(u08a3) Application Questions

Read and analyze the following dialogs. Answer the questions related to one of them on the blog.

#1 A good school? (Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Rashid are both parents of students in the district where Mrs. Thomas also teaches.)
Mrs. Thomas: Johnny has Mr. Smith as a teacher next year. I hear he is an excellent teacher.
Mrs. Rashid: He’s very nice.
Mrs. T: Are you happy with the school district?
Mrs. Rashid: There are many lovely people in the neighborhood.

1. Choose one dialog. Identify where the miscommunication occurs. Explain what each speaker might be thinking.
2. Explain what cultural factors may contribute to the miscommunication in the conversation. Post your answers on the blog; be sure to identify which conversation you are referring to.

A.   From the beginning Mrs. Rashid is avoiding saying her opinion on the school district. When Mrs. Thomas says Mr. Smith is a good teacher, Mrs. Rashid says he’s nice. Mrs. Rashid must be thinking that the school district is not very good, but that it is not polite to possibly offend Mrs. Thomas by saying so, especially since she is herself a teacher in the district. Mrs. Thomas must be thinking that Mrs. Rashid agrees with her because Mrs. Rashid’s answers are so amiable.

B.    Americans tend to think polite answers are a way of agreement. They expect more bluntness in speech, so they would expect the person to say whether or not they disagree. Other cultures consider it very rude to disagree with someone, or to speak badly of someone’s home, or place of work.