During the lecture, it was said that Americans have a principle of agreement, and hence would agree with you even though they might not. I found this very surprising!
I wouldn't say I agree or disagree with that statement because I don't have actual data to back up my claim. However, Americans areso often portrayed as a people who embrace individualism and naturally, I would assume that they will not hesitate in disagreeing with your viewpoint. Of course we might all be making statements that are too general. Yet, I also find that human behaviour is far too complicated ever categorise people perfectly. There are just too many variables.
So if you were to have a serious conversation with an American now, and if this person agrees with something you say, would you believe him or not?
Or if you were to have a serious conversation with a Singaporean you've never met before, and if this person agrees with what you have to say, would you believe him or not?
There are so many other variables to consider - his tone, body language, motives, etc. Language is powerful and effective in communicating ideas, but really, understanding goes far beyond language.
I guess the best would be for me to have an open mind right now, and to see what else I will learn in this module (:
second that! :D
ReplyDeletewith globalization and somehow westernization too, we can't simply distinguish between an American and Asian for example, simply with mere conversations.
cya in class!
-michelle
Actually if an American were to compliment me, I might not be fully convinced because it seems to be part of their culture to dish out compliments regularly? Then perhaps in response, I'll start doing the 'Asian' way of thanking and denigrating... haha.
ReplyDeleteI think culture and social norms really play a huge part in our social interactions. And I agree with you, communication is more than just language. There are just certain things that words cannot fully express. =)
- Chiew Shan
We may not be talking about one single interaction. I agree that personality differs from one person to another, but does it mean that no group patterns can be drawn?
ReplyDeleteBig cultural concepts such as individualism and collectivism have often be invoked to explain patterns of language use. But they also have their limitations, which we'll talk about later in the semester.