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1、Cultureandcommunicationstyles [2004-5-31]To some extent, the way we communicate depends on our culture. Look at the two quotations below. They are fictitious (not real), but I think they illustrate the different styles of communication that exist between
2、 westerners and Chinese. Which one do you think is more likely to be the Chinese speaker? Example one: " I suggest that we delay our decisions until after Pegco make theirs. Our production is now done in China, and it's not really certain how the WTO will
3、 affect the markets. Also, we should be cautious about committing to large-scale TV advertising, since it is so expensive." Example two:"Because our production is now done in China, and because it's not really certain how the WTO will affect the markets,
4、and also, because we should be cautious about committing to large-scale TV advertising (since it is so expensive)... I suggest that we delay our decisions until after Pegco make theirs." The first speaker is more direct and possibly more assertive. I thin
5、k he is more likely to be a westerner. The second speaker uses a Chinese style of communication - he tends to explain the reasons for his thinking before making his point. Culture determines the way we organize our conversations. Linguists have described
6、these differences by using discourse analysis. Let's use discourse analysis to look at the quotations above in more detail. The Chinese speaker uses what we might call a "topic-comment" approach: he gives background to the topic before making his comment
7、on it. Effectively he says, "Because, because, because, therefore..." (This differs from the western style, which is often "comment-topic" in format.) When a westerner encounters the "topic-comment" approach for the first time he may find it strange. A bu
8、sy western manager, for example, might interpret the it as failing to get to the point. He might even think that the speaker was trying to avoid something. (I personally believe that this kind of thing has been the
