ibunka TB_U8

Cultural Commentary lt l Co entary

This unit is dedicated to the cultural act of conversation, and the ways in which we go about talking with others. What seems “natural” to us about what, when, and how much to say is actually deeply ingrained in our culture. We have all unconsciously learnt and internalized the rules of our native languages and home societies. Living abroad, we come to terms with communicating according to the rules of the culture around us. We learn to conduct conversation and discussion in different ways. Many questions and answers, or longer, more spontaneous talk?

In Japan, it is common for conversation partners, especially people who don’t know each other well, to take turns asking each other many questions. Brief answers are an invitation to ask the next question. As people are carefully looking for common ground, this is seen as the safest, most respectful way to conduct yourself. However, in many Western cultures, it is largely true that a minimal answer like “No” to a closed question such as “Do you have a part-time job?” implies that the responder is not interested in conversing. In our oral communication textbook Conversations in Class , we explain to students that giving longer answers when speaking in English is a way of showing interest in conversation. It is considered cooperative and polite to volunteer extra pieces of information for the listener, giving them little “hooks” to latch onto by asking follow-up questions.

The Polish respondent on page 88 (OSF No. 2) says “When I am with my friends, I speak about myself without being asked questions, and also expect them to do the same even without asking.” Her testimonial hints at the cultural habit, common in the Western world, to speak from oneself, about oneself, as a way to volunteer information and to invite your conversation partner to speak. This is a very powerful, but somehow hidden, aspect of communication which deeply inYluences the way we interact with others.

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UNIT 8 | CULTURAL COMMENTARY