DOMANDE INGLESE

CHIUSE

1 'Susu, dear, I need the vacuum cleaner right away!' This is an example of which type of
politeness strategy?
off-record
negative politeness
neutral politeness
positive politeness

2 "Culture is the collective programming of the mind". This definition was provided by ...
David Katan
Brian Fay
Geert Hofstede
Edward Barnett Tylor

3 In Kachru’s model for representing English speakers, the ‘outer circle’ includes …
speakers of English as a lingua franca
speakers of English as a foreign language
speakers of English as a native language
speakers of English as a second language

4 HCC stands for ...

Highly Context of Culture
High Cultural Context
High-Context Communication
High Communication in Context

5 Following Prof. David Crystal, English became a global language …

because of its easy grammar
because of its flexibility
because of the influence and dominance of USA
because is easier to pronounce than other languages

6 Who defined the concepts of ‘monochronic time’ and ‘polychronic time’ ?

Edward T. Hall
Fons Trompenaars
Geert Hofstede
Charles Hampden-Turner

7 According to Halliday’s ‘context of situation’, in a communicative event ‘field’ refers to ...the n

the role language plays in a communicative event
the participants' area of expertise
the nature of the social actions, i.e. what is going on
the participants, their roles and and relationships between them

8 Which of the following Face Threatening Acts is a threat to a person's positive face?
giving an order
disagreeing
making a request
asking for a favour

9 According to Fina (2018), the absence of safety advice in audio guides produced in Italy could be
due to…
a preference for high power distance
a preference for explicitness
a preference for implicitness
a preference for individualism

10 In ELF, replacing the idiom “It’s just not cricket” with the expression “It’s just not fair” is an
example of what ELF strategy?
transparency
negative politeness
positive politeness
lexical creativity

11 Which of the following is WRONG?

Systemic thinking focuses on details rather than the ‘whole’
Systemic thinking focuses on the ‘whole’ rather than details
Inductive thinking is a feature of LC-oriented cultures
In linear thinking problems are dissected into sequences
12 According to Fina (2018), the presence of safety advice in audio guides produced in Britain and
the USA could be due to …
a preference for explicitness
a preference for individualism
a preference for implicitness
a preference for collectivism
13 At which stage of the DMIS do we use our knowledge to intentionally shift into a different
frame of reference?
denial
adaptation
minimization
acceptance
14 Which of these does NOT characterise the High-Context operating mode?
Emphasis on appearance over substance
Emphasis on circumstances over rules
Preference for indirectness
Emphasis on objective facts over emotions/relationships
15 In the video ‘Cultural Proxemics’, personal space is compared to …
indoor environment
a secret diary
a portable air bubble
outdoor environment
16 In ELF, words like 'hearable' or "clearness" are examples of …
trasparency
knowledge of an inferior variety of English
lexical creativity
polychronic perception of time
17 Kachru's model was criticized because …
it is too difficult for students to memorize
it does not take into account colonial history
speakers are not defined in terms of proficiency in English
it was not criticized at all

18 In linguistics and communication theory, the concept of ‘tenor’ appears in:

Hall's Cultural Iceberg
Halliday’s context of situation
a male singing voice that can reach the range of notes below
Kachru’s model for representing English speakers

19 Deductive Thinking …
involves individualism
focuses on theories, logic and principles
characterises a low-context operating mode
focuses on facts and statistics

20 'I can maintain my own values and also behave in culturally appropriate ways.' Which stage of
the DMIS does this phrase refer to?
adaptation
acceptance
integration
defence
21 Invisible culture is ...
explicitly learned
objective
unconscious
easily changed
22 'The degree to which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with ambiguous situations and
risks.’ This is the definition of ...
uncertainty avoidance
individualism
power distance
collectivism
23 ‘Harmony should always be maintained and direct confrontations avoided.’ This statement
indicates an orientation towards …
polychronic time
collectivism
low power distance
systemic thinking

24 In Kachru’s model for representing English speakers, the ‘inner circle’ includes …
speakers of English as a native language
speakers of English as a second language
speakers of English as a foreign language
speakers of English as a lingua franca
25 'Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets.' (HP2) This is an
example of which type of politeness strategy?
positive politeness
negative politeness
off-record
bald on-record
26 Could I please borrow your vacuum cleaner for just an hour?' This is an example of which type
of politeness strategy?
off-record
negative politeness
positive politeness
bald on-record
27 Who defined culture as a "text the vocabulary and grammar of which its members learn?"
Geert Hofstede
Bronislaw Malinowsky
Brian Street
Brian Fay
28 'Bring me the vacuum cleaner!' This is an example of which type of politeness strategy?
positive politeness
negative politeness
bald on-record
off-record
29 How many circles are there in Kachru’s model of English users?
three
two
four
five
30 Who said "An utterance becomes intelligible when it is placed within its context of situation"?
Charles Hampden-Turner
Brian Fay
Bronislaw Malinowski
David Katan
31 In Kachru's model, speakers of ESL belong to …
the expanding circle
the outer circle
the inner circle
the triangle in the middle
32 Which of the following utterances is an example of negative politeness?

