Politeness Strategies in the Workplace: Which Experiences Help Japanese Businessmen Acquire American English Native-like Strategies?

Autor/in	Nakajima, Yuko
Titel	Politeness Strategies in the Workplace: Which Experiences Help Japanese Businessmen Acquire American English Native-like Strategies?
Quelle	In: Working Papers in Educational Linguistics, 13 (1997) 1, S.49-69 (23 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Schlagwörter	Business Administration; Business Communication; Classroom Techniques; Cultural Awareness; Cultural Education; English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Japanese; Language Patterns; Language Proficiency; Language Research; Language Usage; North American English; Pragmatics; Second Language Instruction; Sociocultural Patterns; Student Attitudes; Work Environment + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Business economics; Betriebswirtschaft; Unternehmenskommunikation; Klassenführung; Cultural identity; Kulturelle Identität; Culture; Education; Kulturelle Bildung; Kulturelle Erziehung; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Ausland; Japaner; Japanisch; Sprachmodell; Sprachstruktur; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Sprachforschung; Sprachgebrauch; Amerikanisches Englisch; Pragmalinguistik; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Soziokulturelle Theorie; Schülerverhalten; Arbeitsmilieu
Abstract	A study investigated which experiences helped Japanese learners of English as a second language acquire native-like politeness strategies and how Japanese businessmen perceive the relationship between degrees of indirectness and politeness in Japanese and in English. Subjects were 22 adult males, including 17 native speakers of Japanese working for large businesses and living in Japan or the United States, and a comparison group of 5 native speakers of American English working in a large American firm. The subjects completed discourse completion tasks and a questionnaire. The discourse completion tasks involved refusals, giving embarrassing information, and disagreement in interactions between lower- and higher-status colleagues. Responses revealed patterns both within and across cultural groups. It is concluded that living experience in the target culture helped learners acquire native-like pragmatic competence, and that the Japanese and American businessmen shared an understanding of the relationship between degrees of politeness and directness. All valued their native norms in speaking to higher-status colleagues. Contains 18 references. The questionnaire is appended. (MSE)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC