4. According to Cargile, what are examples of situations in which accents influenced someone’s
perception of another person? Has accent ever influenced your perception of another person?
How?
5. Can you think of examples in your own life when a speaker’s choice of words or grammatical
phrases may have contributed to some harmful and erroneous prejudgments?
6. Why is speaking rate a variable in intercultural communication? What cultures have you
interacted with that speak at a rate different from your own? Did that influence your encounter
with the person?
– Chapter Five –
Exercises
Exercise 5.1: Words Are Outside, Meanings Are Inside
This activity can be used to explore different perceptions on the connection between language and culture.
Because people come to an interaction with different perceptions about the world, they will not
understand exactly the same thing when they hear or use a word. Even among culturally similar
individuals, perceptions will differ and the meanings we ascribe to the words we use will not always be
This exercise asks students to reflect on what meanings they hold of certain words and how those
meanings might differ from those held by people of other cultural groups. Ask students to characterize
what they think the following words mean to them by using each in a complete, “illustrative” sentence:
preacher, atheist, feminist, communism, Texan/Californian/Bostonian/etc., capitalism, liberal, lesbian,
Some questions to ask students during their small group or a class discussion: How did you arrive at your
own meaning of each of the words? What differences and similarities were there among the sentences?
What might account for such differences and similarities? Do you think your definitions are shared by
most or few people in the United States? Who do you think would share your definitions? Have you ever
had a conversation with someone from your own culture or another culture who had a very different
meaning for a word than your own definition? How might the differences we ascribe to certain words and
concepts affect our interactions with people who do not share our cultural background?
Exercise 5.2: Idiomatic Expressions
This activity can be used with Roy’s article on dichos (popular sayings) or as a way to introduce the
language unit to your students. This exercise demonstrates the difficulty in explaining and translating
idioms to people who do not come from the same culture. Students will learn that idioms are very culture-
bound and that knowing a language such as English does not ensure that one will understand all the
idioms of the English language. This activity can be carried out in several ways. One way is to ask
students to generate their own list of idioms and explain their definitions. Divide the class into groups of
four to six students. Ask them to generate as many English idioms as they can think of from the United
A second way to carry out this activity is to use the handout that follows entitled “Idiomatic Expressions
in English” that lists English idioms from three different cultures: the United States, Great Britain, and the
Possible questions for discussion:
1. Why is it difficult to explain idioms from our own culture?
2. How do you think idioms are formed?
3. Why do they cause a great deal of trouble for nonnative speakers of any language?
4. Can you think of any idioms from the United States that you once did not understand but now do?
5. Could these idioms have been regionally based?
6. How did you come to understand each of these idioms? Did you ask for an explanation, or was
the meaning clear contextually?
Exercise 5.2: Idiomatic Expressions in English
UNITED STATES
bite the dust
blow off steam
bone to pick
blow the whistle on
bored to tears
bread and butter
break the ice
brush off
beat around the bush
change one’s tune
chip on one’s shoulder
climb on the bandwagon
face the music
fair-weather friend
fed up
fine-tooth comb
get one’s feet wet
get through one’s head
feet on the ground
give up the ship
go against the grin
go to pot
in the family way
in the long run
keep your shirt on
land on one’s feet
make no bones
neither here nor there
on the fence
on the whole
pay the piper
read between the lines
scratch the surface
save one’s breath
miss the boat
take a back seat
GREAT BRITAIN
applaud to the echo
in bad odour
to be on (off) the beam
chop and change
as cold as charity
have a crow to pluck (pick)
die in harness
dree one’s weird
hang on a person’s lips
come to heel
feel like a giant refreshed
of the first water
go to one’s account
not as green as he’s cabbage–
looking
help a lame dog over a stile
a pretty pass
improve the occasion
have one’s knife in a person
late in the field
lose the day
merry as a cricket
with might and main
grasp the nettle
put in one’s oar
shilly-shally
from pillar to post
pink of perfection
to stump up
lose caste
THE BAHAMAS
bitch up
broad-speaking
get burned up
butter for fat
that’s chalk
