Abstract
Abstract This study compares turn-taking and disagreement behaviors in spontaneous conversations in American English and Mandarin Chinese. The English and Chinese speakers observed some turn-taking rules and employed weak disagreement, but differed in the deployment of extended concurrent speech and strong disagreement. Analysis of the Chinese speakers’ reactions reveals nothing negative. This was confirmed by the Chinese speakers’ viewpoints that were explicitly stated in follow-up interviews, which signal that they perceived the practice of extended concurrent speech and strong disagreement in the collected conversations as politic. Furthermore, the similarities and differences between the speakers’ turn-taking and disagreement behaviors appear to be constrained by contextual factors. This discloses the interplay of context, practice, and perception. These findings can raise our awareness of potential issues that might occur in intercultural encounters and the importance of understanding cross-cultural pragmatic differences to avoid miscommunication.
Highlights
The importance of studying the linguistic realizations of speech behaviors in American English versus Mandarin Chinese cannot be overemphasized in the world as it currently exists
A lack of knowledge about pragmatic norms in American English and Mandarin Chinese has the potential to lead to misperceptions and misunderstandings in cross-cultural communication between American and Chinese people
This study compares the turn-taking and disagreement behaviors of the English and Chinese speakers who participated in spontaneous conversations in American English and Mandarin Chinese, respectively
Summary
The importance of studying the linguistic realizations of speech behaviors in American English versus Mandarin Chinese cannot be overemphasized in the world as it currently exists. Lack of awareness of pragmatic mismatches may be one reason for discrimination and stereotyping (Gumperz, Jupp and Roberts, 1981; Chick, 1996; Bilbow, 1997) which could severely affect people’s lives (Erickson and Schultz, 1982). It can even entail the peril of “alienation” because American and Chinese people “come from distinct linguistic and cultural backgrounds” (Boxer, 2002: 162). Contrastive pragmatics (Clyne, 1994) is paramount, as Blum-Kulka, House and Kasper (1989) assert
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