Politeness » Learning to speak 'merican

A game show performance

Jan 182011

I came across this lovely video clip via an article by Andy Field in the Guardian. It shows John Cage, a pioneer in experimental and chance music, performing an avant-garde composition on an American TV game show in the 1960s. Yes really! An avant-garde musical composition a TV game show.

I love the gentle good humour and graciousness with which John Cage delivers his work. (And now I’ve written that, it’s struck me that I think ‘graciousness’ might be word that I’ve heard more since I’ve been in the US). There’s a charming earnestness about him and I loved this line:

“Perfectly seriously, I consider music the production of sounds and since in the piece you will hear I produce sounds, I would call it music”

Could a similar performance have ever happened on a UK game show, I wonder? Would the content editor have deemed it too high brow, and hence unfitting? And if it had gone ahead, would it have required a more tongue in cheek approach and would John Cage have received the same amused, open-minded reception? And how lovely that he did, because he seems to have wound up going down a storm. Andy Field draws an interesting comparison with ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.

In Simon Cowell’s universe you’re either a future star, a lovable object of derision or an unlikely underdog about to undergo a heart-warming transformation; in each case, your treatment is predetermined by which pigeonhole you’re placed in.

Are we that blinkered? I hope not. Nevertheless, I do think the clip might illustrate something that relates to the different weightings placed on positive and negative politeness on each side of the pond. If you’re inclined to hesitate before you dismiss things, you probably have to accept more dross in your life. But maybe you also wind up coming across more new stuff that can enhance life as well? Any thoughts?

Why Brits are baddies

American Life, Politeness 26 Responses »

Oct 202010

No doubt you’ve noticed. Lots of the baddies in American movies are Brits.

And if it’s passed you by, think of the villains you’ve seen in American movies – the best ones were British, weren’t they? The Matrix Reloaded, Mission Impossible, The Bourne Films, Spiderman 2, Catwoman. Oceans 12 and 13, and who could be more evil than Anthony Hopkins as Dr Hannibal Lecter? Then there are the baddies in Mel Gibson’s films, but let’s not bother going there. Thing is, cast a Brit as the evil-doer and you raise your odds of having a blockbuster hit.

So I’m wondering, what is it that gives British actors the edge as villains in ‘merican movies?

I just watched an oldie – Wall Street – and there’s a line in it where Gecko comments on some British Lord who’s visiting NYC. He says, ‘Like all Brits, he thinks he was born with a better pot to piss in.’ So I’d hazard a guess that arrogance and aloofness are key. And to build my case, someone who once employed me here commented later that he was relieved to find I was willing to ‘muck in’. ‘Why did he think I wouldn’t?’, I wondered. So I’d wager that a key trait associated with Brits is unwillingness to join in achieving a common goal.

By: Trev Grant

And what is it exactly about us Brits that exudes our baddy aura? Is it just our accent or our British visage, posture, eye contact, clothing, dental work or something? Or is it stuff in our speech patterns, turn taking styles, how we structure our thoughts etc. that makes us seem unhelpful and aloof. I think differing US/UK styles of politeness are playing a large role. We’d rather appear standoffish than intrude.

And one last point about this. I don’t think Brits give a hoot. Cast us in baddy roles and we find it pretty amusing. But perhaps I’m wrong about that, so let me ask: fellow Brits, does the frequent casting of Brits as evil-doers offend you, or is it water of a duck’s back? (And if it’s the latter, might that also signal arrogance and aloofness somehow?)

Can you chopstick?

Politeness 5 Responses »

Oct 182010

I’m back!

A while ago Darren Elliot raised a very interesting point on this site here. He pointed out that foreigners in Japan will often be lavished with compliments for being able to use chop sticks. This happened to me stacks of times when I lived in Japan. You mean, it wasn’t because I was stunningly deft with them? (Only kidding)

By: pulaw

I have a friend who was complimented in China on how fat he was looking. He was a little disconcerted. So I’m wondering, have you ever received any compliments in your travels that seemed a tad odd?

Terms of endearment

Politeness 23 Responses »

Jun 282010

There’s a wonderful post over at Macmillan Dictionary where a small Chinese woman (Jamie Zhang) puzzles over her life in England and says:

When I wanted to buy some apples in the open market, the stall holder said, “How many, darling?” My cheeks turned pink. Were we about to become lovers or get married?”

I’m sure she’s not alone. I once had a big burly French student who did a lot of work up in the north of England. ‘But why did the male bus driver call me ‘Love’, Vicki?’, he asked. I was sure that no threat to his manlihood was intended. So I did my best to explain our regional terms of endearment and how I was ‘Hinny’ in Newcastle and ‘Duck’ in Bedfordshire etc.

He needed to get along with and strike up a rapport with folks from all over the UK, so together we hatched a plan – a plan that we thought might bring his European team together.

By: _sarchi

It led to some of the most enjoyable telephone role plays I’ve ever participated in class. He was very partial to ‘love’ so he’d call me up and greet me with’ ‘Hello love’ and I’d respond with something like ‘Hello chuck’, and then we’d carry on with the how-are-yous and then the sales projections or whatever was the meat of the call. We had this idea that we might be creating a new cool understanding of togetherness in Europe.

I wonder how his career progressed. I never heard from him again

So anyway, what are your terms of endearment? And when and why do you use them?

Japanese apologies

(Un)Shared Meanings, Politeness 6 Responses »

Jun 242010

Click here to link to a great article on Japanese apologies (along with some teaching ideas at the bottom) by Darren Lingley. He writes about the 2001 Ehime Maru tragedy where a Japanese fisheries high school training boat was sunk when a US Navy submarine surfaced in a training maneuver. Nine people, including students, were killed. The bereaved Japanese families expected an immediate apology (a clear public expression of contrition) from the US captain, along with a full acknowledgement of responsibility. The captain, constrained by an ongoing Navy investigation and legal liability issues, was silent for a long time, then sent a sent a letter to the families expressing ‘sincere regret’. It was felt to be totally inadequate. No doubt he was acting under the instructions of lawyers, but lawyers can get in the way of apologies.

By: Daniel Ramirez

Darren’s paper includes this summary of some key cultural differences between Japan and the US.

I’d be interested to know what others think, but reckon an important one to point out when we’re teaching ‘apologising’ in a Japanese classroom is the way we tend to offer accounts and explanations in AmE (and BrE). From another perspective, they can be seen as insincere excuses and attempts to deny culpability.

Another interesting one that’s only lightly touched on above is body language. If you’re apologising, what impression does it give if you smile? Here’s an interesting explanation of what might lie behind it, written by Chie Iryo, a Japanese writer:

Recently I read some books that treat the differences between English Culture and Japanese. The books treat the mystery of the Japanese smile. They say foreigners think it is very strange... Now, I will explain to you about it.

When do you think a person smiles? I think when he is happy, he does. When he is sad, he doesn’t. Anyway when a person is happy he smiles. But Japanese have some exceptions. If you made a mistake, what do you do? Do you change color or make an excuse and tremble? In general, we Japanese smile. But we are not happy but very shameful. Then we smile bitterly. Why? For Japanese don’t like to express their feelings. We tend to think to express our feelings is shameful. If foreigners know our weak points, we think as if we are weaker than they. So we smile to cover our shame.

Has anyone else encountered this? I wonder if we might do something similar sometimes in BrE as well when we’re embarrassed. Any thoughts?

Some other posts on apologies:

Sorry, I’m English

A Thai apology

A British apology