《跨文化交际》-4-禁忌-1

Culture and Taboos
Taboos as a pervasive
/omnipresent social phenomenon, have their obvious historical and cultural roots for their emergence, existence and continuance.
For
some local wedding dinner, the fish head, tail and fish bones are not allowed to be eaten, because people hope that the new couple will remain a devoted couple to the end of their lives (白头偕老),a complete couple(有头有尾).
Culture and Taboos
D) In
social communication, Westerners avoid talking about privacy which includes age, income, wealth, marriage, love affairs.
Culture and Taboos
Culture and Taboos
B
)People in English-speaking countries are expected to avoid talking shop (谈本行,三句不离本 行 C) In English-speaking country, Christians regard suicide as sin, so suicide is not an appropriate topic.
Culture and Taboos
During
the dinner, the diners should not belch(打嗝), loosen the belt and go to the toilet. At a Cantonese dinner, the diners should not eat chicken head, wings and tail, but leave them to the seniors in the family.
Culture and Taboos
When
the stalk is hard, the comer is male, if the stalk is soft, it will be a female visitor.
In Japan,for no reason can you insert chopsticks vertically into the food. Because this is an inauspicious sign. Moreover,it is thought to be an impolite behavior when you suck the end of a chopstick.
Culture and Taboos
Tea
water is Chinese’s favorite drink, northern Chinese like jasmine tea (茉莉花茶/花茶),the southern Chinese prefer green tea or black tea.
Culture and Taboos
In
some places, the cooked fish in a dish is not allowed to be turned over or it may imply the ship will capsize (翻船 ). It’s a taboo for fishermen.
Culture and Taboos
2)
Taboo in public situations. “ First come, first served(先来后到)”;
Sneezing
is a normal physiological reaction /phenomenon.
Culture and Taboos 3) taboos about diet
Culture and Taboos Taboo is the self – restriction
of some words and deeds. Perhaps taboos resulted from the fear of mysterious power. Taboo also reflect the experiences people accumulated in their struggles against the nature, and the social customs and habits formed in interpersonal communication.
Culture and Taboos
If
two women share the tea in the same pot, that means one of them or someone from either family will give birth to a child by the end of the year. It hints an unexpected guest is to come.
Culture and Taboos
The
British people think, if someone happened to ( 无意中) cover (covered accidentally) a tea-pot, it predicts an unexpected visitor will arrive.

The Chinese almost eat any animal and even the internal organs of animals. But people from Englishspeaking counties don’t like fat, and the skin, feet head and internal organs, some animal’s meat such as dog’s meat, snake’ s meat.
Culture and Taboos
For
the Spring Festival dinner, there must be a dish of fish implying “年 年有余”. “鱼”and “余” are homophonic characters in Chinese.
Culture and Taboos
E) Chinese care about some faults,
bad habits, just as an old Chinese saying goes “When you beat somebody, avoid hitting him in the face, when you speak, don’t rake up (重提不愉快之事， 翻旧账)other’s faults”(
Culture and Taboos
(2)
The bride should not see the husband on the morning before the wedding. (在婚礼举行前的早上，新娘 不应见自己的丈夫。)
Culture and Taboos
(3)
The killing of crickets in the house will bring bad luck.
Culture and Taboos
Chay of drinking tea: to sip tea (呷茗)not drink unrestrainedly(牛饮).
Culture and Taboos
It’s
believed in the West and the East, that tea can predict something, though it’s somewhat superstitions if the tea stalks in a cup float/stand upright (erect), the tea drinker will be pleased for it’s a omen that a distinguished guest is coming.
Culture and Taboos
In
English-speaking communities, there are some social taboos: (1) It is unlucky to have a black cat cross the road in front of you. (看见黑猫在你面前横穿马 路是不吉利的。)
Culture and Taboos
They
dislike garlic and vinegar and strange soups. When the mouth is full of food, one should not utter(中国人“食 不言，咽不语”.). Chinese shouldn’t rap the empty bowls with chopsticks for that’s what a beggar does.
Culture and Taboos
For
those who know about sado ( 茶道，tea culture), they won’t like to mix other things like milk, sugar with tea, but would enjoy the pure tea. The tea made the previous day won’t be drunk next day (隔夜茶), it’s harmful to health.