大学英语跨文化交际 chapter3

Chapter 3 Culture’s Influence on Perception
I. Teaching Objectives
In this chapter, the teacher should enable the students to:
1. understand culture’s influence on perception.
2. understand the definitions of sensation and perception.
3. analyze cross-cultural differences in sensation and perception.
4.summarize the various barriers to accurate perception in intercultural communication.
II. Contents
1. Keywords
(1) Sensation: It is the neurological process by which people become aware of their environment.（感觉：感觉是人们意识到周围环境的神经过程。

)
(2) Perception: It is the process by which we become aware of objects, events, and especially
people and their behaviors through our various senses and involves higher-order cognition in the interpretation of the sensory information. (知觉：知觉是一种人们通过各种感觉来觉察事物、事件、人和人的行为的过程。

它是解释感觉信息更为高阶的认知过程。

)
(3) Selection: It is a process in which we screen out what we need from all the stimuli and
information around us.（选择：选择是从周围选择的刺激信息中筛选出所需要的信息的过程。

)
(4) Organization: It is the process during which we need to organize and impose structure on
what we observe in a meaningful way. （组织：组织是把从周围选择的刺激信息，以一种有意义的方式整理，组合的过程。

）
(5) Interpretation: It refers to attaching meaning to sense data and is synonymous with decoding.（释义：释义是赋予感觉信息意义的过程，类似于解码过程。

