Katya Pasichnyk MLa 07-20

MODULE TEST IN
CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN
SPEECH BEHAVIOUR OF AM./BRIT. UKR.
Variant 1

Task 1.What do we mean by the term culture? (10 points)

In a broad sense, culture is a set of material and spiritual values, in a narrow

sense - the level of spiritual life of people.

Culture – is the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that
characterizes an institution or organization

Those factors that culture consists of are: food, language, behavior, attitudes,
beliefs, values.

Task 2. Which are differences in speech behaviour of the British and Ukrainians on
horizontal and vertical distance? (10 points)

On horizontal distance: The Ukrainians are open for communication and

always try to nose in other people’s business talking about different privet topics. The
British prefer to mind their own business and they never talk frankly to a stranger. In
order to avoid awkward silence, they developed a tradition of social conversations about
nothing ("about the weather") or ‘small talks’.
On vertical distance: Older generations of the Ukrainians still preserve these
Post-Soviet bureaucratic traditions of distance between the subordinates and an
employer. As well as to greatly rely on people’s social status and taking it into
consideration while considering whether to make an acquaintance with a person. On the
contrary, in the British society the relationship between the employer and employee is
more democratic and relaxed than in the countries of ‘late democracy’. For them it is all
right to go for a beer with the ‘boss’ and address to them with their name. While for
instance in Ukraine subordinates often refer to their employers with the name and he
name of the male parent (clearly Ukrainian feature)

Task 3. What is the difference between monochronic and polychronic people? What
type are the British? (20 points)
Monochronic people are those who prefer to take time while
performing the task and as a result, focus on it entirely. They are great workers,
as they can easily complete their assignments before deadlines and never
violate their promises once given and don’t neglect their obligations. They are
 usually straightforward and prefer express their emotions and desires without
beating around the bush – so, these people are usually of ‘low-context’ culture.
Polychronic people are those that are able to perform simultaneously
more than one task and that is why cannot be devoted to one assignment or
responsibility. It makes them divers but rather unreliable workers. However,
they are indeed ‘people persons’, they adore communication and easily make
friends. Even though, they rarely value other people’s time and hardly manage
their own. That is why one should trust polychromic people on time
commitments, as deadlines are the most challenging things for them.
I believe that British are monochronic people, as they prefer to be
punctual and reserved; they appreciate other people’s time and are always
polite. However, behind the closed doors one may find a huge temperate they
usually show only to the closest.

Task 4. Speak about negative politeness and its strategies. (20 points)

Negative politeness or "strategies of independence" or "deference politeness."

Strategies of negative politeness are used for the listener's negative face and are meant
to avoid any imposition on the listener. So, if we try to reduce the face-threatening
effect to the hearer, we use either positive politeness or negative politeness
Such strategies include hedging (a word or phrase that makes a statement less
forceful or assertive), minimizing the imposition, apologizing, being indirect, and using
questions rather than commands. As well as being rather pessimistic and making the
conversation impersonalized, without personal pronouns. Therefore, we understand that
negative politeness is rather formal and in some way, the speaker tries to distance
themselves from the hearers through it in order to minimize the harm.

Task 5. There are cultures more or less polite. Agree or disagree.Give your arguments
(5 points)

I disagree that cultures may differ in such a way. I believe that only people and
their traditions make ‘appearance’ of some culture and therefore, we identify them with
each other. There are more advanced societies, where people go in step with time and
minimize waste of time on being polite, they prefer talking straightly, as for example
the Japanese. However, simultaneously their culture is wide and profound, and they
deeply respect the old and teach the young to be respective.
For instance British, that descend from monarchial descenders and really love
small talks, but in the very relation towards older generations, they are not that
respective and rarely keep in touch with parents regularly while have their nuclear
family.

Task 6. Meaning vs. Form. Which of these is dominating in Western and Slavic
cultures (5 points.)
 Form in linguistics and language refers to the symbols used to represent
meaning. Each form has a particular meaning in a particular context. This cannot be
stressed enough. It implies that a form can have different meanings in different
contexts. However, the range of meanings for a form is usually limited to a prototype
or prototypes based around an image schema to a set of extensions. These are
determined in cultural contexts as ‘low and high.’
Western cultures are low-context and Slavic cultures are high-context.

Task 7. Indicate behavioural models in terms of Western and Slavic cultures.

a) There are 6 doors at the entrance to the university. How many of them will be open?
What’s your opinion?
Britain: only one door is open
Ukraine: you can enter in any one of them.
USA: all are wide open.

b) Talking to a colleague you are slightly touching his/her

Shoulder.
Britain: don’t mind polite gestures, but prefer not to be touched.
Ukraine: prefer not to be touched by strangers, but if those are colleagues of
friends, it’s mostly ok.
USA: don’t mind polite gestures.

c) Signing the official letter one indicates his position and his name. What comes first?)
Britain: name
Ukraine: position
USA: name

d) In the shop you start a conversation with a cute child of 5 who stays behind his
Mom watching the toys.

Britain: don’t mind polite conversation if encouraged by mother and stay close
to her.
Ukraine: easily talk, often are the first to start the conversation.
USA: may respond to you, depends on their parents’ attitude towards talking-to-
stranger thing.

d) You make a complement to a young and beautiful colleague about her looks.
Britain: are grateful, reciprocate with the compliment.
Ukraine: fee awkward, may thank you or start denying being beautiful.
USA: smile and reciprocate with the compliment.

Task 8. Choose concepts which best refer to a) the British, b) Ukrainians

Write them in two columns:
 a) the British: Self-reliance, respect of personal boundaries, punctuality, self-
control, individual responsibility, responsiveness, individual success, reserve of
manners, considerateness.

b) Ukrainians: choice, trust, hospitality, concern, generosity, sincerety, security,

self-determination, friendliness, directness, intimacy, emotional commitment,
flexibility (adaptation to circumstances), collectivism

,
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Затверджено на засіданні кафедри англійської філології і філософії мови

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