英語(yǔ)專(zhuān)業(yè)畢業(yè)論文-跨文化交際方向

1、<p>　　The Social Pragmatic Failures in Cross-cultural Communication</p><p>　　1 Introduction</p><p>　　Recently, there is a wave of globalization due to factors including mass access to inter

2、net, globalization of industry, and expansion of educational exchanges and so on. New technologies, growth of the world’s population, and shift in the global economic area have all contributed to the increase in cross-cu

3、ltural communication. Therefore, cross-cultural communication has become indispensable today. </p><p>　　Language used by human beings is the most basic tool for communication, which plays a crucial role in t

4、he process of human historical development. We use words to persuade, to exchange ideas, to express views, to seek information, and to express feelings. We made cultural choices when we are using human language to commun

5、icate with other people. Culture shapes our ideas and plays a crucial role on influencing our way of using language. At the same time, language can also be considered as a windo</p><p>　　But the fact is that

6、 many people didn’t pay much attention to the cultural backgrounds and used words to communicate with others in an inappropriate way and inappropriate occasion. In this way, the social pragmatic failures often occur duri

7、ng the cross-cultural communication.</p><p>　　Because of the fierce conflicts between the popularity of cross-cultural communication and the frequently happening communication barriers, the factors affecting

8、 communication are drawing much more attention from the researchers. In the past two decades, there has been an increasing interest in the study of pragmatic failures in cross-cultural communication. Cross-cultural socia

9、l pragmatic failures have been an important area of pragmatics and cross-cultural communication studies. The social pra</p><p>　　2 Theoretical Backgrounds</p><p>　　In order to have a comprehensi

10、ve understanding of social pragmatic failures during the inter-cultural communication, we’d better learn some background information about culture. The knowledge about definition of culture, cross-cultural communication,

11、 and the social pragmatic failures and the relationship between language and culture are ought to be familiar to us..</p><p>　　2.1 Definition of Culture</p><p>　　The word “culture” is a large an

12、d evasive concept, very complex and difficult to define. There are hundreds of definitions for culture. Here I present only two concepts which I favor most. The one is “A culture is a collection of beliefs, habits, livin

13、g patterns, and behaviors which are held more or less in common by people who occupy particular geographic areas.” (D.Brown, 40) The other is explained in a more detailed way: “culture is man’s medium; there is not one a

14、spect of human life that is </p><p>　　2.2 Definition of Cross-cultural Communication</p><p>　　As is known to all, the cross-cultural communication has become increasingly important for humans. T

15、he need for cross-cultural communication is as old as humankind. We’ve discussed the definition of culture. Now, it is necessary to know something about the concepts of cross-cultural communication, which is the fist ste

16、p to have a deeper understanding of social pragmatic failures. The cross-cultural communication (also frequently referred to as inter-cultural communication, which is also used in </p><p>　　2.3 Relationship

17、Between Language and Culture</p><p>　　Language and culture are closely connected with each other and it is impossible to separate out use of language from our culture. As is known to all, language has been a

18、cting as a very important role in the process of human historical development. Just as the American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson’s simple sentence “l(fā)anguage is the archives of history”. His declaration makes us realize that

19、one of the major characteristics identifying us as humans is our ability to use language---to make sounds and m</p><p>　　In the past, people usually regarded language as simply a neutral medium, which did no

20、t influence the way people experienced the world. It was merely a vehicle by which ideas were presented, rather than a shaper of very substance of those ideas. This view had been denied by later linguists. The new point

21、is that language and culture are closely linked with each other. Language is the reflection of culture and culture is a reflection of language.</p><p>　　Culture influences language by way of symbols and rule

22、s as well as our perceptions of the universe. Each time we select words, form sentences, and send a message, either oral or written, we also make cultural choices. If we select language without being aware of the cultura

23、l implications, we may be at best not communicate well and at worst send the wrong message. At the same time, language is the most symbolic reflection of culture. Members of the culture have created the language to carry

24、 out a</p><p>　　Hence, in our process of intercultural communication not only the linguistic usage of certain language should be emphasized but also how to use the language in the right time as well as the r

25、ight occasion. If we failed to do this, communication barriers must occur, and social pragmatic failures are the most typical ones among those communication barriers.</p><p>　　2.4 Cross-cultural Social Pragm

26、atic Failures</p><p>　　The term “pragmatic failure” was first used by British linguist Jenny Thomas in her paper “cross-cultural pragmatic failure” (1983), published in applied linguistics. It is to define t

27、he inability to understand what is meant by what said. Thomas divided pragmatic failure into two types, pragmatic-linguistic failure and social-pragmatic failure. Pragmatic-linguistic failure refers to the inability in i

28、nterpreting the linguistic meaning by mistaken beliefs about pragmatic force of utterance. And s</p><p>　　Pragmatic-linguistic failure can be regarded as the part of the grammar and easy to overcome. Social

