Page 196 - Silence in Intercultural Communication

Chapter 5. Performance and perceptions of silence 183

(80) [Interaction: Tadashi, Curriculum and Examinations]

34 (2.7)((Lect writes on the board))
35 Lect: And (0.2) the changing world can bring in
36 environmental issues social issues drugs
37 (0.3) u:m all kinds of things.
38 (0.6)
39 Kylie: ˚( [ )˚]
40 Lect: [And ]the middle one (.) i:s:
41 (0.3)
42 Tadashi: Co[mmunity ?] community.
43 Kylie: [community]?
44 Kylie: Community, >I think it is?<
45 Tadashi: ˚Yeah˚.=
46 Kylie: =Yeah,=
47 Tadashi: =˚Oh yeah,˚
48 (0.4)
49 Kylie: Communi- self community. [yeah].=
50 Tadashi: ˚[yeah].˚ =
51 =Community french community
52 ˚( ) community.˚
53 (0.2)[ ˚Yeah,˚]
-> 54 Tamara: [Is that ] for the french?
-> 55 Kylie: That’s for all of them,=
Furthermore, talking about his personal life may be face-threatening for Tadashi
if he considers classroom discussion to be a formal situation where negative po-
liteness orientation is expected (see Section 5.5 above).
In Case Study 2, in which Miki was observed in the Intercultural communica-
tion class, Miki’s speech content shows that almost all of what she said in class had
to do with her background knowledge and experiences as a Japanese, or with her
intercultural experiences in Australia. Thus, unlike Tadashi, who did not make
comments based on his personal experiences and background, Miki expressed
her personal views and shared her own experiences with the class. The following
excerpt shows Miki giving a long account of the attitudes of modern Japanese
mothers:
(81) [Interaction: Miki]

10 Miki: Yeah. (0.6) uh I- my mum sent me a ( )
11 (0.5) um program in Japan, she taped it
12 for me and I watched the TV program, that
13 was talking about the high school