Skill Builder: Speaking A Global World Intermediate Culture Shock HOW ADAPTABLE ARE YOU? Work in pairs. Ask and answer the questions below. Have you had to move house several times? How did you feel about this change? Have you had to change jobs or schools several times? Do you find it difficult to adapt to a new job or school? Have you travelled to different countries? Which ones? Did you enjoy the experience? What is the longest time you have lived outside of your country? Do you think you are open to different ideas and different cultures? Would you go and live in a different country if you spoke the language? Would you go and live in a different country if you didn t speak the language? For the past 30 years psychologists have been researching culture shock. They have studied the reactions and experiences during the first few months in a new country of travellers, business people and international students. Research has shown that what most of these people have in common is a series of reactions to the new culture. Culture shock can affect people to different degrees. Do you know anyone who has had culture shock? Some people say that culture shock doesn t have to happen between countries; it can also happen between jobs. People will go through the same stages if they change place where they work, or their school. Has this ever happened to you? Imagine you have a friend who is suffering from culture shock; what would you do to help them?
Imagine that you emigrated from Spain to Nigeria. Explain three aspects of the way of living that would shock you when you arrived. 1. 2. 3. If you emigrated from Spain to the United States, what three things would you miss the most about Spanish lifestyle? 1. 2. 3. Immigration What is the message of the cartoon? Who is considered a desirable immigrant and who an undesirable one? Is it the same in Spain? INTERACTION You and your friends are talking about the topic of immigration. Discuss the following points: - The problems immigrants usually encounter - The immigration problems local inhabitants worry about - Ways the situation could be improved
Multiculturalism How multicultural is your city? How have other cultures influenced our social habits? How has multiculturalism influenced our eating habits? EXPRESS AGREEMENT OR DISAGREEMENT WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS Multiracial societies are more interesting because they have a range of languages and food. It is impossible for people from different cultures to integrate. Immigrants should forget their own traditions and adapt to the customs of the country they live in. MONOLOGUE All countries are to a greater or lesser extent influenced by other cultures. Talk about the following issue, taking into account the following points: The best way to promote your culture internationally To what extent Spanish culture is well-known around the world and why What the most influential country in the world is and why Globalisation How does globalisation affect the different cultures in the world? Should young people live abroad for a year as part of their education? At present, English is the world's lingua franca. What will be the common language in 25 years? Which invention of the 20th century has had the greatest impact on humankind? Is it the airplane, the automobile, or the Internet? How will the Internet and instant access to information affect the lives of future generations?
Cultural Assimilation Assimilation: (n.) the cultural absorption of a minority group into the main cultural body. Questions: What is this picture about? Do you agree with it? Is cultural assimilation a good or a bad thing? Does the government encourage assimilation in your country? Do you agree with the wearing of religious symbols in public places? The American Melting Pot According to the Melting Pot Theory, peoples from various cultures came to America and contributed with aspects of their culture to create a new, unique American culture. The result is that contributions from many cultures are indistinguishable from one another and are effectively "melted" together. ARE WE A MELTING POT IN SPAIN AS WELL?
TIPS FOR WRITING You will be evaluated on the following aspects: 1. COMMUNICATION a. FORMAT Use appropriate greetings and endings in letters and e-mails. Divide your text into paragraphs. Indent paragraphs. b. REGISTER Only use short forms in informal letters/e-mails to friends or relatives. c. STYLE Lists Brackets ( ) Colons (:) commas (,) semi-colons (;) d. CONTENT Do not write information you are not asked for Be polite Do not be strongly demanding. (I want > I d like) e. TEXT LENGTH (120 words approx) Texts that are too short or too long are not valid
2. COHESION & COHERENCE a. IDEAS Plan what you are going to write first. b. SENTENCES English sentence structure - S V O A (Subject + Verb + Object + Adverbial) c. PARAGRAPHS All paragraphs must have the same length (approx). A paragraph usually contains a minimum of three sentences. d. CONNECTIVES 3. RANGE & COMPLEXITY a. INFORMATION -Cover all the points in the instructions. b. STRUCTURES DON T REPEAT YOURSELF!! Don t repeat structures Don t use many empty words (thing, nice ). Don t repeat the same word in the same sentence or paragraph. 4. GRAMMATICAL & LEXICAL ACCURACY BE CAREFUL!! Verbal tenses Subject/verb agreement ( s in 3 rd person singular!). Prepositions Collocations (e.g. make a cake, do sport) Spelling Punctuation REVISE YOUR TEXT
AN INFORMAL EMAIL OR LETTER WRITING INFORMAL STYLE What is it? Informal letters and emails are those you write to your relatives and friends and you can use a casual style with contractions and colloquial expressions. What s its format?