TheDifferentCulturesBetweenChina and America in Communication Styles in Pragmatics.doc

The Different Cultures Between China and America in Communication Styles in Pragmatics摘 要：随着中美关系的发展，以及英语学习的需要，越来越多的 人渴望了解更多关于美国人的生活和文化，以便很好的与其进行交流。本论文运用对比研究的方法，通过具体实例来阐述中美两国的人民在交际中存在的相似性与不同之处。并分析了产生差异的根本原因是由于两国人民所处的文化背景不同所造成的。交际的范围十分广泛，本论文只是从语用学的角度分析了两国人民在日常生活交际中所反映出来的差异。例如，两国人民对于恭维的不同反映；如何打招呼；如何称呼对方；对时间和隐私的不同认识等等。最后，总结出了两国人们在交际中所表现出来的特点和原因。即，在两国人民的对话中，中国人是以听为主，美国人是以说为主。在表达自己的想法时，中国人比较间接，美国人是很直接；中国人的交际是高语境的，而美国人的交际是低语境的。通过这些对比研究，使人们更多了解中美文化的差异，更好的处理在交际中出现的问题，从而更有利于减少误解，增进中美两国人民的交往。关键词：中美交际方式； 中美文化差异； 跨文化交际； 跨文化研究 Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the nature of differences and similarities between Americans and Chinese so as to show how they communicate with each other, and indicates notable differences between the two countries in pragmatic aspects of communication style. For example, the manners to compliments, addressing, greeting, and so on. The analyses of the two countries shows some significant differences between the two countries in process and flows aspects of communication style, namely, manners in which they consider their privacy; the different attitudes towards time and privacy ; and also the different politeness in Chinese and American cultures. Based on the cases of the relevant contrasts between two countries, we assert that identification of communication styles of two cultures is a significant step toward better understanding of intercultural communication and misunderstandings between Chinese and American. Key words: communication styles of China and America ；Chinese 1. Introduction This paper is to discuss the nature of differences and similarities between Americans and Chinese in their communication styles. Communication style in this study refers to the way people use different strategies to communicate, for example, manners of reacting to compliments, addressing, greeting, and so on. More specifically; it refers to the manners of talking and listening in daily communication. Peoples communication in this study is defined as communication that takes place in a face -to-face situation in a conversation or daily life. A qualitative analysis of the two countries shows some significant differences between the two countries in process and flows aspects of communication style, namely, manners in which they consider their privacy; the different attitudes towards time and virtue; and also the different politeness in Chinese and American cultures. In other words, this study is designed to examine how people talk and listen, how they exchange ideas, express agreement and disagreement, and moreover, how they respond to compliments. Based on the cases of the relevant contrasts between two countries, this paper asserts that identification of communication styles of two cultures is a significant step toward better understanding of intercultural communication and misunderstandings between Chinese and American.While there are quite a number of cross-cultural studies done on communication like the ones between Americans and Chinese, it is difficult to make a valid assessment of differences and similarities between the two groups mainly because of lack of an objective criterion for comparison. Thus, the paper decides to embark on the comparative studies of two nationalities, because this will enable us to examine the nature of such similarities and differences more objectively. The selection of two cultures is made for this study, on the assumption that intercultural communication between them will take place very frequently in the future, thus presenting considerable amount of potential problems in communication. Through this comparison of the difference between Chinese and American, we know the different culture can make us know how to communicate with Americans. And also we may understand their life better. This would promote better communication with Americans.2Culture and communication2.1 The definition of cultureWhat does the word culture means? It may have many answers. For different people, the word has different meanings. The Modern technical definition of culture, as socially patterned human thought and behavior, was originally proposed by the nineteenth-century British anthropologist, Edward Tylor. This definition is an open-ended list, which has been extended considerably since Tylor first proposed it. There has been considerable theoretical debate by anthropologists since Tylor over the most useful attributes that a technical concept of culture should be stressed. For example, in 1952 Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn, American anthropologists, published a list of 160 different definitions of culture. Although simplified in the brief table below, their list indicates the diversity of the anthropological concept of culture. Topical:Culture consists of everything on a list of topics, or categories, such as social organization, religion, or