Orden Religiosa de las Escu elas Pía s

U NID AD EDUC ATI VA FI SCOMI SIO NAL

CALASANZ
LOJA - ECUADOR
GESTIÓN ACADÉMICA
2020 – 2021
WEEK 5
National stereotypes

Task 1: Look at the picture and say what idea you get about the British from it. What’s
the irony here? What does each characteristic actually mean?

My idea about British is that they are very reserved and inexpressive, because in the
images I can see that they also reflect superiority.

1. Humble as the royal family: The irony here is that the royal family is not
humble, they have many fortunes.
2. Welcoming as the weather: The irony here is that the most of the time in
London the days are cloudy and cold, so welcoming is not a right decision of
words.
3. Polite as a punk: The irony here is that punk people aren’t polite, because
they listen punk music characterized by its protest letter.
4. A great cook like the English: The irony here is that English are not good at
cooking.
 5. Sober as a judge: Judges must to be sober always, but British are not, they
like to drink a lot.
6. Relaxed as a guardsman: The irony here is that a guardsman is all the day
worried, stressed and exhausted because they guard everything, so they can’t
be relaxed.
7. Generous as a Scot: The irony here is that Scot people are happy and
generous, however British are reserved and inexpressive.
8. Intelligible as the Welsh: The irony here is that the accent of welsh is easy to
understand, however the accent of British is pretty difficult in comparison of
the United States accent.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
Q3UcbWoq9Vk/WIs6EgQslAI/AAAAAAAAYfw/J04rk_GzVhM31jGk_fGS4GaOKCBptrchACLcB/s1600/brit.jpg

oxymoron
1. two words used together that have, or seem to have opposite meanings
2. a phrase or statement that seems to say two opposite things, as in "jumbo
shrimp" and "agree to disagree"

Task 2: Read the joke and say what strong points and weak points are
mentioned in this joke for every nationality.

“HEAVEN is where: The police are British, The chefs Italian, The mechanics are
German, and it's all organised by the Swiss.

HELL is where: The police are German, The chefs are British, The mechanics are
French, and it's all organised by the Italians!”

The British are not good cooks, but they are good policemen.. The French
are...

British:
• Strong point: British are good policemen.
• Weak point: British are not good cooks.
Italian:
• Strong point: Italian are good cooks.
• Weak point: Italian are not organized.
German:
• Strong point: German are good mechanics.
• Weak point: German are not good policemen.
French:
• Strong point: French are organized.
• Weak point: French are not good mechanics.
Task 3: Look at the photo. Where is she from? Why do you think so? What
kind of hat is she wearing?

●
http://www.collegescholarships.org/images/texas-grants.jpg

I think she is from Texas because a charactersitic vestment about the place are the
cowboy hats, also because at the background I observe that she is in a ranch, so
cowboys, in this case cowgirl, likes to ride horses.

● Listen to the story and make notes of what stereotypes people have about
Texans.

• All Texans are cowboys and ride horses.

• All Texans ear cowboy boots, hat or dress up like films.
• It is very easy to find horses in Texas.

Task 4: What do you think about the French? Look at the adjectives.

fashionable, chic, quite thin, arrogant, incredibly beautiful, gorgeous, romantic,

very handsome.

• France is the place where people are very fashionable.

• Women are very chic.
• The majority of the girls are quite thin.
 • French people are arrogant.
• Women and men are incredibly beautiful.
• Women are gorgeous.
• France has the most romantic men in the world.
• French men are very handsome.

Online session
Listen and say what adjectives describe:
- all French people,
- women,
- men.

• All French people are incredibly beautiful.

• Women are beautiful and gorgeous.
• All French do not get fat.
• Men are very handsome.
• All French are incredibly romantic.
• All French discuss philosophy.
• Women are very chic and fashionable.
• All French love cheese.
• All French are quite arrogant.

● Do you agree or disagree with these characteristics?

