3 Charisma & Language Use (Part 1).ppt

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES










SUBJECT:



COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE

Lecturer : Dr. BẢO ĐẠT
Student : QUAÙCH THỊ NGỌC UYỂN
Class : DIP 6A

Communication and culture
TOPIC

“ Design and pilot an empirical investigation into
some aspect of intercultural issues such as culture bump or
culture shock. This is done by interviewing with a foreigner
in Vietnam about his/her cultural experience such as
intercultural obstacles to living in Vietnam, how
expectations met or fail to meet, what was the most
outstanding culture shock experience, what are some beliefs
and values one should learn from such cultural experiences,
etc…

Please conduct a project individually or with a
partner of your own choice. If a joint project is submitted, it
is understood that the participants agree to receive the same
grade for that assignment.”
Student: Quach Thi Ngoc Uyen – DIP 6A
2
Communication and culture

English is now the dominant or official language in over sixty countries
and is learnt in every country (Crystal, 1997). Approximately, 450
million people speak English. From this fact, it can be understood that

the English language is a vital means of communication for millions of
people around the world.

As know so far, English is commonly used as a medium for the
communication of information and news. About three – quarters of all
telex messages and telegrams are sent in English. Eighty percent of
computer date are processed and stored in English. Much satellite
communication is carried in English.

Popular culture has also played an important part in spreading English.
English is spoken in hotels and travel agencies, at airport, and in shops
that tourists frequent …

Vietnam is a country on its impetus. Ho Chi Minh City is the biggest
one in whole country. It is an important center of culture, sciences,
technique and commerce, and there are also lots of foreigners living
here. They cope with lots of difficulties in daily life.

(i) About languages:

A foreigner coming to Vietnam to live, his main language is often
English. It will be difficult for him to get used to local area when he
can’t speak Vietnamese while most of Vietnamese can’t speak English.
Althought in Ho Chi Minh City, there are lots of people who are good at
English and Vietnamese students are also good at foreign languages, but
they often work for businesses or schools. Therefore daily activities of
foreigners living in Vietnam will cope with difficulties of divergent
languages. They feel shock on contacting local customs and habits.

Student: Quach Thi Ngoc Uyen – DIP 6A
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Communication and culture
(2) About paper procedures:
Wedding is a complicated procedure. A foreigner wants to marry a
Vietnamese, they have to wait for a long time. Sometimes, their papers
are returned. They obtain a marriage certificate with difficulty.
Characteristics of Western people are brisk and punctual. They do
treasure time. But living in Vietnam, they feel inconvenient when
waiting for paper procedures. Therefore, the experience of a foreigner
living in Vietnam is that they are worried of illegal papers which occupy
lots of their time.

(3) About currency:
Services of eating, drinking and commodities in Vietnam are much
cheaper that those in Western countries. But when paying they are
flabbergasted on price quotation. For example, a dish of rice is only one
dollar, but they hear “Eighteen thousand dong!” It is quite tired of
calculating the rate of exchange! It is one of the problems which causes
shocks to foreigners in Vietnam.
(4) About housing:
Proverb said, “Eating Chinese dishes and living in Western houses”. In
Western houses, there are full of comforts such as eclectricity, water and
airconditioners. They live in buildings while in our country, houses can’t
satisfy their demands. In case of long term living, foreigners will rent
high ranking and expensive apartments. They condermn that our people
live in slum districts. It is a clash in culture, life of the two mankind
civilizations.

(5) About traffic
Englishmen coming to Vietnam are surprised and embarrssed on seeing
that we keep drive on the right instead on the left as their long
standing habit. They are overcome by fear when passing across the
streets. Motorbikes rushing through the lines before green traffic light
nearby make a high dive into them. There is often jammed traffic
because of narrow streets.

The streets have much dust, old vehicles always make noise and are
causes of heavy polluted environment.