cheek somebody up
clap somebody up
cold in the arm, leg
curry-favor someone
cut up with someone
cut your grass
decide your mind
what the diggins
dive up
doggy after someone
don’t-care-‘f-I
draw hand
eat off someone
fowled of doing something
pick up gap seed
grind somebody up in your
heart
in quest
keep somebody hot
land somebody off
lay on your chest/stomach
make him know
make your break
mix fool with sense
one mind tell me
own something to somebody
pick somebody’s mouth
pick up for somebody
pitch a stink
feel like a giant refreshed: to feel physically or morally strong after something has happened
as cold as charity: lacking in signs of warm emotion
have a crow to pluck (pick): to have a complaint or criticism to make
die in harness: to die while still actively engaged in the course of one’s regular work
dree one’s weird: to endure with philosophic resignation what happens to one (“weird” is used here in
person
late in the field: late on the scene
lose caste: to forfeit one social position by doing something that is regarded as socially discreditable
lose the day: to be defeated
merry as a cricket: extremely cheerful
broad-speaking: plain-speaking, outspoken
get burned up: to become exhausted through physical exertion
butter for fat: like for like; similar to tit for tat
that’s chalk: that’s inevitable—a foregone conclusion; slang for that’s great
cheek somebody up: to be impertinent to somebody
don’t-care-‘f–I: not caring, especially about social norms
draw hand: to make a leading or beckoning gesture
eat off someone: to eat at someone else’s expense
fowled of doing something: engaged in doing something
pick up gap seed: to gather information for gossip
Exercise 5.3: Popular Sayings
This activity is designed to be used in conjunction with the Roy article on Mexican dichos (popular
sayings). Dichos are one way that a culture teaches its members appropriate conduct, including effective
ways of communication. Consider this cultural proverb well known to people in the United States: “You
scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” This saying alludes to a rule of negotiation based on compromise and
give and take. The Zairean proverb, “A little subtleness is better than a lot of force” suggests to members
Exercise 5.4: Case Studies on Language
The following activity is designed to illustrate for students how the same word or phrase can have very
different meanings for individuals from different cultures. Students will understand that the simplest and
taken-for-granted words and phrases in one culture can pose a problem in an intercultural interaction if
different meanings are ascribed to the same verbal message. This activity can be done in groups or
individually. Ask students to read the following case studies. Both case studies deal with a situation
Case Study 1
Joanna was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya who had just recently arrived at her site. She was
anxious to meet many of the people of the community quickly and spent her first days riding her
motorcycle through the hills near her house. While riding she stopped to talk with a Kenyan man
named Kimani. They had a pleasant conversation and Kimani asked if they could talk again
sometime because he was anxious to hear more about the United States. Joanna was eager to
establish some friendships while in Kenya and told Kimani that she was glad to have found a
friend. Kimani stopped by Joanna’s house the next day and stayed for several hours. He visited
Joanna regularly and brought her small gifts. Joanna realized quickly that Kimani wished to
develop more than a friendship with her. She decided to discuss their relationship with him.
J: “Kimani, I think we need to talk about our friendship.”
K: “Yes.”
What word is the cause of Joanna and Kimani’s confusion?
Explain why they are miscommunicating.
How would you continue this dialogue to solve this intercultural dilemma?
Case Study 2
Michael had just arrived at his school in Kenya. He was assigned to teach science at a rural high
school outside of Kisumu. Charles, one of his students, visited him one Friday afternoon after
school and they had a nice chat while drinking tea. As Charles was leaving, Michael waved to
him and said, “See you later!” The following Monday, Charles approached Michael appearing
confused.
C: “Mwalimu, I was waiting for you Friday evening but you never came.”
M: “Was I supposed to meet you somewhere, Charles?”
Explain why they are miscommunicating.
How would you continue this dialogue to solve this intercultural dilemma?
The first case study dealt with the word “friend” and the different meanings of “friend” being used by
Joanna and Kimani. The word “friend” can have an additional meaning for Kenyans besides denoting an
Questions for discussion:
1. Why do people attribute different meanings to the same word or phrase? Can any one word or
phrase have one meaning? Or are there a number of definitions for every word and phrase?
