Com CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Lac Hong University
Faculty of Foreign Languages

CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Course book: Levine, D. R., Baxter, J., & McNulty, P. (1987). The culture puzzle. Cross-cultural
communication for English as a second language. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents.

CHAPTER 1:
ADDRESSING PEOPLE
(pp. 3-15)
On the completion of this chapter, students are supposed to:
+ see the cultural differences in the areas of: addressing people, use of first and last
names, greetings and farewells, distance between people, and handshaking;
+ know how to use forms of address appropriately and how to introduce yourself and
others.
1. Culture learning questions
 Think about how people in Vietnam address each other.
 Think about how people in the USA and other countries address each other.
 What can you learn about culture and language by the way people address each
other?
2. Cross-cultural interactions 1A & 1B
 Read the conversation carefully.
 Answer the T/F questions that follow the conversation.
 Answer the questions on page 5 to analyze the interaction.
 Talk about the way people in Vietnam address each other and introduce
themselves. Use the questions on page 5 to guide you.
 Read the revised conversation carefully and compare it with the original
conversation.
3. Focus on U.S. culture
Check your understanding of the U.S. culture by answering the T/F questions on
page 6.

4. Using forms of address
 Learn the special forms of address in the USA and how they are used in
communication. How about the forms of address in Vietnam?
 Solve culture puzzles 1 and 2.
 Do the assignment on page 9. Prepare a class report of what you’ve discovered.
5. Greetings and farewells
 Observe the way people in Vietnam greet each other and say goodbye and take
notes. Focus on the amount of touching, kind of eye contact, distance between
people, type of facial expressions, and amount of gesturing. Make the same
observation of people in other cultures. You can do this by watching them in real
life, in movies, or on TV, etc. Then list the cultural differences that you’ve found,
basing on your observations.
 Solve culture puzzle 3.
6. Making introductions
 Solve culture puzzle 4.
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 Learn the phrases to introduce yourself and others.
 Work with several classmates. Practice making introductions by doing the
activities on pages 13-14.
* Note: You should record the cross-cultural notes throughout the chapter for revision.
CHAPTER 2:
COMPLIMENTING & SHOWING APPRECIATION
(pp. 16-28)
On the completion of this chapter, students are supposed to:
+ see the cultural differences in when, why and what people compliment and gift
giving and receiving;
+ know how to give compliments, start conversations with compliments and show
appreciation appropriately in cross-cultural communication.

1. Culture learning questions
 Think about how often and how people in Vietnam give compliments.
 Think about how often and how people in the USA and other countries give
compliments.
 Think about how people in different cultures show appreciation by, for example,
giving gifts.
2. Cross-cultural interactions 2A & 2B
 Read the conversation carefully.
 Answer the T/F questions that follow the conversation.
 Answer the questions on page 17 to analyze the interaction.
 Talk about the way people in Vietnam give and respond to compliments. Use the
questions on page 17 to guide you.
 Read the revised conversation carefully and compare it with the original
conversation.
3. Focus on U.S. culture
Check your understanding of the U.S. culture by answering the T/F questions on
page 19.
4. Choosing words for complimenting
 Learn the kinds of things Americans usually compliment. How about Vietnamese
people?
 Learn the words Americans often use to give compliments. How about
Vietnamese people?
 Do the activities on pages 20-21.
5. Starting conversations with compliments
 How do Americans respond to compliments? How about Vietnamese people?
 Why do Americans seem to compliment frequently?
 Work with a classmate. Do the activity on page 23.
 Solve culture puzzle 1.
6. Giving and receiving gifts
 Think about the general customs of giving gifts in Vietnam, the USA and other

countries (what, when, to whom, for what reasons, etc.).
 Learn the typical gifts which are usually given on different occasions in the USA.
How about in Vietnam?
 Do the exercise on page 25.
 Solve culture puzzle 2.
 Do the assignment on page 26. Prepare a class report of what you’ve discovered.
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 Learn the phrases and expressions for showing appreciation. Work with a
classmate to practice these phrases and expressions in as many situations as
possible.
* Note: You should record the cross-cultural notes throughout the chapter for revision.

