DISCOURSE ANALYSIS: Cultural Diversity
CLOSINGS [endif]
How do you close a topic or conversation before moving on to another topic or to another colleague? [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
Closing a conversation with someone, we know
A: Oh Hi George. How are you?
B: Yeh pretty good thanks! Just busy as usual. Sorry, cannot chat right now.
I have a lecture at nine. Will you be here at lunchtime?
A: Sure will. B: Ok, we could catch up then? A: Yeh, all good, see you then. B: Bye. A: Bye. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
Other ways:
[if !supportLists]· [endif]I better be off, it has been great talking with you again Mildrid.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]… Really! Great news George. Hey, I have to get back soon, catch-up later, nice talking with you…
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Oh, sorry MIldrid, I’m already late, can we talk later? (Apologetic tones).
Under what conditions are closings foreshortened?
[if !supportLists]· [endif]For e.g. where someone is in a hurry to catch a bus, or to pick someone up.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]I must go. I have a bus to catch, see you on Tuesday morning.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]I must to go now. I have to pick my daughter up at 2:30pm.
How are conditions different when closing sequences are extended?
[if !supportLists]· [endif]By asking questions e.g. “Oh before you go, can we exchange phone numbers” or “Oh, here is my business card. Feel free to call anytime”.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Conditions may be changed for post meetings/events; e.g. business like Q&A webcasts for busy clients. Their personal assistants could attend on behalf of their bosses. A good sales pitch may be needed; e.g. freebies for attendance.
Compare a selection of email openings and closings. What do you notice?
Emails tend to be more formal, and contact details are usually attached which makes it easier to continue communications with the sender. They can also be stored/recorded in an instance digitally, and a reply can take place sooner or later; time/space variables.
Contrast email openings and closings with the voiced messages (firstly in your first language and then further language). Are they the same? What did you observe?
What I usually hear and go through in English is:
[if !supportLists]· [endif]The voice messages starts with an opening greeting; “Hi!” “Hello” etc.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]This is followed by Identification; e.g. name ID and from where, such as an insurance company;
[if !supportLists]· [endif]This is followed by the reason for the message; e.g. enquiring about bringing an account up to date, or selling insurance, or yearly upgrade, etc.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Then this is followed with instructions on what to do or what the caller would like you to do; e.g. “You can call me back on [number] between 9-5 work days.”
[if !supportLists]· Finally, a confirmation of message completion; e.g. “okay”,
[if !supportLists]· This leads to the closing with some kind of conrdialement like, ‘thanks, and then ending, “bye!” [hangs up]. Sometimes there may be no ‘goodbye’ just ‘thanks.’
A PERSONALISED VOICE MESSAGE IN FRENCH [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
Votre répondeur, very formal
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Bonjour, vous êtes bien sur le répondeur de Amy Adams. Je ne peux pas vous répondre pour le moment. Laissez-moi un message et je vous rappelerai.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Hi! You’re through to Amy Adams. I’m sorry I’m not able to take your call. Please leave your name and number after the tone, and I’ll call you back. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
Normal
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Bonjour, vous êtes bien sur le répondeur de Jane (Bailey). Laissez un message après le bip.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Hi! You’re through to Jane (Bailey). Leave a message after the tone. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
Familiar (personal phone, you’re a student)
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Bonjour, c’est le répondeur d’Alice. Laissez un message!
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Hi! You’re through to Alice. Leave a message!
LEAVING A MESSAGE IN FRENCH
Formal
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Bonjour, Michelle Scott.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Je vous rappelais au sujet de notre rendez-vous de mardi.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]J’ai un empêchement.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Rappelez-moi au 06 12 34 56 78 pour qu’on refixe un RDV.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Merci. A bientot.
· [endif]Hello.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]This is Michelle Scott.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]I call you about our appointment on Tuesday.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]I can’t make it.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Call me back on 06 12 34 56 78 so we can fix a new date.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Thank you. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
Familiar
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Bonjour Amy, c’est Géraldine.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Je t’appelais pour te proposer de venir dîner samedi à la maison. Rappelle-moi.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Salut !
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Hi Amy, it’s Géraldine.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]I was calling you back to propose you to come for dinner at home on Saturday.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Call me back. Bye!
https://www.commeunefrancaise.com/blog/record-your-answering-machine-message
It appears that the call structure that Schegloff describes for the telephone is similar In French. Closures to informal letters are less formulaic than formal or business letters, so there are a variety of possibilities. A common favourite for closing semiformal business e-mails is ‘regards/kind regards’ http://www.french-linguistics.co.uk/phrase_book/en/letters_closures.html
Furthermore, in comparing French and English, Godard (1977) argued that Schegloff's "summons-response" sequence could not be universally applied, because it is also important to consider cultural aspects. She found through her own conversational analysis that Schegloff’s categories and theorizing did not produce the same results, stating that … “some of Schegloff's work is culture specific”, therefore “cannot be universally applied in all languages” (cited in Hopper et al, pp.4-5, 1990-91).
However, Hopper et al assert that “Schegloff's (1979) discussion of identification and recognition includes virtually every format that have [sic] been argued as being unique to Greece, France or Holland - and all from North American data” (p.378, cited in Hopper et al, p.5). That is, the sequencing appears to be the same but the content within each component varies - https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED428555.pdf http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~julia/papers/closings-spanish.pdf
How significant is it for teachers to provide a range of sample settings when designing opening and closing activities to enhance participation for second language learners? [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
From the short text above, we can ascertain that being diverse/versatile is beneficial for any context, like music. However, for teaching and learning EAL/D it has many advantages. For e.g. “cultural diversity in the student population has a significant impact on teaching and learning.”
