声


参考例句：





The teacher checks for pronunciation and intonation.老师在检查发音和语调。
Questions are spoken with a rising intonation.疑问句是以升调说出来的。












6
indirectly

  
 


adv.间接地，不直接了当地


参考例句：





I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。












7
passionate

  
 


adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的


参考例句：





He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。












8
backwards

  
 


adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地


参考例句：





He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。












9
conventions

  
 


（某一职业、政党等的人士召开的）大会( convention的名词复数 )； 协议； 习俗； （美国）全国代表大会


参考例句：





They broke away from conventions. 他们打破了常规。
They disregard social conventions without being conscious that they are doing anything extraordinary. 他们不顾社会习俗，并未意识到自己在做些与众不同的事。












10
intervene

  
 


vi.干涉，干预，干扰，阻挠


参考例句：





When riot broke out,the police were obliged to intervene.发生暴乱时，警察有责任干预。
You don't intervene between those two drunks.你不要在那两个酒鬼之间进行调解。












11
dealing

  
 


n.经商方法，待人态度


参考例句：





This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。












12
confrontation

  
 


n.对抗，对峙，冲突


参考例句：





We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。












13
confrontations

  
 


n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )


参考例句：





At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句












14
succession

  
 


n.连续，一连串，一系列；v.接替，继任


参考例句：





He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
His succession as headmaster was not in any doubt.他继任校长是确定无疑的。