2. What role do experience and culture have in ascribing meaning to words and phrases?
3. How do these case studies support the idea that language and experience are inextricably linked?
4. What often happens when idioms are taken literally?
5. Can you think of greetings, farewell phrases, and other small talk “niceties” that are used in your
culture?
6. Have you ever stopped to think what they might mean to someone who does not come from your
culture?
7. Have you ever heard an idiom that you didn’t understand?
8. Have you ever used a phrase or idiom that another person interpreted differently than you had
intended?
Exercise 5.5: Nonverbal Greeting/Leave-Taking Behaviors
This activity is designed to heighten the students’ awareness of how they take part in greeting and leave-
taking behaviors and how these behaviors might be vastly different from other cultures of the world. This
exercise will also make students aware of their own level of comfort in touching and being touched as
well as their preferred space distance. Begin by dividing the class into two subgroups, X and Y, which
a few minutes and then Team X should say good-bye by giving their partner a warm embrace.
Instruct Team Y members that when they reenter the room they are to meet and greet members of Team
X as friends and business associates in the traditional fashion of U.S. organizational culture by shaking
hands. Team Y’s objective is to begin a business transaction with Team X. They should say good-bye
when the bell rings by shaking hands. The entire interaction should last for no more than three to four
minutes.
Facilitate a debriefing session by asking for student comments about how they felt during the exercise.
Discuss the awkwardness evident when different nonverbal rules were being used during the interaction.
If you have a culturally diverse classroom, you will obviously get very different responses. These
responses will undoubtedly enrich the discussion by lending first-hand insight into the touch and
Possible questions for further discussion:
1. What happens when someone touches more than we are used to? How do we respond? Why?
2. When do you feel comfortable hugging someone and whom do you feel comfortable hugging? Is
such a greeting or good-bye appropriate for business associates?
3. How does the amount of space between interactants impact a conversation?
4. How much space do you like to have?
5. What does standing closer to someone during a conversation indicate to you?
6. How much of our nonverbal or affectionate behavior is culturally determined and how much is
individually determined?
7. How do you feel when you see two men and/or two women hugging?
8. What happens when someone we are interacting with is on a different time orientation than our
own? How do we respond? Why?
9. What do these feelings tell us about the attitudes and behavior rules of our respective cultures?
About our individual attitudes?
Exercise 5.6: When Another Is Silent
This activity deals with silence as a nonverbal behavior. Most people have experienced a conversation
where one person did most of the talking while the other took the “patient listener” role. Such experiences
can lead to feelings of frustration and, sadly, sometimes to the end of developing relationships. On the
other hand, it is also common to feel responsible for carrying the conversation with little assistance from a
As we grow up, we learn the cultural norms of interaction. Conversational competence in one culture may
include asking many questions, while in another such communicative behavior would be deemed
intrusive. This case study focuses on how different cultures perceive conversation competence during the
first stages of a potential romantic relationship. Read the case and answer the questions that follow. As
you read, consider your own experiences on first dates: What happened? How did you interpret the other
person’s communications?
Case Study
Jonathan and Noriko were out on their first date together. They had met in one of their classes
and talked with each other several times at school. On the way over to the movie theater Jonathan
noticed that Noriko was rather quiet, more quiet than when he had talked with her at school. After
the movie, Jonathan suggested that they have coffee at a local cafe. Noriko still did not say very
much as they sipped their coffee and Jonathan found himself filling in the silences with
comments about school and questions about her family and growing up in Japan. He also talked a
Questions for discussion:
1. From the information above, describe the communication styles of Noriko and Jonathan.
2. Why had Jonathan and Noriko perceived the success of their first date so differently?
3. How might their relationship have developed differently?
4. What could each have done to continue its development?
5. What does quiet or silence communicate to you on a first date?
Exercise 5.7: Time and Culture
The following case study demonstrates the difficulties people can encounter when learning and adapting
to how individuals from other cultures perceive and orient to time. How time is viewed in some cultures
Case Study
I had arranged to meet Paul at 2:00 on Saturday in front of the post office. I had been invited by
his mother for tea and he was meeting me to take me to their home in the hills surrounding the
I arrived at the post office at 1:00. Because it was Saturday, there were not many people in town.
