Job Discussion Forums

[spiral78]

Intercultural Communication Competence is (in many teaching contexts) a vital component of language teaching.

Just knowing the words and grammar doesn't necessarily make a speaker able to get his/her messages across clearly - nor does it guarantee him/her to understand the messages of others clearly.

There are so many subtexts underlying the words of English - shades of meaning can be indicated by tense and word choice, word stress, degree of formality...not to mention obvious elements like body language. Discourse structure is also a part of cultural awareness

- one easy example is considering where the responsibility for creating comprehension lies. In Asian cultures, the reader or listener is responsible for understanding (lose face if you ask the speaker or writer). In Western cultures, this responsibility lies with the speaker or writer (ask teacher questions in class - we appreciate your initiative).

[SD BOY]

Yes, indeed, 007...Saudi today is not the Kingdom it was in the 19th century.
Largely, because Arabia was not a kingdom in the 19th century (ever hear of Wikipedia, buddy?).
I do, however, agree with you on one point. The United States could not have accomplished what it has in that peninsula without the constant aid and advice of her satellites....I refer of course, to subjects of Her Britannic Majesty and her other Realms beyond the Seas..
Allow me to be the first, to thank you, for helping to keep expatriate salaries stagnant over the last twenty years.
...I don't actually mind this so much...I do find puzzling the fact that HMQ's subjects (especially, the ones from her Dominion north of Lake Erie) find reason to b*tch about the state of affairs incessantly.

[007]