29、pragmatic failure, however, involves the speakers’ knowledge of the language and system of belief which makes it more difficult to deal with. Pragmatic- linguistic failures may only make others think that you are “speaki

30、ng badly”, but social pragmatic failure may probably leave others the impression of “behaving badly” and cause great embarrassment and misunderstandings during inter-cultural comm</p><p>　　3 Typical Analyses

31、</p><p>　　Because of the negative transfer of native culture to target culture, social pragmatic failures have become one of main factors lead to the communication barriers. Here I list six aspects of reflec

32、ting social pragmatic failures and the compares are presented between china and western countries.</p><p>　　3.1 Form of Address</p><p>　　Every country has its own way to address people. In the p

33、rocess of cross-cultural communication, we have to be cautious enough to choose the right form of address according to other people’s culture. </p><p>　　Case (1) (A Chinese student greets his foreign teacher

34、)</p><p>　　Student: “Hello, Teacher Hedges.”</p><p>　　Analyses: In china, it’s quite natural for students to call their teachers by combing the title of the profession and the first name. But in

35、 western countries, especially in American, “teacher” is just a profession but not a form of address. The right way to greet teachers is to add Mr/Mrs/Miss in front of one’s family name, or call their name straightforwar

36、dly.</p><p>　　Case (2) (A child in china met an American in a park and tried to speak to him courteously)</p><p>　　A: Uncle, how do you do?</p><p>　　B: Please call me John; I’m not

37、your uncle.</p><p>　　Analyses: In China, children often call the elder people uncle or aunt for the sake of showing their great respect to them. But in western countries, the appellation of “uncle” can only

38、be used by relatives. If they heard unfamiliar people call them “uncle” or “aunt”, they may feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.</p><p>　　3.2 Value Orientation</p><p>　　One of the main factors cau

39、sing social pragmatic failures is considered as the different belief orientations. And the differences reflected in people’s usage of language during the cross-cultural communication. That’s the reason why different peop

40、le have different responses towards compliment and gratitude.</p><p>　　3.2.1 Compliment Response</p><p>　　Case (3) (A Chinese visiting scholar to American is praised by her American friend)</

41、p><p>　　American friend: That’s a lovely dress you have on.</p><p>　　Chinese scholar: No, no, it’s just a very ordinary dress.</p><p>　　Analyses: In traditional Chinese culture, being

42、modest and prudent has been highly appreciated. People tend to depreciate themselves and put a higher value on other people. But in western countries, it’s quite natural for people to praise others, and it’s just a way o

43、f greeting. The different attitudes towards compliment response may certainly cause social pragmatic failures or communication barriers.</p><p>　　3.2.2 Gratitude Response</p><p>　　Case (4) (Afte

44、r a Chinese host accompanied a foreign businessman)</p><p>　　Foreign businessman: Thank you for accompanying me.</p><p>　　Chinese host: Don’t mention it. It’s my duty to do so.</p><p&

45、gt;　　Analyses: Here, what the second speaker says makes the foreigner feel embarrassed, because he misunderstands the meaning of “duty”----what one must do either because of one’s job or because one thinks it right. Inst

46、ead, the Chinese host should say, “It’s a pleasure!”</p><p>　　3.3 Politeness</p><p>　　Being polite is one of the main signals of human civilization. Different cultures have different ways of sho

47、wing politeness to others. In china, people pay much attention to behaviors and tend to express courtesy in an indirect way. But for westerners, they are likely to use language to express their politeness orally in a ver

48、y direct way. They are often saying “Hello”, “Nice to meet you”, “You are so pretty” or “You are so cute” to strangers even without thinking about it. Chinese people would </p><p>　　3.4 Privacy</p>&l

49、t;p>　　Case (5) many foreigners who came to china for the first time often feel uncomfortable about some questions asked by Chinese people, such as “Where are you going?”, “Are you married?”, “Have you had your dinner?

50、”.</p><p>　　Analyses: People must live and interact together to survive. In dong so, they must develop a way of relating that strikes a balance between showing concern for themselves and concern for others.

51、Hofstede has put forth the individualism-collectivism dimension. Unlike those western countries which tend to hold the individual orientation, Chinese people prefer a collectivist orientation. Thus, privacy in china has

52、not been placed in a position as high as in western cultures. Westerners have a much </p><p>　　3.5 Taboos</p><p>　　Every culture has its own taboos; different cultures have totally different tab

53、oos.</p><p>　　Case (6), A Chinese student Xiaozhang saw an old American lady carry a large bag, and said to her, “Can I help you, old lady?” Then the old lady looked at him angrily, said nothing and went awa

54、y.</p><p>　　Analyses: In Chinese traditional culture, old people had been given great respect by younger generations. Because we maintain that old people usually have a rich experience and can always give us

55、 many constructive suggests when we want to achieve some progress. Hence, we are apt to call people “Laozhang”, “Laoshifu”, and “Dajie” to show our respect to those people. The word “old” was greatly appreciated and wide

