Cross-Cultural Studies: Seminar One

Questions & tasks

1. The subject of cross-cultural studies.

2. Aims pursued by cross-cultural studies.

Cross-cultural research can be conducted for theoretical or practical
purposes. The second should have some priority over the first. The goals
of methodology in cross-cultural research include reliability, validity,
representativeness of experimental tasks, and their generalisation to
behaviour in different cultures.
3. The British / Americans / Ukrainians viewed
cross-culturally.

4. Behavioral models of the contrasted cultures

The British tend to be more fatalistic or pragmatic, while Americans are
more optimistic, and perhaps in some ways, considered entitled. British
humor tends to be more dry, witty, sarcastic or high-brow, which simply
means intellectual. American humor, on the other hand, tends to be a
little more slapstick.

Addressing people

In English-speaking countries, individuals are given three names: the first

name, the middle/second name, and the last name. The first two names
are the person’s common names; however, they will only share the
name they go by during the introduction. In this case, the first name or
middle name may be used as the preferred name by the person. Asking
for the person’s second common name is rarely done and should not be
done during introductions. At a first meeting, if an American addresses a
Ukrainian as “Mr. Petrenko,” the response should be, “Mr. Smith,” and
that should be the form of address until Smith either says, “Call me Jim”
or calls his interlocutor “Ihor.” If one is unsure of what to call someone,
it is best to use a formal address or simpy ask one of these questions:
What should I call you? Can I call you [first name]?

Meeting Someone New

Place of Residence. One of the most commonly asked questions in
Ukrainian is “Звідки ти/ви?” This phrase in English is “Where are you
from?” or“Where do you come from?” The expected answer will be that
of America, theperson’s state of residence, or possibly their city of
origin. If this is the information that the Ukrainian speaker of English
wishes to gain, the question “Where do youcome from?” is the
appropriate question. Ukrainian speakers of English should beaware that
while in Ukrainian the question “Звідки ти/ви?” is sometimes
interchanged with “Де ти живеш?” in English the corresponding phrase
“Where do
you come from” is never equivalent to the words “Where do you live?”
(Kovalskaya
& Ritchey, 2001: 12). When asking a person where they live in English,
they will respond with an answer that tells their current residence no
matter if they have lived there one year or ten years. The mobility of
American society allows and often requires frequent moves from place
to place. Such phrases found in the English Language as “Home is where
you hang your hat” and “Home is where the heart is,”

Studies. One of the most confusing areas of conversation between

Ukrainians and Americans is that of studies. Let us consider the following
example: “On several occasions, I have used the word “student” to
describe someone studying in a school, and have been very quickly
corrected – “He is only a pupil” (Puffalt & Starko, 2003: 33).
From this example, we see that while a Ukrainian will use the word
“студент”/“студентка” only to refer to someone who studies at a higher
educational institution, an American will use the word “student” to refer
to anyone of any age who studies anywhere from pre-school to the
university level. The Ukrainian term used to
describe students who are high-school age or below is
“учень”/“учениця”. The popular
translation of “учень”/“учениця” into English is often made with the
help of the British word “pupil”, which Americans understand but do not
use. It is essential when translating the word “student” into
“студент”/“студентка” or “учень”/“учениця” to
give careful attention to the age and type of institution of the learner
5. Attitude to time & space
Being on time is very important. Many Americans keep a schedule and
may seem rude or disruptive if you are late. Call if you are going to be
late. Cancel appointments at least one day before.
British people are very strict when it comes to punctuality.In Britain
people make a great effort to be on time ,and it is considered to be
impolite to be late, even a few minutes . If you are delayed ,be sure to
inform the person you are supposed to meet

Foreigners in Ukraine find that being late is the norm for Ukrainians.
Arriving five minutes late to an appointment or meeting is usually seen
as perfectly fine.

Americans are typically polite but they also are very private people. They
want to be perceived as nice, friendly, and helpful, but many want to
preserve their private space and not get too close to people right away.
6. Attitude to silence. Small talk
Small talk varies from country to country.

A lot of Americans participate in what is called small talk, where you

make conversation with strangers or acquaintances about non-
controversial topics, such as the weather, sports, or popular television
shows. While waiting at a bus stop, in line at a store, or in an elevator,
don’t be startled if a stranger says something to you like, “Did you watch
the Super Bowl last night? What a game!” They might also make a joke
about the long line you’re both in, or comment on the current situation.
Small talk is supposed to be harmless, so it’s not okay if a stranger says
something that makes you uncomfortable.

Some Americans detest small talk but they realize it’s part of the
American culture to chat about harmless topics in order to establish a
connection and to start building a friendship.
In the USA, people use a lot of compliments in small talk, such as: ‘I love
your earrings, T shirt, trainers’.

British people are quite reserved and don’t like to get straight into deep
conversations with strangers. They like to get to know them a bit first,
and small talk is a perfect way to do this.
Small talk can often lead to "bigger" talk, and to a deeper relationship
with people. It’s a bit like the first course of a meal. Don't forget to use a
smile and a friendly tone of voice!

When asking a Ukrainian “Як справи?” (“How are things?”), they often
answer “Нормально”. It is important to note that the Ukrainian word
“нормально”
does not convey the idea inherent in “normal.” The closest rendering of
“нормально” would be “OK, I guess,” or “Not bad.”

It is also not natural for Ukrainians to compliment strangers or to talk to

them at all. If in America they can just start talking at the bus stop, then
for Ukrainians it is normal to just stand and wait for the bus

Tasks
 Write down a project for 3-4 pages about your
experience of talking to foreigners or
 Write down the project “Why should I study
cultures to know languages?” or
 It can be any other project on the adjacent topic
concerning cultural differences.