跨文化交际 案例分析(英文版)

UNIT 2. CASE STUDY

As we all know ,Chinese are very hospitable, for example ,when a Chinese family has a house guest ,the family automatically take care of the gues and give them much special attention .Americans,however, welcome their guests by taking them in as one of themselves.All in all they show their hospitality in a totally different way.The Americans are casual hospitable,but the Chinese has a obvious enthusiasm.

In wang's letter about his experience during a Christmas vacation with the Americans, there is such a story:

A Thai girl complained that she was neglected by a Washington family.Why she feel unhappy about her Christmas vacation? Because the host family did not give priority to with the guest.The family did whatever they had planned instead of accompaning her to go to the museum.

May be the Oriental are very hospitable to entertain their guests with the best food ,and go sightseeing with their guests even if they do not like it but but out of politeness.However,Westerners prefer to like to stay in their own home when they go to someone home.

The Thai girl evaluated Westerners hospitaliy by useing Oriental psyche and may misinterpret it as neglect. She did not understand the culture of Westernets. SO she feel unhappy.

Hall had classified world cultures into two categories:low and high context .A high-context communication is something that most of the information is unavailable in the explicit verbal utterance.A low context communication is something that most of the information is in the explicit code.The Thai girl form HC cultures and the Washington family form LC cultures.They are two completely opposite cultural patterns.

People form HC cultures often use HC or implicit messages that are nearly impossible for an outside to understand.Besides ,they often use nonverbal cues to articulate meanings that is unavailable in the explicit verbal utterance.However,people form HC cultures say something directly.You can make clear what you like or dislike.

The Thai girl form HC cultures,so she Very implicitly expressed where she want to go and dislike to do ice skating in Thailand.But,the American host family belong to LC cultures,they often give casual hospitally,and LC messages must be elaborated ,clearly communicated.Unlike personal relationshops. The host family without giving the Thai girl any special attention instead of trusting her with their house.The host family can not understand the people form HC cutures.Why the people form Oriental like use nonverbal or verbal cues instead of use the explicit code? This is the cultural differences between the HC and LC.