）
2. Key Points
(1) the definitions of sensation and perception.
(2) the model of human perception.
(3) cross-cultural differences in sensation and perception.
(4) the various barriers to accurate perception in intercultural communication.
(5) skills to improve intercultural perception.
3. Difficult Points
(1)Definitions of Sensation and Perception
(2) Cross-cultural Differences in Sensation and Perception
III. Teaching Methods
1. Pair/Group work
2. Discussion
3. Task-based approach
4. Communicative approach
5. Questions and answers
6. Case analysis
7. Interview
IV. Teaching Procedures
1. Lead-in case: Let students do Lead-in Case “Perception of War” and discuss the following questions:
(1) Why did Jim and Olga have very different attitudes towards starvation and war?
(2) What factors do you think influence the actual interaction between Jim and Olga?
2. Text A
a. Presentation: Pre-reading task
Let students do pre-reading task and discuss the questions provided by the activity.
b. Practice: The explanation of the text and activities
(1) A Basic Model of Human Perception
Let students read “A Basic Model of Human Perception” and then do the Blank Filling. In this way, teacher can sense students’ understanding of the basic model of human perception.
(2) Sensing
Let students discuss what they can sense and what they cannot sense in the daily life, and also analyze how we sense the outside world. Based on this discussion, teacher can summarize human sensation and its limitation.
(3) Perceiving
Let students define perception after reading “perception” and finishing “Blank Filling”, after that teacher introduces the process of perception to the students. The process of perception is vital in this chapter, so it needs more efforts to explain to the students.
c. Production: after-reading check
Let students analyze the process in which Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft perceived the stimuli around them in the case “Observations on a Soldier”. And then teacher summarizes the key points shown in this process.
3. Text B
a. Presentation: Pre-reading task
Let students do pre-reading task and discuss the questions provided by the activity.
b. Practice: The explanation of the text and activities
(1) Physiological Cross-cultural Difference
Let students do the group work: The whole class can be divided into four groups; each group has one task to discuss one aspect of physiological cross-cultural difference, that is, conditions of physical environment, indirect environmental conditions, genetic differences and cultural differences in how people interact with their environment. After that, let each group select one representative to stand for each group to do the summary of the key points.
Teacher can give some general introduction based on the evaluation of their work.
(2) Sociological Cross-cultural Difference
Learning on “Sociological Cross-cultural Difference” can follow two steps:
▲ Cultural Effect on Sensing
This part is very easy for students to understand, so teacher can let students do the autonomous learning and then give some more examples about cultural effect on sensing based on their deep understanding.
▲ Cultural Effect on Perceiving
This part is very important in this chapter, so teacher needs to think about how to stimulate students’ thinking about cultural effect on perceiving. Teacher can make up some more vivid examples to deepen students’ understanding.
(3) Psychological Cross-cultural Difference
Let students do the activity “Expressing Opinions” and then analyze psychological cross-cultural difference. Based on students’ discussion, teacher can give the summary.
c. Production: after-reading check
Let students do the brief analysis of the case “Different Responses to Noise” and then teacher provides the answer to them. During the process of analyzing case, teacher should let students know the exact procedures to analyze any case:
(1) What intercultural communication theory or phenomenon can be reflected in this case?
(2) What is the actual intercultural communication theory or phenomenon?
（Explain the actual intercultural communication theory or phenomenon）
(3) Do the brief analysis of the case with help of the intercultural communication theory or
phenomenon in your own words.
4. Text C
a. Presentation: Pre-reading task
Let students do pre-reading task and discuss the questions provided by the activity.
b. Practice: The explanation of the text and activities
Take all the barriers as the whole to conduct students’ learning. Let students do the analysis of the case “What is Black?” in detail and then discuss what barriers they have at the very beginning. Based on the enlightenment given by the case, teacher introduces the following barriers separately.
(1) Ignoring Details
(2) Over-generalizing
(3) Holding on to Preconceptions and Stereotypes
(4) Imposing Consistency
(5) Preconnecting Causes and Effects
(6) Preferring Simple Explanations
(7) Ignoring Circumstances
(8) Crediting Irrelevant Information
(9) Focusing on the Negative
c. Production: after-reading check
Let students do the interview to explore the deep ideas about the barriers to accurate intercultural perception. Let student interview any classmate according to the table and exchange some information with the classmate, then he or she can know his or her barriers to accurate perception.
5. Text D
a. Presentation: Pre-reading task
Let students do pre-reading task and discuss the questions provided by the activity.
b. Practice: The explanation of the text and activities
Take all the skills as the whole to conduct students’ learning. Let students read “How to Improve Your Perceptual Skills in Intercultural Communication” and then discuss what they
can benefit from each skill separately. Based on the deep understanding of the skills, teacher summarizes the skills in general.
(1) Increase Y our Understanding of the Perceptual Process
(2) Increase Y our Observational Acuity
(3) Recognize the Elements to Which Y ou Attribute Meaning
(4) Check Y our Perceptions
(5) Increase Y our Awareness of Perceptual Inaccuracies and Compensate for Them
(6) Increase Your Awareness of Others’ Perceptions of you
(7) Develop Social Decentering, Empathy, and Other-Orientation
c. Production: after-reading check
Let students do the short answers to check their actual understanding of the skills to improve their intercultural perception.
V. Assignments
1. Let students do the Checklist and Assessment.
2. Let students do the rest exercises and activities in “After-reading Check” of each text.
3. Review what has been learned and preview the next chapter.
VI. Reference
1. Cultural Background:
英语教学要培养学生对异域文化的认知能力
(1) 异域文化的内涵：
所谓文化的异域性，实质上是跨文化交际中一方对他方文化的一种解释。

异域性并不是一种性质或状态，而是对他方文化感知和解释的结果。

从英语教学角度出发，“异域文化”可理解为“英语语用国家的整个社会方式。

”这一界定的范围比较宽泛，既涉及日常生活方式和习俗，又涉及隐藏在习俗之后的价值观念。

英语教学既要关注与生活密切相关的，特别是与语言交际直接相关的文化，还要注重目的语的文化价值观念，以及体现这些价值观念的文学艺术、思想流派、宗教信仰、社会制度等。

英语教学中的异域文化认知是指对目的语文化的社会规约、价值观、信念的知晓。

根据学者对文化认知内容的划分，大致可分为观念文化、知识文化和交际文化。

（2）培养学生异域文化认知能力的重要性
语言能力是交际能力的基础，越来越多的学者对此已达成共识。

交际能力应包括五个方面：即四种技能（听、说、读、写）加上社交能力（与不同文化背景的人进行恰当交际的能力）。

美国语言学家Timonthy Light在《现代外语教学法》一书中说：“如果学生根本不知道一种语言的文化习惯，那么他就不会使用那种语言，尽管他的语音、语法都很好。

”长期以来，我国英语教学受传统教学模式的影响，学生在课堂上学到了应有的英语知识，但却不能很好地应用到交际语境之中，成了“哑巴英语”，缺乏适应社会发展的英语交际能力。