Therefore … “context-specific information and support makes expectations transparent” … and “clarity is especially important in relation to assessment expectations including the criteria by which success will be measured” IEAA, p.5, 2013 https://www.ieaa.org.au/documents/item/125
Being diverse/versatile can be achieved by facilitating students from different cultures and why cultural awareness is important. That’s why goals and objectives are clearly stated and explained so everyone knows what they are going to do and what they will achieve. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
When working in a bilingual setting, how are openings and closings to conversations enacted? Consider social contexts that you are familiar with.
This can be clearly observed through conversation. For example some other languages besides English are more goal orientated during conversation, or when speaking in another language make better emotional decisions, have cognitive boosts with brain expansion and protection even against dementia.
New research shows that bilingual speakers view the world in different ways depending on the specific language and context they are operating in http://pss.sagepub.com/content/26/4/518 (such as verb phrases) and therefore benefit by code switching; e.g. in Europe between German and English, where both speakers are fluent in both languages expressing emotions, or with verb phrases when asked e.g. “Where is she going?”
German speakers will provide more information adding where she is going and the outcomes that will be achieved. “She’s going to the shop to get some milk, should be back in an hour.” Whereas, in English, the outcomes are not added, -ing [noun] gerunds/ or concatenative versus nonconcatenative morphological inflections [suffix in this case] are used to describe motion in the one place, ending there with, “She’s going shopping.”
It may be strange in Australia, but using first names in Germany are reserved for family members and close friends, because it is a formal culture until people get to know each other.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Mr. = Herr (i.e. Herr Muller)
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Mrs. (or Ms.) = Frau (i.e. Frau Muller)
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Dr. (male) = Herr Doctor (i.e. Herr Doctor Muller)
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Dr. (female) = Frau Doctor (i.e. Frau Doctor Muller)
Therefore, when conversing in German utterances with adjacent pairs, using the formal version of ‘you’ (“Sie”) is more appropriate, unless someone specifically invites you to use the informal “Du” form. Communication will end formally or informally depending on the relationship or the people involved and their belonging. http://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/linguistics/swapping-between-languages-bilingual-people-expressing-emotions#
Niuean Scenario For a very large extended family English can also be used; e.g. where personal language use is obsolete
“This is [first name] she is your second cousin and the daughter of [parents surname], they have [number of siblings] and live [somewhere], she studied at [somewhere] and is a [occupation]” and so on. If there is any purpose for the meeting, it was purely for familiarity between families and for the next encounter in the hope that we will continue to be good friends. It is not unusual for family members to discuss particulars about others in the family.
At a later date then other topics, rationale or purpose with conventions of conversations can take place. This may be a strategy for successful communication, however, it is also to show consideration of and link unknown extended families together; e.g. different surnames. Closing is also quite formal, but like German can be more casual after you get to know people more. For elders’ though closing is more respectful. Although for both formal and informal settings a hug and a kiss on the cheek can also be used to show emotion. Female and male handshakes are used when others are not familiar with cultural gestures.
In Māori, 'haere mai ki te kai' (means [wel]come to eat), the dipthong /ae/ is pronounced the same as in ‘my’[maei:] with an up tone at the end. 'Haere mai, haere mai, haere mai' means ‘greetings, welcome.’ 'Morena' is ‘good morning.’ In Nuiean, there are no tone symbols in the language, however, some have slowly creeped in, namely the flat tone and the down up tone although a bit smoother than Chinese. ‘Fakaalofa atu’ [fɒ:kɒ:ɒ:lɔfɒ: a:tu:] means hello/good morning, good afternoon or good evening used in context. Here, the first, second and fourth ‘a’ tones are flat tones, the ‘o’ is also flat, but the ‘u’ is a down tone. ‘Monuina e po’ means goodnight.
Dipthongs have some variance: e.g. au [æɔ] with a down tone.
However, ‘aa’ and ‘ui’ (the second ‘a’ tone is up, half an octave). Sometimes separation is used; e.g. fano a koe (goodbye); i.e. to the person departing (i.e. ki a ia ne fano) yet here in parenthesis the rising tone between both ‘a’ and ‘i’ are still the same. Hence, like English, there is some variance with choice opening and/or closing and intonation for meaning.
Theory and Practice: An EAL/D classroom activity Enhancing participation where students can share: by leading their groups with teacher facilitation, and with individual roles within groups, as well as the group-language theme [functional] demonstrating, and providing answers to questions, why it is done in a specific way and how? Questionnaires or other tasks are used for pre-learning beforehand to enhance background information, and supported with the flipped classroom. I think this increases cultural understanding, perspectives and helps learners to participate by building on their knowledge of interaction in culturally diverse environments.
Hence, this way meaning is transparent and open for interpretation, and authentic. With indigenous communities cross-cultural diversity can be integrated with the help of local/global interpreters/teacher aides. This can be extended to writing the dialogue up and sharing via a school blog. It develops good life skills and tertiary academic skills; e.g. academic writing, information literacy, numeracy, computer literacy, and/or digital literacies. Conclusion In summary, using the ‘iceberg metaphor’ we can see that the ‘surface culture’ is more observable; whereas the ‘deeper culture’ is not and needs more explanation. In order to develop sound, considerate relationships and partnerships with students/learners: via teachers, and with families/culture, parents/adults, teacher training, up-skilling, etc. why can’t we break down more barriers via interpersonal skills for young and old? From that perspective, there is still a lot to do. Thus, the Australian cultural landscape will be transformed into a melting pot of cultural activity for the next generation of business owners and the working classes.
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