Every culture have their own do’s and don’ts. In Nepal it is very important for you to use the right respectful words while speaking to an elder, but in foreign country this many not be so but their tone while speaking to a senior eg: teacher does change a little. Similarly we add a respectful word at the back of the first name of the person we are talking to, but in foreign country it is important to address them by their Sur name unless given permission to use the first name. These are some general points in cultural practices.
Speaking English with a foreigner, we are at a disadvantage as we do not have verbal fluency and may struggle with their accent. For example, Americans tend to speak a little faster while Australians and British have heavy accents. The vocabulary that they use may be more that we know. Therefore it is important to know the etiquette while speaking English with a foreigner. We can do the following to avoid any misunderstandings.
Starting a conversion without a proper greeting is a habit that needs to be changed. Greeting is a start to a conversation. Saying Namaste or good morning is an opener.
Going and speaking to a stranger is something that is a big ‘No’. Instead introduce yourself if you are strangers and start off with that.
We Nepalese join our palms together and say Namaste. Foreigners shake hand. Shaking hands say a lot about a person. Just holding hand for a brief moment is not a hand shake. An acceptable strong shake is a very good first impression.
Nepalese have a habit of laughing for no apparent reason and shaking head to either say yes or no. Curb this behavior. Foreigners may be confused.
We Nepalese do not have a distinct accent and many foreigners that I have talked to have said that our pronunciations are clear. So do not fake an accent, it is weird and people will know right away.
Instead speak in an acceptable tone, slowly and clearly.
People look at another place while talking. Eye contact is very important.
Using bombastic words does not make your English good. Use simple words.
Do not assume. Sometimes out of respect or not wanting the foreigner to repeat themselves, assuming what has been implied is wrong thing to do. Instead ask for them to repeat themselves or say that you did not understand them.
Some foreigners use slang words which may not be clear to us. So asking further question if necessary for clarification is important.
Be polite while speaking and respect their point of view as we are from different culture and places so perceptions may not match. "Politeness in communication involves an understanding of the situation, taking into account age, gender, occupation and social status of the communication partner. (Kultanova, Yeskazinova, & Tazhibayeva, 2012)”
These are some habits that need to be improved. People are nervous while speaking with a foreigner in English. This make them blurt out wrong things. Instead relax and converse.
Reference
Kultanova, Z. M., Yeskazinova, Z. A., & Tazhibayeva, E. R. (2012). THE RULES OF SPEECH ETIQUETTE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Education and Science Without Borders , 142-144. Retrieved from proxy.lirn.net/MuseProxyID=mp03/Mu... 1
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Every culture have their own do’s and don’ts. In Nepal it is very important for you to use the right respectful words while speaking to an elder, but in foreign country this many not be so but their tone while speaking to a senior eg: teacher does change a little. Similarly we add a respectful word at the back of the first name of the person we are talking to, but in foreign country it is important to address them by their Sur name unless given permission to use the first name. These are some general points in cultural practices.
Speaking English with a foreigner, we are at a disadvantage as we do not have verbal fluency and may struggle with their accent. For example, Americans tend to speak a little faster while Australians and British have heavy accents. The vocabulary that they use may be more that we know. Therefore it is important to know the etiquette while speaking English with a foreigner. We can do the following to avoid any misunderstandings.
These are some habits that need to be improved. People are nervous while speaking with a foreigner in English. This make them blurt out wrong things. Instead relax and converse.
Reference
Kultanova, Z. M., Yeskazinova, Z. A., & Tazhibayeva, E. R. (2012). THE RULES OF SPEECH ETIQUETTE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Education and Science Without Borders , 142-144. Retrieved from proxy.lirn.net/MuseProxyID=mp03/Mu... 1