语言能力和语用能力在社会生活中是相辅相成的，培养学生的综合语言运用能力是英语新课程标准的总体目标。

文化知识是组成交际能力的一个重要方面，是达到英语教学目标的重要教学内容。

异域文化植入，即直接把外国文化内容作为语言教学材料，或把外国文化中具有文化特异性内容的习俗、典故、历史、风土人情等作为必要的补充，是达到语言教学目的的关键。

因此，在英语教学中除了培养学生的语言能力，同时还要注重培养学生的社会能力，也就是
对异域文化的认知能力。

语言知识、语言技能不是唯一的学习内容，要通过扩大学生接触异域文化的范围，提高他们对中外文化异同的敏感性和鉴别能力。

文化因素在语言学习过程中的作用不可低估，培养学生对异域文化的认知能力显得尤为重要。

（3）培养学生异域文化认知能力的途径
在英语教学中，教师应根据学生的年龄特点、学习情况和认知能力，逐步扩展文化知识的内容和范围，帮助学生拓展视野，不断接触异域文化，感知异域文化，体验异域文化，培养他们对异域文化的认知能力。

比较东西方文化差异，培养跨文化意识美国著名的翻译理论家尤金·奈达在《语言、文化与翻译》一书中指出：“语言在文化中的作用以及文化对词义、习语含义的影响如此带有普遍性，以至于在不仔细考虑语言文化背景的情况下，任何文体都无法恰当地加以理解。

”异域文化背景知识包罗万象，它包括目的语国家的政治、经济、历史、地理、文艺、宗教、习俗、礼仪、道德、伦理、心理、思维方式及社会生活的各个方面。

例如，在给学生介绍中国加入WTO过程中所形成的中美两国不同的谈判风格、谈判方式、决策过程时，要让学生了解中美两国除了在政治、经济方面存在差异外，还存在文化方面的差异。

教师如果不能有意识地激活这些知识，没有意识到东西方文化的差异，学生就无法认知异域文化，无法增强跨文化交际的敏感性，无法培养跨文化交际能力。

教师可以通过结交外国朋友，阅读不同的英语报刊，涉猎各种形式的外国文学作品等多种渠道帮助学生了解外国文化，再将其与中国文化进行比较，使学生认识到不仅要学语言，更要学语言背后的文化。

这样，学生就可在具体的语言实践中接触异域文化，进而培养对异域文化的认知能力和跨文化交际能力。

促进异域文化教学与语言教学的有机统一，激活异域文化英语教学中的异域文化导入同语言一样，是后天习得的。

课堂除了是学生学习专业知识的场所，还应该成为学生了解一个国家、一个民族文化的重要途径。

在课堂上传授异域文化知识最有意义的方法是解释说明。

每节课前10分钟，教师向学生介绍一些英语国家的文化，如地理知识、历史事件、宗教信仰、文学作品、节日庆典，乃至西方人的日常生活——服饰、饮食、聚会、出行等，这些文化背景知识和教材紧密相连，很大程度上能够激起学生学习语言的热情。

实践证明，学生对西方文化的了解比对英语语言本身更感兴趣。

教师可以充分利用学生这些心理特征和心理需求，抓住时机运用异域文化背景导入教材的篇章学习。

在讲解“Thanksgiving Day”（感恩节）一课时，笔者先简述了感恩节的由来，由此引出圣诞节、情人节等一些西方国家的节日庆典。

西方人庆祝圣诞节，除了互送贺卡、装饰房间、购买礼物外，还保留了一些传统习俗，如孩子们喜欢把长筒袜挂在壁炉上，他们相信圣诞老人会坐着雪橇，赶着鹿群，通过烟囱，在圣诞节的凌晨把他们渴望已久的礼物放在长筒袜里。

教师可以通过鼓励学生制作圣诞卡片、描述圣诞老人的形象等方式为学生认知异域文化营造良好的学习氛围，使学生在语言学习中不知不觉地认知异域文化。

利用多媒体教学手段渗透异域文化为了创造一个真实的语言环境，教师可以挑选一些与教材有关的幻灯片、教学光盘、影视资料，通过声音、图像的传递，使学生通过观看英语国家人们的生活情景、风俗习惯、宗教信仰等，获得身临其境的感觉，直观有效地领略到英语国家的文化。

