【正文】 ique style of munication, culture determines a general style for its members. We are not always aware of the subtle influences of our culture. Likewise, we may not perceive that others are influenced by their cultures as well. Case 3 Friends Were Friends Forever?ExplanationIn the above case, neither Yaser nor Steve is to be blamed for their relationship. The reason why Yaser felt confused is that he is an outsider to American culture. He doesn’t understand the way Americans view friendship. Americans use the word “friend” in a very general way. They may call both casual acquaintances and close panions “friends.” Americans have school friends, work friends, sports friends and neighborhood friends. These friendships are based on mon interests. When the shared activity ends, the friendship may fade. Now Steve and Yaser are no longer classmates. Their friendship has changed.In some cultures friendship means a strong lifelong bond between two people. In these cultures friendships develop slowly, since they are built to last. However, American society is one of rapid change and studies show that one out of every five American families moves every year. American friendships develop quickly, and they may change just as quickly.People from the United States may at first seem friendly. Americans often chat easily with strangers. They exchange information about their families, hobbies and work. They may smile warmly and say, “Have a nice day” or “See you later.” Schoolmates may say, “Let’s get together sometimes.” But friendliness is not always an offer of true friendship in America.People like Yaser shouldn’t give up trying to make American friends. Americans do value strong lifelong friendship, with Americans and nonAmericans. When making friends, it helps to have a good dose of crosscultural understanding.Here are just a few tips given by Americans to nonAmericans who want to make friends with Americans.1. Visit places Americans enjoy: parties, churches, western restaurants, parks, sports clubs.2. Be willing to take the first step. Don’t wait for them to approach you. Americans may not know if you speak English. They may be embarrassed if they can’t speak your language.3. Use small talk to open the conversation. Ask them where they’re from. Why they came to China, etc. Remember: Be careful to avoid personal questions about age, salary, marital status and appearance.4. Show an interest in their culture, their country or their job. (Americans like to talk about themselves!)5. Invite them to join you for dinner or just for coffee or tea. Try to set a specific time. Americans sometimes make general invitations like “Let’s get together sometimes.” Often this is just a way to be friendly. It is not always a real invitation.6. Don’t expect too much at first. Maybe they’re just being friendly. But maybe they do want to be your good friends. It will take time to tell.UNIT 3 Verbal CommunicationPart One Warm Up1. The newly married couple understand the meaning of the word ‘honeymoon’ from their own perspectives.2. Confusion can result when you look for meaning in the words and not in the person.3. In interpersonal munication we use language to confirm or disconfirm another person. Two general types of meanings are covered: denotation and connotation. The denotative meaning of a word is its objective definition, while the connotative meaning is its subjective or emotional meaning.Part Three ExercisesSection B Group Discussion1. Saturday ShiftCommunication in this dialogue goes wrong from the very first line in which Ms. Jones, from a direct culture, thinks she has just told Mr. Wu about a need she has for workers on Saturday. However, Mr. Wu, from an indirect culture, has not heard this first line as a statement of a need but as an indirect and very polite request to e in on Saturday, for this is, in fact, almost exactly how Mr. Wu would make such a request in his culture.Things go rapidly downhill from here. Wu answers this “request” in the negative (“I see,” which in his culture is a polite way of saying no without actually using the word). In his culture, if Wu would e in on Saturday, he would immediately say so at this point。 that he does not, that the best he can manage is “I see,” is a clear indication that he can’t e in.This is not exactly how Ms. Jones reads it. Indeed, Ms Jones doesn’t even realize that she’s asked a question yet, much less that it has already been answered. Accordingly, she now proceeds to ask Wu if he can e in. Wu is taken aback, of course, having already said he can’t, but he repeats his position with another indirect negative: “Yes, I think so,” Needless to say, this is probably going to e across as a yes to Ms. Jones, who interprets things quite literally.Imagine Wu’s surprise at the next line, “That’ll be a great help.” He has twice told Ms. Jones he can’t e in, and she still thinks he can. Now Wu doesn’t know what to do, so he tries what for him must be the direct approach, telling Ms. Jones exactly why he won’t be there on Saturdayit is his son’s birthday. Ms. Jones, who has been in the dark for most of this conversation (from Wu’s point of view, that is) goes even further astray at this point, finding Wu’s ment on the birthday quite far from the subject under discussion.Because of Wu’s absence, Saturday isn’t going to be a good day for Ms. Jones. Nor is Monday going to be much fun for Mr. Wu, since he would be blamed by Ms. Jones. 2. A Bit of NuisanceThis dialogue illustrates how two mon techniques of munication, understatement and changing the subject, are interpreted differently by direct and indirect municators. Karl and Gitti are two direct municators reviewing a conversation Karl had with a third person, the somewhat more indirect Arabella. As is their norm, Karl and Gitti have interpreted Arabella’s phrase “a bit of a nuisance” literally, assuming she means just that and nothing