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Mind Your Manners

Mind Your Manners

Date: Jun 02 2006

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

up a loogie[/def] on the streets of Beijing may seem like standard practice, but the Chinese government is working hard to get its citizens to mind their manners at home and overseas.

Anyone who has traveled or lived in a foreign culture understands that behaviors that are meaningless in one culture can be offensive in another. Recently, hotel operators in Singapore have been complaining about Chinese tourists who smoke in bed and spit on the floor.

Of course, Chinese tourists aren’t the only ones to offend.

Listen to Dave and Kevin talk about their experiences in other cultures.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Dave

Dave

Kevin

Kevin

Dave:  The Chinese government is now warning its citizens that they can’t spit, or cut in line, or slurp their food in restaurants in countries outside of China and some Asian countries.

Kevin:  Yeah, I’ve heard that from a lot of people. I haven’t personally been to China, but I’ve spent, you know, quite a bit of time in Southeast Asia and I know I’ve seen that, those same kind of practices are quite common, like, in Thailand. People just cut in line.

Dave:  Right! Really frustrating!

Kevin:  Yeah.

Dave:  But to them, they’re not doing it to be rude.

Kevin:  Sure.

Dave:  It’s just how the culture operates.

Kevin:  Yeah, I think it takes, it takes some time to get used to that – that it’s not someone being rude to you. It’s just a matter of, that’s how it works. I remember being in line for money at an exchange in Bangkok, and I had been standing in line for a good ten minutes and suddenly the person standing behind me was in front of me, getting their money exchanged.

Dave:  [laughs].

Kevin:  And I thought, “Well, what’s this about?,” you know.

Dave:  Right. But also in Japan because slurping your soup is a sign of respect for the cook, so the louder you slurp, the more respect you’re showing. And I found that really difficult to do, going into ramen restaurants and people are encouraging me to [slurping sounds].

Kevin:  [slurping sounds].

Dave:  Slurp it up.

Kevin:  Yeah. It’s funny.

 

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Discussion

Cross-cultural relationships are complex, and things that fly in one culture may not fly in another. For example, people in North America and Great Britain like to form lines when waiting for something, which is not common practice in many Asian and South American countries.



In many Middle Eastern nations, men wear a lot of cologne, which might bother someone from a different part of the world.



What behaviors are common in your culture that might bother people from another culture? What do people from other cultures do that bothers you?

 

Comments

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kimnga

kimnga

Viet Nam

 Very interesting topic.

07:22 AM Aug 12 2014 |

AryelLanes

AryelLanes

Brazil

Ewww, that’s gross! :S

04:57 PM Apr 09 2014 |

bluese

bluese

Turkey

very beautiful

03:36 PM Nov 14 2008 |

yuxiangsiqi

China

The world is changing every day,

but China is changing every minute .

welcome to china!

You will see what you said just the past story.

01:31 PM Feb 26 2008 |

naosika

naosika

China

In China it's improving

03:42 PM Feb 19 2008 |

anda.a1

Netherlands

  I can't imagine how dificult could be to live in a mixed marriage .Different cultures,what is offensive for one partner is meaningless for the oher one and on the contrary what is meaningless for this one is offensive for that one. And what if one of two partners or both of them are stuburn as an ass. Big problems can occur in their everyday life.

  

 

 

 

04:38 AM Jan 23 2008 |

1 person likes this

anda.a1

Netherlands

  I can't imagine how dificult could be to live in a mixed marriage .Different cultures,what is offensive for one partner is meaningless for the oher one and on the contrary what is meaningless for this one is offensive for that one. And what if one of two partners or both of them are stuburn as an ass. Big problems can occur in their everyday life.

  

 

04:38 AM Jan 23 2008 |

1 person likes this

anda.a1

Netherlands

It's so strange! Slurping the soup is a sign of respect for the cook? let it be funny as Kevin says but there must be some other ways of showing respect to people who cook. Everyone can influense in a way people's behaviour and culture.We travel abroad ,so what we like in other peoples we can take from them and what is generaly considered to be rude  we can exclude from our daily behaiviour. Our life would be more comfortable and beautiful if we showed respect to each other.If somebody spits near you it's offensive no matter in what country you are.

04:13 AM Jan 23 2008 |

anser10

anser10

China

hmm,i agree whith what Kittyjojo said above . we also shuld mind our manners in our everyday life.

05:12 AM Jan 08 2008 |

di_kan

Thailand

Well, I think that someone cut in line when Keven being in line for money at exchange in Bangkok was not Thai people. Because Thai don't need to exchange their money in their own country! But some case, it is possibly some Thai cut in line…

12:50 PM Dec 18 2007 |

ljkghl

ljkghl

China

i agree with Kittyjojo.it's not only relate to the impression outside but also sth to the enviroment.

11:50 AM Dec 09 2007 |

kittyjojo

China

 Yeah people in China had the bad habbits ,such as spitting ,cutting in line or slurping before ,but now they have done them well and more and more people have realized they must keep hleathy and protect the enviroment good ,it's their duties.

11:05 AM Dec 08 2007 |

1 person likes this

dilruba

Turks and Caicos Islands

:)

07:10 AM Nov 22 2007 |

rayne

China

excellent..
that’s indeed “Real Life”..

01:39 AM Jun 06 2006 |

Magnimma

Magnimma

Germany

I think it’t really interesting!!! what about u?

08:30 AM Jun 04 2006 |

Jeff456

Jeff456

Taiwan

Yes, we should mind our manners, or we will offend others we don’t know.

12:47 AM Jun 04 2006 |

yxcv

Germany

I think the text is a little exaggerated.
It is only individual case when the peole in different country are impolite.
However..

08:54 PM Jun 03 2006 |

xyu

xyu

China

Chinese govenment have some people to surveille the spitting on the streets.They will give fine to this people just like ticket for speeding.

04:47 PM Jun 02 2006 |

1 person likes this

zeus2006

zeus2006Super Member!

Turkey

I guess Chneese people will accomplish it I wonder What you will criticize after then.

11:48 AM Jun 02 2006 |

heather clain

China

Out of different culture ,people have different life way. Actually such behavior is not Chinese people’s life way, it’s just what a few people mostly of who live in the countryside do .Living in China, I see that behaviors too. These behaviors ,as it is mentioned in this article, not only gives a bad impression on foreigners who come to visit China, but also on the native Chinese. We dislike that too. And now more and more Chinese are aware of this and they start to mind their manners. In this aspect, the youth are doing a good job. Actually the youngsters have quite a good manners ,even better than adults now. Especially in metropolis where people receive better education . Well, I believe, under the help of government and the native’s efforts, the Chinese can get rid of these bad behaviors one day, and what it needs is time.

09:39 AM Jun 02 2006 |

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