Unit 1: Greetings and Introductions

I. Reading Comprehension: read the text above thoroughly and answer the following
questions:
Greetings and Cultures
Just as length of greeting can vary cross culturally, the choice of an appropriate topic
can be a source of difficulty. Certain topics that are freely raised in American English
greetings have different rules of use in other cultures and languages. It is common to ask
about the well-being of the person being greeted as well as that person's family members in
English and many other languages. Among Arabs, Iranians and Afghans, however, men may
ask about the well-being of other male family members, but are not as free to inquire about
females as is commonly done in the United States. Our Russian, Ukrainian and Georgian
informants stated that greetings among coworkers and acquaintances did not usually contain
inquiries about well-being. When Americans greeted them with expressions like, "Hi. How
are you?" they sometimes found the question so unexpected and startling that they responded
with silence and an embarrassed expression on their faces. They informed us that they did not
understand why the person wanted to know about their health when they did not know this
person well.
As with the Russians, Ukrainians and Georgians who are startled by questions about
well-being, speakers of American English sometimes find themselves speechless when they
are greeted in a number of countries in Asia by two common greetings that translate, "Have
you eaten?" and “Where are you going?” One response we observed is that the native speaker
of English misinterpreted the greeting as an invitation. In the other instance, American
English speakers mistook the intent of the greeting and, when spoken by a non-intimate, felt
that the question was inappropriate and a violation of their privacy.
The way that greetings are performed can vary from culture to culture. In English,
greeting usually involves serial turn taking. In Afghanistan, both parties often begin greeting
each other simultaneously. Questions about well-being are frequently not answered, but are
overlapped by the other speaker with a similar question about well-being. When a response is
given to "How are you?", it is often simply, “Thank you.” English speakers find this
confusing. For Afghans, these ritualized greetings are obligatory each time two friends meet.
While English speakers will perform the greeting on the run, Afghans almost always stop
walking and perform a full greeting each time they encounter each other during the day.
Americans typically wave, nod or say a word or two in subsequent greetings unless they have
a subject to discuss. Complex rules of nonverbal behavior that accompany greeting such as
bowing, kissing, handshaking and touching vary from culture to culture. Our Japanese
informants confided that they were often highly embarrassed when enthusiastically hugged or
kissed by Americans. These non-verbal behaviors often distinguish social classes and
generational distinctions within a particular culture.
A number of our non-native informants expressed anxiety about greeting people in social
settings. They often stated that they did not know what to say. In examining the models that
non-natives are typically given in language classrooms, we found that the ritual of beginning
with a "hello", exchanging names and following with asking about well-being was universally
presented as a model of greeting. However, in our data, much more variety occurs. For
example, comments on the food, the people, and/or the drinks often precede an exchange of
names or personal information. Little is available in textbook materials to show learners how
a topic of conversation is mutually developed or how native speakers ease into formal
introductions. There is not always a good fit between American greeting rituals at parties and
those common in other cultures. For example, in Swedish, Bratt Paulston (1990) reports that a
guest is expected to go around and formally introduce him/herself to all the other guests while
in an American context introductions often proceed under the guidance of the host or hostess
or are an option, but not a requirement, for the individual. Source: Speech Acts Across
Cultures by Joyce Neu
1. Why do Russian, Ukrainian, and Georgian informants find inquiries about well-being
unexpected in greetings?
2. What are some common greetings in Asian countries that may confuse speakers of
American English?
3. How do greetings typically involve turn taking in English compared to Afghanistan?
4. Why do Afghans stop walking and perform a full greeting each time they encounter a
friend during the day?
5. How do non-verbal behaviors like bowing, kissing, handshaking, and touching vary
across different cultures?
6. Why do non-native informants express anxiety about greeting people in social
settings?

II. Vocabulary:

a. Match these words with their correct definitions:

b. Find in the text words that mean the same as:

1. A typical practice or action that happens regularly within a culture: _____________

 2. An action where people communicate without speaking, like nodding or waving:
__________
3. To feel uncomfortable or confused in a social situation: ______________
4. Not suitable or proper in the circumstances: ______________
5. To speak or act at the same time as someone else: ______________

III. Grammar:

a. Fill in the blanks with ‘a,’ ‘an,’ ‘the,’ or ‘X’ (zero article) appropriately:
1. In many cultures, it is common to ask about ______ well-being of family members
during ______ greeting.
2. Russians often find ______ question “How are you?” surprising, especially when
asked by ______ acquaintance.
3. In ______ United States, greetings typically involve ______ quick exchange, like
“Hello” or “Hi.”
4. ______ Japanese informant mentioned feeling uncomfortable after receiving ____ hug
from ______ American.
5. When two Afghans greet each other, they often start speaking at ______ same time,
overlapping ______ conversation.
6. In some Asian countries, greetings like "Have you eaten?" are common and can be
misunderstood as ______ invitation by American speakers.
7. ______ greeting customs in Sweden require guests to introduce themselves to
everyone at ______ party.

b. Fill in the blanks with the correct subject pronoun, object pronoun, or possessive
pronoun from the word bank below:
Word Bank:
I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, you, him, her, us, them, mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
a. ______ (I) always enjoy reading about different cultures.
b. Sarah loves her cat. ______ (it) is very playful.
c. John and I are going to the movies. Would you like to join ______ (us)?
d. My brother is taller than ______ (I).
e. This book belongs to Emily. Is it ______ (she)?
f. The dog wagged ______ (its) tail when I arrived.
g. Can you help ______ (they) with their homework?
h. That house is ______ (they), not ours.
i. I saw James yesterday, but I didn’t get to talk to ______ (he).
j. This pen is ______ (I). I left it on the table.

IV. Writing: unscramble these sentences:

a.
1. greetings/ diverse/ reflect/ cultures/ their/ often/ distinct:
Example: Diverse greetings often reflect their distinct cultures.
2. importance/context/the/of/understanding/in/ is/greetings/crucial
3. vary/significantly/greetings/across/cultures/can
4. relationship/the/greetings/establish/and/strengthen/can
5. unique/cultural/each/of/greeting/nuances/contains/its
6. formal/informal/and/styles/of/greetings/include/cultures
7. understanding/greetings/fosters/cross/cultural/communication/effective

b.

1. borrow/I/may/that book/you/from
2. going to/he/Saturday/is/the shopping mall/on
3. the airport/him/will/at/Linda/meet/noon/at
4. sunny/and/warm/for/the forecast/tomorrow/is
5. bring/to/will/the birthday cake/I/the party
6. out/take/I’ll/tomorrow/the trash
7. off/please/the lights/turn
8. a day/teeth/your/twice/at least/brush
9. far/the theater/how/the school/from/is
10. Amanda/because/room/her/small/like/doesn’t/too/it