economyHistorical:Culture is social heritage, or tradition, that is passed on to future generationsBehavioral:Culture is shared, learned human behavior, a way of lifeNormative:Culture is ideals, values, or rules for livingFunctional:Culture is the way humans solve problems of adapting to the environment or living togetherMental:Culture is a complex of ideas, or learned habits, that inhibit impulses and distinguish people from animalsStructural:Culture consists of patterned and interrelated ideas, symbols, or behaviorsSymbolic:Culture is based on arbitrarily assigned meanings that are shared by a societyCulture involves at least three components: what people think, what they do, and the material products they produce. Thus, mental processes, beliefs, knowledge, and values are parts of culture. Some anthropologists would define culture entirely as mental rules guiding behavior, although often wide divergence exists between the acknowledged rules for correct behavior and what people actually do. Consequently, some researchers pay most attention to human behavior and its material products. Culture also has several properties: it is shared, learned, symbolic, transmitted cross-generational, adaptive, and integrated. The shared aspect of culture means that it is a social phenomenon; idiosyncratic behavior is not cultural. Culture is learned, not biologically inherited, and involves arbitrarily assigned, symbolic meanings. For example, Americans are not born knowing that the color white means purity, and indeed this is not a universal cultural symbol. The human ability to assign arbitrary meaning to any object, behavior or condition makes people enormously creative and readily distinguishes culture from animal behavior. People can teach animals to respond to cultural symbols, but animals do not create their own symbols. Furthermore, animals have the capability of limiting the tool manufacture and use, but human tools using is extensive enough to rank as qualitatively different and human tools often carry heavy symbolic meanings. The symbolic element of human language, especially speech, is again a vast qualitative expansion over animal communication systems. Speech is infinitely more productive and allows people to communicate about things that are remote in time and space. Some researchers believe that such an extreme super organic interpretation of culture is a dehumanizing denial of "free will". Human have the ability to create and change culture. They would argue that culture is merely an abstraction, not a real entity. This is a serious issue because treating culture as an abstraction may lead one to deny the basic human rights of small-scale societies and ethnic minorities to maintain their cultural heritage in the face of threats from dominant societies. This paper treats culture as an objective reality and departs from the super organic approach in that it insists that culture includes its human carriers. At the same time, people can be deprived of their culture against their will. Many humanistic anthropologists would agree that culture is an observable phenomenon, and a people's unique possession.2.2 Communication and its characteristicsHere communication is defined that meaning is attributed to behavior or to the residue of behavior. So it has the following characteristics. First, communication is dynamic. This means it is an on-going, ever-changing activity. As participants in communication we constantly are affected by other people messages and, as a consequence, we undergo continual change. Second, characteristic is interactive nature. Communication must take place between a source and receiver. Usually this implies two or more people. In this situation communication is characterized by the fact that both parties bring to a communication event their own unique backgrounds and experiences, which serve as a backdrop for communication interaction. Third, communication is irreversible. Once we have said something and someone else has received and decoded the message, we cant retrieve the message. Fourth, communication takes place in a social context. When we interact with someone it is not in isolation but within a special physical surrounding. The physical surrounding includes coverings, lighting, noise levels, acoustics, vegetation, as well as competing messages. Many aspects of the physical environment can affect communication.We begin with a basic assumption that communication has something to do with human behavior and the satisfaction of a need to interact with other human beings. The last aspect is known as communication hunger. Almost everyone needs social contact with other people, and this need is met through the exchange of messages that serve as bridges to unite otherwise isolated individuals.Messages come into being through human behavior. When we talk, we obviously are behaving; when we wave, smile, frown, walk, shake our heads, or gesture, we also are behaving. Frequently these