1、Cultural differences in politeness between western and Chinese 1.Greeting In China,When people meet friends,we always say,“Have you eaten yet?”What are you going to do?”In English,people often employ the following expressions to greet each other“Good morning/evening/afternoon.“Fine day,isnt it?”How
2、is everything going?”,etc.2.Addressing n In China,the surname comes first and then the given name.nWhile westerners names are written and spoken with the given name first and the family name last.East&WestnA Chinese hostess will apologize for giving you“Nothing”.She will say“I just made some dishes
3、casually and they are not very tasty.”nAn western hostess is likely to say,”Oh,I am so glad that you liked it.I cook it especially for you.”4.Thanks and ResponsesnIn China,“Thank you”is not frequently used between intimate friends and family members because it may imply a certain distance between th
4、e addresser and the addressee.n“Thank you”is widely used in English to show gratitude in such cases as beinginvited,helped,given a gift,etc.n 5.Asking Personal AffairsnPeople from China do not regard it as asking personal affairs when they ask others name、age、marital status、wages、personal life、belie
5、f and political points.It is regard as concerns.While the westerns will think you violate their right of privacy.East&Westnwhen we talk to the westerns,we must avoid asking some questions like this:n“How old are you?”n“Are you married？”n“How many children do you have？”n“How much do you make？”n“Do yo
6、u go to the church？”nIn the culture of British and America,it is very important to consult a time before you invite somebody to attend a banquet or take part in social activities.Esp.in America,invite somebody means you are borrow times of others.So they respect time very much.While in China,people
7、are prefer to an uninvited guest.6.Invitation Different cultural factors may result in cultural differences.n1.Cultural Backgroundn2.Different values n3.Individualism and Collectivismn4.Family n5.Nationalism Something about western families nWestern families advocate equality in daily life.The husband and the wife usually have an equality voice in decision-making,and on certain matters,the children,too,have a vote.GROUP MEMBER
