Hello and Goodbye

Often visitors are struck by the friendliness of passersby in American cities. As you walk down the street, strangers may smile at you or even say "Hello" or "How are you?" In general, these people are not attempting to establish meaningful contact - it is just a U.S. version of politeness.

This is especially pertinent in university departments or other office situations. Visitors may feel that it is difficult to interpret mixed signals that they are getting from their colleagues and coworkers. Although it may be confusing, this sort of politeness at the work place is a general part of the U.S. culture and not always an overture to friendship.

When one first encounters an acquaintance, it is common to have a brief conversation - "Hello. How are you?," (to which people generally respond very simply - "Fine, thanks. How are you?") One should be aware that in U.S. culture, however, one "hello" per day is sometimes not enough. Very often, when acquaintances encounter one another again during the day, they will again greet each other.

While there may be a bit too many hellos in a day, the goodbyes are often too few. Visitors should be aware that U.S. acquaintances will often leave the room without saying "excuse me" or "goodbye." Similarly, students, in a rush to get to the next class, may not say "goodbye" or "thank you." It is customary, however, to say "goodbye" to your colleagues at the end of the working day.

Outgoing Behavior - the U.S. Public Face

Unlike the reserved public climate of some European countries, an outgoing and, at times, chaotic climate exists in several U.S. cities. Besides greetings from complete strangers, visitors can expect all manner of behavior and sounds in public places - loud laughter, singing, whistling, yelling, running and skipping. One may also encounter children playing ball or teenagers skateboarding on sidewalks. When people converse, they often use sweeping hand gestures, use direct eye contact, and tend to smile a lot. This outgoing behavior can create a lively, vibrant atmosphere. However, you should be aware that it can also create uncomfortable situations -public displays of drunkenness, violence or lewd behavior.

Speech

You will note that people in the U.S. also tend to be informal in their speech patterns. They use a lot of jargon and slang. There are also differences in American English and British English. Sometimes these are mere differences of spelling, while at other times, completely different words are used. Listed below are some differences between American and British English.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20