CHAPTER 3:
EXPRESSING EMOTIONS
(pp. 29-40)
On the completion of this chapter, students are supposed to see the differences in
expressing sadness and anger, verbalizing feelings, smiling and its meanings across cultures.
1. Culture learning questions
 Think about how people in Vietnam, in the USA and in other countries deal with
their emotions and react to others who are unhappy or upset.
 List the expressions or idioms in Vietnamese, in English and in other languages
that can help people understand cultural beliefs about expressing emotions.
2. Cross-cultural interactions 3A & 3B
 Read the conversation carefully.
 Answer the T/F questions that follow the conversation.
 Answer the questions on page 30 to analyze the interaction.
 Talk about the way people in Vietnam express their feelings and react to others
who are upset or unhappy. Use the questions on page 31 to guide you.

 Read the revised conversation carefully and compare it with the original
conversation.
3. Focus on U.S. culture
Check your understanding of the U.S. culture by answering the T/F questions on
page 32.
4. Cross-cultural differences
 Solve culture puzzle 1.
 Observe when and why people in Vietnam smile. Do the same for Americans and
other cultural groups. Basing on your observations, list the cultural differences
and discuss possible misunderstandings because of these differences.
 Solve culture puzzle 2.
 Observe the way people in Vietnam often express anger. Do the same for
Americans and other cultural groups. Can you make a cultural generalization or
does it depend on each individual?
5. Using verbal and non-verbal communication
 What is verbal and non-verbal communication?
 Can people from different cultures always understand each other’s non-verbal
communication?
 Think about examples of non-verbal communication in Vietnamese culture.
 Solve culture puzzle 3.
 Learn the phrases for expressing feelings. Work with a classmate to practice
these phrases in as many situations as possible.
* Note: You should record the cross-cultural notes throughout the chapter for revision.
CHAPTER 5:
SHOWING THAT YOU UNDERSTAND
(pp. 55-72)
On the completion of this chapter, students are supposed to:
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+ understand the importance of the following five skills to effective communication
with Americans: giving feedback, interrupting, asking for focused repetition, asking for
meaning, and checking bits of information;
+ improve the skills above through practice.
1. Culture learning questions
 Think about how people in Vietnam and people in the USA interact in
Vietnamese and in English respectively in terms of giving feedback, interrupting,
etc. Are there any similarities and differences?
 What is the importance of learning the rules of communication in the foreign
language you’re learning?
2. Cross-cultural interactions 5A & 5B
 Read the conversation carefully.
 Answer the T/F questions that follow the conversation.
 Answer the questions on page 30 to analyze the interaction.
 Talk about the way people in Vietnam show that they are listening to another
person and that they haven’t understood something. Use the questions on page 56
to guide you.
 Read the revised conversation carefully and compare it with the original
conversation.
3. Focus on U.S. culture
Check your understanding of the U.S. culture by answering the T/F questions on
page 58.
4. Giving feedback
 How often and how do Vietnamese people give feedback when they’re listening?
List some examples of verbal and non-verbal feedback that they give.
 Learn the phrases and sounds used to give feedback as well as the non-verbal
way to give feedback on pages 59-60.
 Do the activity on page 60.
5. Interrupting
 Study the situation on page 61. Think about the way Vietnamese people and