Air pollution is caused by the gases, smoke and dust. These hamrful
gases cause difficulty in breathing and many other respiratory diseases
such as asthama and tuberculosis. The foreigners feel awful when they
meet these cases.
Student: Quach Thi Ngoc Uyen – DIP 6A
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Communication and culture
(6) Eating and drinking:

Vietnamese dishes are very appetite and diversified. We process food for
table companions using chopsticks. Foreigners will feel embarrassed
when they are unfamiliar with this style. Forks and knives are their
uses for eating and drinking. They don’t know how to eat if we invite
them for meals in a Vietnamese family. It must be that he will waver
and we, Vietnamese hosts also hesitate when we entertain a person
with his habit of using forks and knives.

In big restaurants in Vietnam, there are enough comforts to serve
foreign guests. But if living in long term in Vietnam, there is no reason

why he goes to expensive and luxurious restaurants to eat? Then he
reluctantly has to eat at common restaurants.

And problems of sanitation will be set up. Our people, they have little
money and common restaurants are their familiar places after work.
Here it incurred a cultural strike between two ethnic groups, between
the rich and the poor.

(7) About entertaiment:
A foreigner comes to live in Vietnam. He wants to have relaxation after
hard work. He may visit famous landscape sights or go to the
countryside to learn about Vietnamese culture.

And a thing which makes him not to be joyful is that litter scatters
everywhere at amusement places full of charming landscape.
Vietnamese inhabitants do not have the sense of protection of
environment. For example, when foreigners sight – seeing Ha Long
Bay. It is set in a magnificent landscape of rolling green hills. Suddently
they meet by chance some Vietnamese people throw trash onto the
water. They feel disappointed because polluted water can directly harm
to people’s health and kill fish.

It is not interesting in a countryside with fresh air, trees laden with
fruit, peaceful rivers or yellow rice fields because country folks can’t
exchange languages with foreigners.
Foreigners want to know something about traditional music arts but
there are no translators. They watch classical dramas but know nothing.
They are tired of. They may not experience this stage.

Student: Quach Thi Ngoc Uyen – DIP 6A

5
Communication and culture
(8) About habits and customs:
Apart from worship, offering sacrifices are Vietnamese belief forms. On
these occasions of holding death anniversaries, dishes are put on trays
so long. It is not hygienic because of flies. Moreover, eating cool food
will be easy to cause diseases.
Especially foreigners are quite surprised on seeing people eating and
drinking next to coffins in funerals, not including tumultuous drums and
wind instrumentss producing a stir in an area. They are bad customs
which our government is managing to convice the inhabitants to quit.
What should we do to extricate the strikes relating to customs and
habits, nation culture? Everyday on media, they warn us to protect
environment, keep green, clean and beautiful sanitation. In hamlets,
there are always meetings to propagandize local residents to abolish
unsound customs, to live simply and wholesome.

Conclusion:

In brief, in order to experience in some fields of culture
and to be able to extricate strikes, foreigners living in Vietnam should
know how to get used to current situation. It is suggested him to
consider events in life in Vietnam as a mater of course. He should
ignore the discrimination between Vietnamese and his civilized people.
He should know that he is lucky to be the citizen of a country which
nature gives favor. He is allowed to live in a society which develops soon
due to sciences and technique.

And for us, we have to learn English or other foreign languages.
Especially, English is a widespead and important language in the world

today. It is used for everything from international conferences to news
reports. It is used not only for communication between native speaker of
English, but also between non-native speakers. It is the most widely
used language all over the world and it will be used by more and more
people in the world.

Vietnamese students should study proficiency in foreign languages.
Having proficiency in foreign languages we can grasp necessary
information quickly, avoid hazards caused by natural phenomena.
Proficiency in foreign languages can help us to comminicate with each
other easily.

(1,258 words)

Student: Quach Thi Ngoc Uyen – DIP 6A
6
Communication and culture
References:


Crystal, D (1997) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English language,
Cambridge: CUP, p. 106


Heath, S.B. 1983 “Ways of words: Language, life and work in
communities” New York: Cambridge.


Rogoff, B, 1990 “Cognitive development in social context”. New York:
Oxford.

The Earth. C, 2007 “Pollution” HCM City.



Student: Quach Thi Ngoc Uyen – DIP 6A
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