Well, these sentences are only stereotypes and the majority of them were the
same ideas that I have too about French people.

punctual outgoing hospitable aggressive

tolerant nationalistic talkative polite
romantic well-dressed sociable rude
respectful humorous serious arrogant
hard-working lazy quiet ignorant
emotional sophisticated formal casual

● Look at the list of adjectives. Which ones can describe each of the following
nations?

- Americans → Outgoing, nationalistic, humorous, lazy, hospitable, talkative,

sociable, ignorant, casual.
- The French → Romantic, emotional, well-dressed, sophisticated, arrogant.
- The Japanese → Punctual, tolerant, respectful, hard-working, quiet, polite.
- The British → Serious, formal, aggressive, polite, rude.
 Active Passive

1.People say that Americans are very
loud. People think American food is very
bad for you.
2. Everyone thinks Americans love
guns. People say Americans have
terrible diets.
It is said that Americans are very loud. It
is thought that American food is bad for
you.
Americans are often thought to love
guns. A lot of Americans are said to
have terrible diets.

It is said, thought, believed etc. + that + clause

Subject + is/are said, believed, thought etc. + infinitive.

● Look at the grammar constructions. We use passive construction to sound

more impersonal.

Task 5: Make passive constructions for these statements:

● The British love to drink tea.
● British people are obsessed with
Harry Potter.
● The British are overly polite.
● Brits love the Royal Family.
● It’s always raining in Britain.
• It is said that British love to drink
tea.
• It is thought that British people
are obsessed with Harry Potter.
• British are often thought to be
overly polite.
• It is said that British love the
Royal Family.
• It is thought that it is always
raining in Britain.

Task 6: Think of a nation and describe it, without naming it, using a passive
construction. Let others guess the nationality. Use passive constructions.

For example: These people are said to really love cooking. They are believed to be
especially good at making pizzas, pastas and spaghetti bolognaise.

These people are said to really love carnival. They are believed to be especially
good at organizing festivals. It is said that all of the women of the place have good
bodies and they are very fit.

ANSWER: Brazil.

● Look at the picture. What are people doing? Is it a well-known stereotype

about this nation?
 The image shows nine students and also that they are very friendly. They are
smiling while they are showing their thumb finger. No, it is not a well-know
stereotype that British are friendly, otherwise a well-know stereotype is that
they are very serious.

http://www.agiledevil.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/queue.jpg

Some famous stereotypes about British people: True or False?

When moving to another country, we always have some fears and preconceptions
about the foreign cultures. So for you to be more relaxed about your moving in
England, here are some stereotypes about British people. But wait, are all of them
false?

– The British have never seen the sun: not completely true. If the weather is
actually bad most of the time, between a cold rain and a freezing cloudy day you will
be able to see some sunshine, mostly during summer.
– The British are always very polite: true. British are polite and proud about it,
which makes them pretty nice to everyone. Be prepared to say “sorry”, “please” and
“thank you” more often than usual.
– British people love to drink tea: OK this one is completely true. They actually
prefer a good cup of tea over coffee. So the sooner you learn what “put the kettle on”
means the better.
– The British frequently wear hats: false, not since the 60s.
– British people eat terrible food: not completely false. Besides the famous fish
and chips that they British actually almost never eat, their food is not considered as
tasty. But thanks to the globalization, you will always find something you know and
like, thus you’re not doomed to starve for your whole stay.
– British people like queuing: kind of true. And they don’t understand why the rest
of the world doesn’t like to do the same. So learn the rule “first in time, first in line” if
you want to fit in.
– The British are obsessed with their Royal family: it depends. Many of them are
proud of the Royals, others don’t really care. But they all seem to agree about how
much elegant their Princess Kate is.
– The British know how to party: completely true. Just go to a random bar on a
Saturday and you will understand.
Ready to enjoy your stay among the British?

http://ukstudentresidences.com/famous-stereotypes-british-people-true-false/

● Put yourself in the shoes of a foreigner. What would you think about your
country? What stereotypes come to your mind?

• People of Loja eat dog.

• Ecuadorian people eat rats. (cuy)
• People of Guayaquil are robbers.