Americans usually interrupt and take notes. Do Vietnamese people and
Americans give non-verbal signals that they want to interrupt? Give some
examples of these signals if there are any.
 Learn the phrases for interrupting politely. Work with some classmates to
practice these phrases in as many situations as possible.
6. Asking for focused repetition
 What will you say if you want the person you’re talking to repeat exactly what
you want to hear?
 Learn the ways to ask for focused repetition on page 66.
 Do the activities on pages 66-67 with a classmate.
7. Asking for meaning
 What will you say if you want the person you’re talking to explain the meaning
of a word or phrase you don’t understand?
 Learn the ways to ask for meaning on page 68.
 Do the activity on page 68 with a classmate.
8. Checking bits of information
 What will you do if you aren’t sure that you’ve understood the words or ideas of
the person you’re communicating with?
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 Learn the phrases and expressions for checking bits of information, i.e. words or
ideas, on page 69.
 Do the activities on pages 69-70 with a classmate.
* Note: You should record the cross-cultural notes throughout the chapter for revision.
CHAPTER 6:
GUIDING THE CONVERSATION
(pp. 73-88)
On the completion of this chapter, students are supposed to:
+ understand the following four skills to guide a conversation with an American:

asking for focused explanation, holding turns, correcting misunderstandings, and
summarizing;
+ improve the skills above through practice.
1. Culture learning questions
 Think about how you speak Vietnamese with a foreign. How do you change the
way you speak in terms of speed, word use, length of the conversation, etc.?
 Think about the time when you speak English with a foreigner. How do they
speak to you?
 What difficulties do you have when you talk to a foreigner in English on the
telephone? What do you do to make telephone conversations easier?
2. Cross-cultural interactions 6A & 6B
 Read the conversation carefully.
 Answer the T/F questions that follow the conversation.
 Answer the questions on page 75 to analyze the interaction.
 Talk about the way people in Vietnam speak on the telephone for business
purposes and social purposes. Use the questions on page 75 to guide you.
 Read the revised conversation carefully and compare it with the original
conversation.
 Learn the phrases and expressions used on the telephone on page 78.
3. Focus on U.S. culture
Check your understanding of the U.S. culture by answering the T/F questions on
page 79.
4. Asking for focused explanation
 Why is it necessary to ask for focused explanation in communicating in English?
 Read the dialogue on page 80 carefully. Pay attention to the way Sajia asks for
focused explanation.
 Learn the ways to ask for focused repetition on page 80.
 Do the activities on pages 80-81 with a classmate.
5. Holding your turn
 What will you say to let the other person know that you haven’t finished

speaking or that you need time to think before you speak or before you answer a
question?
 Discuss the dialogue on page 81 with a classmate. Use the questions on page 82
to guide you. Then discuss the dialogue on page 82. Compare the two dialogues.
 Learn the ways to hold your turn and delay your answer and other ways to guide
the conversation.
 Do the skill practice on page 83 with a classmate.
6. Correcting misunderstandings
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 Think about how Vietnamese people correct misunderstandings while talking to
each other.
 Solve the culture puzzle.
 Learn the ways to correct misunderstandings on page 85.
 Do the skill practice on page 85 with a classmate.
7. Summarizing
 What will you do to show that you’ve understood what you’ve heard?
 Why is it important to summarize when you are speaking a foreign language?
 Learn the ways to summarize on page 86.
 Do the skill practice on page 86 with a classmate.
* Note: You should record the cross-cultural notes throughout the chapter for revision.
CHAPTER 9:
KEEPING THE CONVERSATION MOVING
(pp. 119-135)
On the completion of this chapter, students are supposed to:
+ understand the cultural differences in the area of keeping the conversation going;
+ enhance the following communication skills through practice: opening a
conversation, discussing a particular topic, and closing a conversation.
1. Culture learning questions