Bring me the vacuum cleaner!

Susu, dear, I need the vacuum cleaner right away!
Could I please borrow your vacuum cleaner for just an hour?
Our vacuum cleaner just broke down. The floors are very dusty!
33 According to ELF studies, which of the following features is NON CRUCIAL for
understanding?
Tonic stress
Vowel length contrast
All consonant sounds, with no exceptions
The 'th' sound
34 ‘The degree to which individuals let others into their life’. This is the definition of:
psychological space
uncertainty avoidance
power distance
politeness
35 'I’m not sure I agree with your interpretation of that.' This utterance can be defined as ...
a bald on-record politeness strategy
a positive face-threatening speech act
a face-rejecting speech act
a face-appreciating speech act
36 Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Informal culture in neither taught nor learned
Technical culture is teachable
Informal culture is out-of-awareness
Formal culture corresponds to encyclopaedic knowledge
37 Which of the following is a feature of the Low Context operating mode?
polychronic time
emphasis on appearance over substance
emphasis on feelings and emotions over objective facts
monochronic time

38 If in a society people’s self image is defined in terms of ‘We’, that society is characterised by ...
a strong uncertainty avoidance
a tightly-knit framework
a loosely-knit framework
a weak uncertainty avoidance

39 If in a society people’s self-image is defined in terms of ‘I’, that society is ...

characterised by strong uncertainty avoidance
individualism-oriented
collectivism-oriented
characterised by weak uncertainty avoidance
40 According to ELF studies, which of the following features is CRUCIAL for understanding?
The substitution of the 'th' sound with 'd' or 'z'
The vowel-like pronunciation of ‘L' before a consonant
Omission of consonants in consonant clusters
Vowel length contrast
41 In Kachru’s model for representing English speakers, the ‘expanding circle’ includes …
speakers of English as a native language
speakers of English as a second language
speakers of English as a lingua franca
speakers of English as a foreign language
42 What is different is curious'. This statement indicates an orientation towards …
weak uncertainty avoidance
diffuse psychological space
polychronic time
systemic thinking
43 Following Prof. Crystal, what aspect of language is mainly involved when English is 'adapted'?
Vocabulary
Word stress
Grammar
Sintax
44 At which stage of the DMIS do we realise that our ethnocentric model of the world is NOT the
only one?
adaptation
integration
blindness
acceptance
45 According to Halliday’s ‘context of situation’, in a communicative event ‘mode’ refers to:
the nature of the social action, i.e. what is going on
the role language plays in the communicative event
the tone of voice
the participants, their roles and relationships between them
46 'If I were you, I’d consult a doctor. That sounds serious.' This utterance can be defined as ...
a face-rejecting speech act
a negative face-threatening speech act
a positive face-threatening speech act
a face-appreciating speech act

APERTE SU TUTTO

1. A) What is the DMIS? B) Explain its three ethnorelative stages and C) provide one typical phrase
for each of these stages. (Make sure your answer covers all points A B and C)
2. Culture is a complex concept and has been defined in different ways by different scholars. A)
Provide two definitions of your choice (please mention the authors of the chosen definitions) and B)
illustrate your interpretation of them. (Make sure your answer covers all points A and B)
3. Describe in detail Kachru’s model for representing English speakers. (do NOT mention criticism)

4. A) Explain the ‘Time’ Orientation, B) how it can vary across cultures and C) provide practical,
linguistic examples of the two opposite perceptions of time. (Make sure your answer covers all
points A B and C)

5 A) Explain the ‘collectivism vs individualism’ orientation, B) how it can vary across cultures and
C) describe at least one behaviour related to each orientation. (Make sure your answer covers all
points A B and C)
6 A) Define the ‘Thinking’ orientation, B) explain how it can vary across cultures and C) illustrate
‘thinking’ in the descriptions of the surroundings in TripAdvisor travel reviews according to Fina’s
study (2011). (Make sure your answer covers all points A B and C)

7 A) What are FTAs? B) Provide one linguistic example of negative and positive FTAs. (Make sure
your answer covers all points A and B)

8. Describe the concept of culture by referring to Hall’s Iceberg Theory and Triad of Culture.

9. An Erasmus student you met should have sent you back the book you lent him/her 3 weeks ago.
Write him/her an email in a very low context style, asking for the book back. Then, rewrite the
same email using a very high context style.