actions are messages; they are often used to communicate something to someone else. Before these behaviors can be called messages, they must meet two requirements. First, someone must observe them and second they must elicit meaning. Another way to say this is that any behavior to which meaning is attributed is a message.This definition of communication tells that when someone observes our behavior or its residue and attributes meaning to it, communication has taken place regardless of whether our behavior has been conscious or unconscious, intentional or unintentional. If we think about it for a moment, we must realize that it is impossible for us not to behave. Just the very act of being is a form of behavior. And if behavior has communication potential, then it is also impossible for us not to communicate; in other words, we cant communicate.3. General characteristics of communication stylesThe paper would discuss the characteristics of communication styles of Americans and Chinese based on the cases through the following aspects:3.1 Greeting and farewellsAn American who studied in China had an appointment at noon. As he was getting on his bicycle, a Chinese friend passed by,“吃了吗？” the young Chinese asked. This, of course, is a common Chinese greeting around mealtime and the American merely nodded with a smile, waved goodbye and went off. He realized that his friend's remark was nothing more than a American way of sayingHelloorHi. If the greeting had been put literally into English Have you eaten yet?OrHave you had your lunch?It would have sounded rather unusual. To Americans, this greeting might mean this: "I haven't either. Come on, lets go together and get something to eat." or "If you haven't, I was just going to invite you to my place." In other words, it could indicate an invitation to a meal.Actually , another American student who had not been long in China once complained in broken Chinese “你们为什么老问我吃了饭没有？我有钱！”.To his way of thinking, people were concerned that he was not getting his meals properly because of lack of money. Clearly, he was offended. There is a similar Chinese greeting, such as “上哪儿去啊” “到哪儿去啦?”. Which if translated literally, would beWhere are yon going?OrWhere have you been?The natural reaction of most English-speaking people to this greeting would most likely be "Its none of your business!" Fortunately, not all greetings sound strange or arouse displeasure. Many are similar; some are merely different. While greetings in many languages often indicate the time of day, there may be inconsistencies within a language. There areGood morning,Good afternoonandGood eveningin English but notGood noon. AndGood nightis not a greeting at all, but an expression of farewell. When Chinese meet for the first time, there is no special expression for the occasion, but when most English-speaking people meet for the first time, they often say something likeIm pleased to meet you. And when they part, they are expected to remarkIts nice meeting youorIts nice to have met youor something similarWhen people part, they usually sayGood-bye, orBye-bye. Similar expressions are found in almost all languages. But in the more or less fixed conversational formulas precedeGood-bye, there may be interesting differences, as in Chinese when distinguished guest drops in for a visit, or if the visitor is one with whom the hosts are not very familiar. As Chinese custom, when a guest is leaving, the hosts actually are to see the visitor to the door or gateway. It is customary for the guests to say to his hosts “请留步”. He final words of the hosts are usually “慢走，走好，慢点骑”. None of these should be translated directly. Stay here would sound stranger; Go slowly, Walk slowly or Ride slowly would be equally so. A smile and a gesture of farewell would be enough.All in all, in many cultures it is extremely important to greet a person every time when they meet each other, and especially the first time each day. Through these cases above, we know that as to the different cultures between China and America, they may make misunderstanding in greeting. Some of the Chinese habits in greeting may make American confuse. And if some of the Chinese phrases of greeting or farewell are translated into English, they dont have meaning at all.3.2 Response to compliments and praise There are some differences in replying to compliments between Chinese and American. Americans tend to accept the compliment while Chinese generally murmur some reply about not being worthy of the praise. Here a few more words might be said about this difference. Consider the following examples: A young Chinese woman in the U.S. was complimented for the lovely dress that she was wearing,Its exquisite. The colors are so beautiful!" She was pleased but somewhat embarrassed. In typical Chinese fashion, she replied, "Oh, its just an ordinary dress that I bought in China." At a reception in an American college, a newly arrived Chinese scholar was chatting with th