 Think about the difficulties you have when trying to keep conversation in
Vietnamese moving.
 Think about the difficulties a native speaker of English may have when
communicating with Vietnamese people.
 How do you feel when there are silences in conversations?
2. Cross-cultural interactions 9A & 9B
 Read the conversation carefully.
 Answer the T/F questions that follow the conversation.
 Answer the questions on page 121 to analyze the interaction.
 Answer the questions about Vietnamese and Vietnamese culture on page 121.
 Read the revised conversation carefully and compare it with the original
conversation.
3. Focus on U.S. culture
Check your understanding of the U.S. culture by answering the T/F questions on
page 123.
4. Conversations in English
Read the description of a good conversation in English. Take notes of the main
points of the description.
5. Greetings and openings
 What do you say in Vietnamese to greet another person and open a conversation
with him/her? How do you respond to greetings in Vietnamese?
 Learn the phrases for greeting and responding to greetings.
 Do the skill practice on page 127 with a classmate.
6. Discussing a topic
 What do you say next after the greeting and opening in Vietnamese?
 Learn the way people keep a conversation going by asking questions, giving
information, and responding to information (pp. 127-133)
 Do the activities for practice (pp. 129-133) with a classmate.
7. Closings and farewells
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
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What do you say to close a conversation in Vietnamese?
What do you say to respond to closings in Vietnamese?
What do you say to end a telephone conversation in Vietnamese?
Learn the phrases and expressions for ending a (telephone) conversation on page
134.
 Do the skill practice on page 134 with a classmate.
* Note: You should record the cross-cultural notes throughout the chapter for revision.
CHAPTER 10:
CHOOSING CONVERSATION TOPICS
(pp. 136-147)
On the completion of this chapter, students are supposed to:
+ understand the cultural differences in the areas of personal questions and topics and
commonly discussed topics;
+ be able to make small talk and keep a conversation moving when communicating
with Americans.
1. Culture learning questions
 Think about what Vietnamese people talk about when they meet each other for
the first time.
 Think about the topics Vietnamese people usually avoid when they first meet
each other.
 Think about the topics Americans often talk about with Vietnamese people when
they first meet each other.
2. Cross-cultural interactions 10A & 10B

 Read the conversation carefully.
 Answer the T/F questions that follow the conversation.
 Answer the questions on page 137 to analyze the interaction.
 Answer the questions about Vietnamese and Vietnamese culture on page 138.
 Read the revised conversation carefully and compare it with the original
conversation.
3. Focus on U.S. culture
Check your understanding of the U.S. culture by answering the T/F questions on
page 139.
4. Avoid certain topics
 Notice the topics Americans usually avoid when they do not know each other
well or if they are not very close friends.
 Learn the phrases and expressions for asking personal questions on page 141.
 Solve the culture puzzle on page 141.
 Learn the phrases and expressions for avoiding answers on page 142.
5. Discussing common topics
 What is small talk? How important is small talk?
 Notice the common topics of small talk and conversations on pages 143-145.
 Do the skill practice on pages 145-146 with a classmate. Remember to apply
what you’ve learnt in this chapter.
* Note: You should record the cross-cultural notes throughout the chapter for revision.
CHAPTER 11:
MAKING THE FIRST MOVE
(pp. 148-165)
On the completion of this chapter, students are supposed to:
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+ understand American ideas about how to meet and get to know people;
+ sharpen the skills of extending, accepting and declining invitations and asking

about getting together through practice.
1. Culture learning questions
 In Vietnamese culture, are foreigners treated like guests or do they have to make
the first move so as to contact people?
 Have you had any experience inviting Americans or people from other countries
to your home (or being invited by them)? Were there any cultural differences in
the way they accepted your invitation or in the way they invited you?
 If you have visited foreigners’ homes or have had foreign visitors in your home,
what cultural differences did you observe?
2. Cross-cultural interactions 11A & 11B
 Read the conversation carefully.
 Answer the T/F questions that follow the conversation.
 Answer the questions on page 151 to analyze the interaction.
 Answer the questions about Vietnamese and Vietnamese culture on page 151.
 Read the revised conversation carefully and compare it with the original
conversation.
3. Focus on U.S. culture
Check your understanding of the U.S. culture by answering the T/F questions on
page 152.
4. Meeting and getting to know others
Compare the common behavior of Vietnamese people when they meet and get to
know others with that of Americans by doing the activity on pages 153-154.
5. Extending invitations
 Think about the way Vietnamese people extend invitations. Are there different
kinds of invitations? What information do they usually include in their
invitations?
 Compare definite invitations and indefinite invitations and do the exercise on
page 156.
 Learn the phrases and expressions for definite and indefinite invitations on page
157.