10. Explain A) what ELF is, B) how it is used and why it is important, and C) list the features of
ELF that are crucial for understanding. (Make sure your answer covers all points A B and C)
11 A) Define ‘uncertainty avoidance’, B) explain how it can vary across cultures and C) describe
the behaviours related to the two opposite perceptions of uncertainty avoidance. (Make sure your
answer covers all points A B and C)

12 A) Define the ‘Power Distance’ orientation, B) explain how it can vary across cultures and C)
describe at least one behaviour related to the two opposite perceptions of power distance. (Make
sure your answer covers all points A B and C)
13 Explain in detail why Kachru’s model was criticised. (do NOT describe the circles)
14 Explain Hofstede’s cultural orientations ‘individualism’ and ‘collectivism’ and provide one
relevant example among those mentioned in Reading Assignment 3 on Individualism vs
Collectivism from Holliday’s book.

15 A) What do ENL and ELF stand for? B) What is the difference in the use of English between
ENL speakers and ELF speakers? (Make sure your answer covers all points A and B)

APERTE SULLE READINGS/VIDEO

1. Summarise Prof. David Crystal’s view of world Englishes in the video “Interview to Prof. David
Crystal in Serbia – World Englishes” (what the expression “world Englishes” refers to, how
varieties of English develop, the aspect of language that is mainly involved, one practical example).
2. In the video “Cultural proxemics. Personal space”, how many zones of interpersonal distance
were identified by Edward Hall? List and explain them.
3. By referring to Reading Assignment 5 “Schemas – fixed or flexible”, define A) what schemas
are, B) the difference between a type and a stereotype, and C) why schemas should be constantly
updated. (Make sure your answer covers all points A B and C)
4 In the video “Cultural proxemics. Personal space”, what is personal space compared to and how
is personal space defined by Robert Sommer?

5 List and explain the four key aspects of culture identified by Fay in Text B0.2.1 (Reading
Assignment 1).

6 According to the video “Cultural proxemics. Personal space”, why do the Germans tend to keep
the door closed while they are working? And why to the Americans tend towards the opposite
behaviour?

7 In her chapter “How Much Respect Do You Want? Leadership, Hierarchy, and Power” (Reading
Assignment 5), Erin Meyer extensively exemplifies cross-cultural differences relating to power
distance. A) Choose one key point discussed by Meyer and B) provide two examples that you found
most effective. (Make sure your answer covers alla points A and B)
8 In her article on HCC vs LCC communication Erin Meyer (Reading Assignment 2) extensively
exemplifies cross-cultural differences relating to HC and LC communication. A) Choose one key
point discussed by Meyer and B) provide two examples that you found most effective. (Make sure
your answer covers alla points A and B)

RAG
1 An Italian young mother is in Russia for winter holidays. An old Russian woman scolds her for
not wrapping her child properly.
--Which of the Cultural Orientations studied is relevant to this intercultural situation?
--Use the value orientation that you mentioned in point 1 to describe how the old Russian woman's
'strange' behaviour can be re-interpreted.
2 In a business meeting between an Arab and an American, the American businessman’s attempts to
discuss business straightaway are interrupted by the Arabic businessman’s digressions or phone
calls. (video 'Royce Litt')
1. Decide whether you are the Arabian or the American businessman.
2. Use each step of the RAG to re-interpret the other's behaviour. (Feel free to use a bulleted list, if
you wish. You do NOT need to write extensive explanations; just make sure you briefly apply each
step of the RAG

3 In a business meeting between an Arab and an American, the American businessman’s attempts to
discuss business straightaway are interrupted by the Arabian businessman’s digressions or phone
calls. (video 'Royce Litt')
Describe the difference in behaviour between the two characters by referring to the relevant
Cultural Orientations and the Contexting theory. (Do NOT describe what happens in the video.
Instead, focus your discussion on the cultural orientations involved

4 In the last part of the course your lecturer applied the RAG to a culture shock that she experienced
when she was on a study trip in Russia. The culture shock was about dress code to access a place
for worship.
Your task is to apply the RAG to her culture shock. Use each step of the RAG to re-interpret the
other's behaviour. (Feel free to use a bulleted list, if you wish. You do NOT need to write extensive
explanations; just make sure you briefly apply each step of the RAG)