56、ly accepted in china. But in western countries, the word “old” is a taboo for them; t</p><p>　　The Causes of Social Pragmatic Failures </p><p>　　There are many reasons of the social pragmatic fa

57、ilures. This problem can be analyzed from different view angles. Because of its diversity and complexity, here, only three of the most brief and easily understood causes are listed below.</p><p>　　4.1 Attitu

58、de Towards the Relationships of Humans to Nature</p><p>　　China is a country which holds a view that man should be harmonious with nature and seek for peacefulness. We believe that nature would treat us well

59、 if we treat nature well, so the relationship between humans and nature is respect and fear. Since our culture teaches integration with nature, harmony and balance, we are likely to seek harmony and balance in social rel

60、ationship as well. What’s more, the substance of Confucianism in china is peace. Confucianism advocates that people should be modes</p><p>　　On the contrary, westerners, especially Americans see a clear sepa

61、ration between man and nature and man is clearly held to be in charge. Thus, they usually have an insatiable drive to subdue, dominate, and control their natural environment. Because of this, they think they are separate

62、 from others and can use scientific methods to control people and events. That’s the reason why westerners are so progressive and pay much attention to self-development and place privacy on a very high level. There</p

63、><p>　　4.2 Sense of Time</p><p>　　The majority of Chinese people hold the belief of both future and past orientation. Our cultural memories are rich and deep, people usually look back to a period w

64、hen they want to make changes for the sake of absorbing the past experience. In china, old people had been greatly respected by youngsters. In traditional Chinese family, important decisions have to be agreed by the olde

65、st people in the family. But in western countries, old people don’t enjoy a status as high as Chinese old people do. </p><p>　　4.3 Different Social Relationships</p><p>　　Chinese people’s behavi

66、or reflects the group pattern of social relationships. In the group pattern of social relationships members of groups may be relatively equal. Each person’s social identity comes from their group memberships. People feel

67、 dependent on the group, safe within it, proud and competitive with other groups. The groups need time to find out what each member is thinking and feeling. Once the group has made the decision, the whole group rather th

68、an one person is responsible for it. </p><p>　　The Ways to Deal With Social Pragmatic Failures</p><p>　　As is known to all, the cross-cultural communication has become an inevitable trend in tod

69、ay’s society. In order to solve the problems of social pragmatic failures which are the main causes of communication barriers and have an effective cross-cultural communication, we should adopt many different kinds of me

70、thods and try to solve this problem effectively.</p><p>　　5.1 Raising Awareness</p><p>　　First of all, raise our awareness about this issue. Many people don’t know the fact that different people

71、 from different backgrounds may have quite different values. Some people just assume that other people must think and behave in the same way as they do. Many barriers occur frequently during the process of cross-cultural

72、 communication because of this improvident view. Therefore, we should bear in mind the reality of cultural difference if we want to understand other people better who come fro</p><p>　　5.2 Changing the Viewi

73、ng Angle</p><p>　　Secondly, another strategy you can use is to practice seeing your culture the way others who are not a part of it see it. Foreign observers are usually far from objective, but they often no

74、tice things that you have never noticed. They were able to see things that the natives took for granted. When we try to look upon things from their point of view, we probably come across a lot of new ideas and seize some

75、 effective ways to solve the problem of social pragmatic failures. That’s the reason why so</p><p>　　5.3 Making Practice</p><p>　　Finally, doing practice is the best way to know other country’s

76、culture and help us avoid social pragmatic failures during the communication. For instance, we’d better read more English novels, listen to English songs, or watch English movies as often as we can. The final goal of the

77、se practices are to help us form a way of English thinking and to have a deeper understanding of foreign cultures, which is an essential factor to influence the success of inter-cultural communication. Besides, grasp<

78、/p><p>　　Conclusion</p><p>　　The final goal of the study about the social pragmatic failures is to achieve a Cross-cultural communication competence. Therefore, we have to learn to approach our own

79、 culture more analytically and to be cautious when we are interpreting other cultures. But today, what children had been imparted by teachers is mainly linguistic usage of a foreign language and the knowledge of culture

80、had been overlooked. In order to conquer a foreign language, we should put great emphasis on both language learn</p><p>　　References</p><p>　　[1] Davis, L. 2001. Cross-cultural Communication in

81、Action [M]. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.</p><p>　　[2] Kramsch, C. 2000. Language and culture [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.</p><p>　　[3] Rich

82、ard, E.﹠Stefani, L. 2000. Communication Between Cultures [M]. Beijing: Beijing Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.</p><p>　　[4] Thomas, J. 1983. “Cross-cultural pragmatic failure” [J]. Applied Ling

83、uistics</p><p><b>　　(4).</b></p><p>　　[5] Xu, Lisheng. 2009. Intercultural Communication in English (Revised Edition) [M]. Shanghai：Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.</p&g

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