 Do the skill practice on page 157 with a classmate.
 Solve culture puzzle 1.
 Learn the phrases and expressions for responding to invitations on page 159.
 Do the skill practice on page 160 with a classmate.
6. Visiting
 What do Vietnamese people usually do before, during, and after their visit to
somebody’s home?
 Solve culture puzzle 2.
 Learn the phrases and expressions for visiting on page 163.
 Work with a classmate. Create a situation, e.g. a visit to a co-worker’s home, and
practice the language for visiting you’ve learnt.
* Note: You should record the cross-cultural notes throughout the chapter for revision.
CHAPTER 13:
EXCHANGING CULTURAL VIEWPOINTS
(pp. 183-195)
On the completion of this chapter, students are supposed to:
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+ understand the skills of exchanging cultural viewpoints and learning from
miscommunication;
+ know how to use the skills above appropriately.
1. Culture learning questions
 Think about a time when you had a problem of misunderstanding because of
cultural differences. What happened? Why did the miscommunication take place?
 Has anyone ever asked you to explain your cultural point of view in order to
understand a cultural conflict or an incident of cross-cultural miscommunication?
2. Cross-cultural interactions 13A & 13B
 Read the conversation carefully.
 Answer the T/F questions that follow the conversation.

 Answer the questions on page 184 to analyze the interaction.
 Answer the questions about Vietnamese and Vietnamese culture on page 185.
 Read the revised conversation carefully and compare it with the original
conversation.
3. Focus on U.S. culture
Check your understanding of the U.S. culture by answering the T/F questions on
page 186.
4. Culture learning questions
 Think about the questions you would ask a foreigner in order to get to know more
about his/her culture.
 Learn the ways to ask culture learning questions and explain your cultural point
of view on page 187.
 Do the skill practice on page 188 with a classmate.
5. Learning from miscommunication
 What would you do if a misunderstanding occurred when you communicated
with a foreigner?
 Solve culture puzzles 1 and 2.
 Learn the ways to talk about miscommunication on page 190.
 Do the skill practice on pages 190-193 with a classmate.
* Note: You should record the cross-cultural notes throughout the chapter for revision.
CHAPTER 14:
UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
(pp. 196-215)
On the completion of this chapter, students are supposed to acquire the skills of
observing cultural behavior, asking without judging, and looking at their own experiences.
1. Culture learning questions
Think about the way Vietnamese people react to foreigners who behave
differently from the majority of the people. Do Vietnamese people accept differences
or do they expect foreign people to behave in the same day they do?
2. Cross-cultural interactions 14A & 14B

 Read the conversation carefully.
 Answer the T/F questions that follow the conversation.
 Answer the questions on page 198 to analyze the interaction.
 Answer the questions about Vietnamese and Vietnamese culture on page 198.
 Read the revised conversation carefully and compare it with the original
conversation.
3. Focus on U.S. culture
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Check your understanding of the U.S. culture by answering the T/F questions on
page 199.
4. Observing cultural behavior
 Have you ever made observations of the behavior of foreigners?
 Do you often make judgments about their behavior, particularly the behavior
which is different from your own?
 Do the exercises on pages 200-205.
5. Asking without judging
 What do you think you should do in order to get good explanation for the
behavior you’ve observed?
 Solve the culture puzzles.
 Learn the ways to ask nonjudgmental questions on page 209.
 Do the skill practice on page 209 with a classmate.
6. Looking at your own experiences
 How do you feel when interacting with people from another culture? Do you
have difficulty in making changes in your behavior or your styles of
communicating?
 What questions would you ask yourself to understand your own experiences
when contacting a new culture?
 Do the exercises on pages 210-213.

* Note: You should record the cross-cultural notes throughout the chapter for revision.

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