Wednesday, March 11, 2009
chapter 5 question 2
One thing that comes to mind is the American practice of looking people in the eye when expressing oneself. Overall I tend to look people in the eye because I was raised in this country. But I know in other countries this is deemed as inappropriate and potentially disrespectful especially if one is of a lower social standing than the person one is addressing. American take not looking someone in the eye as dishonesty while other cultures consider it a respectful means of communication. In this country touching someone who is talking to is deemed inappropriate whereas in other country this type of gesturing is okay. One other thing came to mind as I was typing which is the practice of allowing personal space when talking with people. When I was in the Caribbean I noticed that many people would get into my personal space, 18 inches or closer, which was a bit disconcerting. I had to remind myself that different cultures have different norms.
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Hello nyp,
ReplyDeleteI believe that eye contact is very important when speaking to a person. Maintaining eye contact when speaking indicates that you are being an attentive listener, and assures the other person that you are interested in what they are saying. As you pointed out, in some cultures it is a sign of status and if you are of low status you are to look down and not at the person you are speaking to. If I was carrying on a converstaion and noticed that the person that I was speaking with looking around and not maintaining eye contact, I would think that they were not interested in what I was saying. A person that is unable to keep eye contact may also be seen as being untruthful, and that is usually something that I pay attention to.