这种视听教学方法既培养了学生认知异域文化的能力，又提高了听力及学习语言的能力，在教学“Tom Sawyer Paints the Fence”一课时，组织学生观看美国小说家马克·吐温的长篇小说《汤姆·索耶历险记》VCD片段，注意其中有意义的文化细节，可以增强学生对异域文化的直观感受，加深对英美文化的进一步了解。

开展丰富多样的课外活动体验异域文化课外活动是课堂的延伸，教师可以利用课外活动有计划、有步骤、系统地实施异域文化认知能力的培养。

通过“一分钟文化演讲”、“访谈”、“英语角”等形式讨论与异域文化认知相关的话题，如Examining Stereotype（陈旧的考试制度）、Cultural Identity（文化认同）等，使学生通过不同形式的交际操练和情境操练，从整
体上理解和感受中外文化差异。

教师还可根据教材内容开展与异域文化认知相关的多种活动，如让学生通过学唱英文歌曲，学跳英语国家的一些传统舞蹈，举办化装舞会，自编、自导、自演英语小品等趣味活动认知异域文化。

许多传统的歌曲和舞蹈都蕴涵着丰富的异域文化气息，学生可以更好地了解这些歌曲、舞蹈所表达的异域文化内涵，激活异域文化认知灵感。

随着国际间经济、文化交流的增加，不同文化的接触与碰撞也日益增多，跨文化交际中文化认知能力的培养备受关注。

英语教师应更新理念，正确理解语言与文化的依存关系，全面了解和掌握异域文化认知与英语教学的相关理论，不断提升自身素质，在日常英语教学中有的放矢地培养学生的异域文化认知能力，提高学生的跨文化交际能力。

（Adapted from /jiaoxue/090622/17174546-2.html戴小贞英语教学要培养学生对异域文化的认知能力）
2. Cultural Notes
(1) dark adaptation（暗适应）：In ocular physiology, adaptation is the ability of the eye to adjust
to various levels of darkness and light.（在眼生理学中，适应是眼睛自我调节以适应不同程度的黑暗与光亮的能力。

）
Adapted from /wiki/Adaptation_(eye)
(2) Kalahari（喀拉哈里沙漠）：The Kalahari Desert is a large arid to semi-arid sandy area in
southern Kgalagadi Africa extending 900,000 km², covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa. （喀拉哈里沙漠是非洲南部卡拉哈迪的一个干旱或半干旱沙区，面积90万平方公里，覆盖博茨瓦纳的大部分地区，以及纳米比亚和南非的部分地区。

半沙漠地带在充足的季节雨过后，拥有大片优良牧地。

）
Adapted from /wiki/Kalahari
(3) Caucasian race（高加索人种）：The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general
physical type of some or all of the indigenous populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, West Asia, Central Asia and South Asia. Historically, the term has been used to describe the entire population of these regions, without regard necessarily to skin tone. In common use, the term is sometimes restricted to Europeans and other lighter-skinned populations within these areas, and may be considered equivalent to the varying definitions of white people.(高加索人种这一术语用于指欧洲、北非、非洲之角（东北非洲）、西亚、中亚和南亚的所有或部分固有居民的的普遍体型。

在历史上，该术语用于描述这些地区的全部居民，而不考虑其肤色因素。

但该术语更经常地指欧洲人和生活在这些地区的浅肤色人口，也被视为白种人的不同定义。

)
Adapted from /wiki/Caucasian_race
(4) Sherlock Holmes （福尔摩斯）：Sherlock Holmes is the fictional detective created by British
author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,who lived in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (福尔摩斯是英国作家和内科医生柯南道尔爵士虚构的侦探，生活在19世纪末20世纪初。

)
Adapted from /wiki/Sherlock_Holmes
(5) Bustamante Code（巴斯塔曼特法典）：It is also called the treaty of Havana on Private
International Law of 1928. The author is a Cuban lawyer and politician. （巴斯塔曼特法典也被称为1928年哈瓦那国际私法条约，作者是一位古巴的律师和政治家。