The busiest days were Mondays and Thursdays—market days—and the weekends tended to bring
fewer people into town during the day. As I waited for Paul, I watched the people come and go as
they checked their mailboxes. 2:15 came and still no Paul. I was beginning to wonder whether I
had heard 2:00 or 3:00 when Paul and I spoke the day before. I was sure it was 2:00. Well, 2:30
came and I was beginning to get frustrated; then 2:45 came, and now I was angry. Why did he say
2:00 and then not show up?
As my watch clicked to exactly 2:56, I saw Paul turn the corner by one of the several butchers in
town. He approached the post office, smiled, and greeted me.
“It’s a long walk to my home. I hope you’re ready for a journey.”
I said yes, half-waiting for an apology from him for being late. It never came.
“Paul, did you say you would meet me at 2:00 or 3:00?”
“I said 2:00. I hope you were not waiting long. Are you ready to go?”
Some questions for discussion in either small groups or as a class:
1. How had the U.S. teacher understood “African time”?
2. How would you describe African time? American time?
3. Do you think the U.S. teacher should have been upset with Paul? Would you have left town?
Would you have said something to Paul about arriving at 2:56? What might you have said?
Exercise 5.8: Understanding Unfamiliar Cues
Just as with spoken language, we oftentimes cannot understand a nonverbal message that another person
has sent us. Although these confusing nonverbal messages can take place during intracultural or
intercultural communication situations, they can be especially confusing during intercultural interactions
because there is often very little shared understanding among participants. For example, it is common
among Kenyans to summon another person by making a forceful “tsss tsss” sound. To a culturally
different visitor this can sound very much like calling an animal instead of a human being because it is
similar to whistling when calling a dog in the United States. In addition, this sound is made when getting
the attention of both animals and people in Kenya. What is a visitor supposed to make of such a nonverbal
message? Should offense be taken or understood as merely a pragmatic way of summoning a person with
whom you wish to speak?
1. What are some nonverbal messages that can often cause confusion among people who are
relatively culturally similar?
2. What are some nonverbal messages that can often cause confusion among people who do not
share the same cultural background? Use your own experience to respond to this question.
3. Think about a conversation during which you did not completely understand some nonverbal
messages that were being sent. Describe the conversation and the confusing nonverbal
message(s).
4. At the time, what did you think this message meant? How did you arrive at this interpretation?
5. Could some kind of cultural difference account for your confusion? Why or why not?
6. How did the message and your confusion affect the outcome of the conversation or relationship?
– Chapter Five –
Popular Film Suggestions
• Checkpoint (2003; Director: Yoav Shamir; 80 min.). Film review by Frederic and Mary Ann
Brussat: “The West Bank and Gaza Strip have been under Israeli military authority since 1967.
Over three million Palestinians live under the Israeli occupation. From 2001 to 2003, Israeli
filmmaker Yoav Shamir shot a documentary at checkpoints at Jenin, Nablus, Hebron, Ramallah,
and Gaza. . . . In this scary and brutally honest documentary, we see the ways in which Israeli
• The Syrian Bride (2004, Director: Eran Riklis; 97 min.). Film review by Frederic and Mary Ann
Brussat: “The bride is Mona (Clara Khoury) who lives in a Druze village in the Syrian Golan
Heights, which has been annexed by Israel. The groom is Tallel (Derar Sliman), her cousin who
and Syria. Similar in spirit to the documentary Checkpoint (see above), which is set in the West
Bank, this story reveals the ways in which bureaucracy, racial hatred, pride, and prejudice trump
human kindness. It’s all the more unfortunate when we see it happening during a wedding.”
Spirituality & Practice: Resources for Spiritual Journeys. Retrieved 10/01/2010.
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=15674
• Tortilla Soup (2001, Director: Maria Ripoll; 102 min.). Film review by Frederic and Mary Ann
Brussat: “This delightful Latino-flavored film, directed by María Ripoll with a screenplay by
Tom Musca, Ramón Menéndez, and Vera Blasi, was inspired by Ang Lee’s 1994 film Eat Drink