）
Adapted from /wiki/Antonio_S%C3%A1nchez_de_Bustamante_y_Sirven
(6) Tumba drums（演奏通巴舞曲的鼓）：It is a kind of long, thin drum, whose pitch depends on
the part of the head being hit. （演奏通巴舞曲的鼓是一种长而薄的鼓，其音高取决于头部被击打的部分。

）
Adapted from /w/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=+Tumba+drums&go=Go
(7) Shango（闪电神礼仪舞）：It may derive from Yorùbá religion, where Shango is a Sky Father,
god of thunder and lightning. The energy given from this Deity of Thunder is a major symbol of African resistance against an enslaving European culture. （闪电神礼仪舞源于约鲁巴宗教。

在这一宗教中，Shango是一个天空圣父，雷电之神。

这位雷电之神所给予的力量是非洲抵抗欧洲文化的一个重要象征。

）
Adapted from /wiki/Shango
(8) King Shaka（祖鲁族国王沙卡）：Shaka (1787 –1828) was the most influential leader of the
Zulu Empire. He is widely credited with uniting many of the Northern Nguni people, and he has been called a military genius for his reforms and innovations, and condemned for the brutality of his reign. （沙卡（1787–1828）是祖鲁帝国最有影响的领导人。

他因广泛团结多数北恩古尼族人民受到称颂，因改革与创新被称为军事天才，但也由于其残暴统治而受到谴责。

）
Adapted from /wiki/Shaka
(9) Malcolm X （马尔科姆X）：Malcolm X (1925-1965) was an African-American Muslim
minister, public speaker, and human rights activist. He has been described as one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history. （马尔科姆X（1925-1965）是非洲裔美国人穆斯林部长，公共发言人和人权活动家。

马尔科姆X被描述为历史上最伟大和最有影响力的非洲裔美国人。

）
Adapted from /wiki/Malcolm_X
3. Brief Explanations to the Cases of this Chapter
Case 14:
Perception of War
This case can reflect different cultures can give different influences on human perception. People can have very different perceptions even on the same object or phenomenon because they have different cultures and are living in the different social realities. In this case, Jim and Olga have very different attitudes and perceptions towards historical events because their nations’ different experiences and histories.
Case 15:
Observations on a Soldier
This case can reflect the basic model of human perception. Human being is equipped to sense the outside stimuli and perceive the outside world. And the perception follows a certain model—after being gained through the five basic senses, information is processed through selection, organization and interpretation. In this case, Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft did observations on the soldier according to the basic model of human perception. They selected some useful information which they gained from outside world through their five basic senses, organized it in a reasonable logic and then attached meanings to it.
Case 16:
Different Responses to Noise
This case can reflect different culture can give different influences on human sensation. No two of people can assume that their sensations are the same, especially when they come from different cultures. Different social reality and living conditions can equip them with different way to sense the world. So it is very common for them to have totally different sensations even towards the same condition. In this case, the German professor and Japanese professor have very different response to the noise produced by the same motor for the heating system because of their cultures and living habits.
Case 17:
What Is Black?
This case can reflect we have some barriers to accurate perception in intercultural communication. We have the ability to perceive the outside world, but we cannot always get the accurate perceptions, especially when we do the perception on other cultures, we often give the inaccurate and negative perceptions. In this case, on discussing the impersonal color “black”, we give so many bad and negative meanings while black pupils can give some objective descriptions and associations about the color. The barriers can include ignoring details, over-generalizing, holding on to preconceptions and stereotypes imposing consistency, preconnecting causes and effects, preferring simple explanations, ignoring circumstances, crediting irrelevant information and focusing on the negative.
Case 18:
Are Perceptions Always Right?
This case can reflect our perceptions on outside world are not always right, especially when we do perceptions on other cultures. We usually perceive others according to our own culture. This can lead to ineffective intercultural communication. In this case Pat and Chris gave inaccurate and negative perceptions on Akira and Michiko just because of their
Irresponsible judgment and they also gave completely positive perceptions on Marie just because of their simple expectations. In order to avoid the inaccurate perceptions, we need some skills, including increase your understanding of the perceptual process; increase your observational acuity; recognize the elements to which you attribute meaning; check your perceptions; increase your Awareness of perceptual inaccuracies and compensate for them ;increase your awareness of others’ perceptions of you; and develop social decentering, empathy, and other-orientation.。