Showing papers on "Face (sociological concept) published in 2007"

How Face Influences Consumption - A Comparative Study of American and Chinese Consumers:

Abstract: East Asia is fast becoming the world’s largest brand-name luxury goods market. This study develops the concept of face and face consumption to explain why Asian consumers possess strong appetites for luxury products despite their relatively low income. This paper distinguishes the concept of face from a closely related construct, prestige, and examines the influence of face on consumer behaviours in the United States and China. Due to the heavy influence of face, Asian consumers believe they must purchase luxury products to enhance, maintain or save face. Accordingly, face consumption has three unique characteristics: conformity, distinctiveness and other-orientation. The results of a cross-cultural survey support the existence of these three subdimensions and show that Chinese consumers are more likely to be influenced by their reference groups than are American consumers. Furthermore, they tend to relate product brands and price to face more heavily than do their US counterparts. In addition, Chinese consumers are more likely to consider the prestige of the products in other-oriented consumption than are their American counterparts.

Is there science beyond English? Initiatives to increase the quality and visibility of non-English publications might help to break down language barriers in scientific communication.

Abstract: Of the past 25 winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature, only 9 wrote their masterpieces in English; the remaining 16 laureates wrote in other native languages. Many of their works were eventually translated into English, which was probably necessary for international recognition and the attention of the Swedish Nobel Prize committee. The translators faced the arduous task of transferring the splendour of the original text into a different semantic, syntactic and sometimes cultural context to make it appeal to a wider audience. ![][1] Most Nobel laureates in Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology or Medicine do not face the challenge of translating their works into another language before gaining recognition. Many speak English as their first language and even non‐native English speakers usually publish their discoveries in English. Furthermore, given that English is the lingua franca of science, the international community—including the Nobel Prize committees at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Karolinska Institute—do not have to wait for a translation. The situation is reminiscent of the ancient and medieval worlds, when scholars could communicate only in Latin until great historical literates, such as Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare and Martin Luther, promoted the use of the Italian, English and German languages, respectively, by writing in their native languages. > Any scientist must therefore master English—at least to some extent—to obtain international recognition and to access relevant publications In fact, English has become the modern lingua franca in a world that is economically, scientifically and culturally largely dominated by Anglo‐American countries. Any scientist must therefore master English—at least to some extent—to obtain international recognition and to access relevant publications. But although this makes communication between scientists much easier, it also creates problems for non‐English‐speaking countries. Even if their scientists are able to read English publications, to reap the societal benefits they must … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif

Politeness: Is there an East-West Divide?

Abstract: The theory of politeness of Brown and Levinson (1978, 1987) has remained the most seminal and influential starting point for cross-cultural and cross-linguistic contrastive pragmatics. Yet is has also provoked countervailing arguments from Ide (1989, 1993), Matsumoto (1989), Gu (1990), Mao (1994) and others, pointing out a Western bias in Brown and Levinson's theory, particularly in their construal of the concept of 'face', in their overemphasis on face-threat and their assumption of individualistic and egalitarian motivations, as opposed to the more group-centred hierarchy-based ethos of Eastern societies. This leads to the question in the title of this article: Is there an East-West divide in politeness? The following argument will be presented. There is an overarching framework for studying linguistic politeness phenomena in communication: a common principle of politeness (Leech, 1983, 2002) and a Grand Strategy of Politeness (GSP), which is evident in common linguistic behaviour patterns in the performance of polite speech acts such as requests, offers, compliments, apologies, thanks, and responses to these. The GSP says simply: :In order to be polite, a speaker communicates meanings which (a) place a high value on what relates to the other person (typically the addressee), (MAJOR CONSTRAINT) and (b) place a low value on what relates to the speaker. (MINOR CONSTRAINT). It is clear from many observations that constraint (a) is more powerful than constraint (b). The following hypothesis will be put forward, and supported by very limited evidence: that the GSP provides a very general explanation for communicative politeness phenomena in Eastern languages such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean, as well as in western languages such as English. This is not to deny the importance of quantitative and qualitative differences in the settings of social parameters and linguistic parameters of politeness in such languages. A framework such as the GSP provides the parameters of variation within which such differences can be studied. Hence this article argues in favour of the conclusion that, despite differences, there is no East-West divide in politeness.

Person reference in Interaction

Abstract: Introduction Person reference is a subject that stands at a central intersection between the various behavioural sciences. How persons are classified and individuated lies at the heart of social theory; how different cultures do so has preoccupied anthropology; how we recognize them from face and voice is much investigated in psychology and the cognitive neurosciences; how we refer to persons has been a central topic in philosophy; and the grammatical machinery involved in tracking protagonists in discourse is an important topic in linguistics. Yet, despite the fact that person reference has this centrality, the empirical study of person reference in natural conversation – the central genre of language use – has been curiously neglected, particularly from a cross-cultural perspective that might throw much light on the relation between culture, social structure and language use. This volume attempts to fill this gap. Each chapter looks at person reference in a specific language and culture, as reflected in everyday language use attempting to understand unmarked versus marked usage primarily with respect to initial third-person references but also in subsequent and in first-person references. We see quite quickly that how people refer to individuals in interaction is amazingly varied. There are different name formats: simple first name Laurie , first-name-plus-surname Serena Edwards , title-plus-surname Missus Hallman . There are kin titles like Mommy or Granny . There are more complex possessed kin terms in which kinship references triangulate through someone else: Suzanne's husband , Laurie's dad . There are descriptions like that guy who does those c'mmercials .

Communication Across Cultures: Mutual Understanding in a Global World

Abstract: Preface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction - culture, communication and interaction 2. Direct and indirect messages 3. Politeness and face 4. Speech acts and politeness across cultures 5. The analysis of conversation 6. Power, racism and stereotyping 7. Naming and addressing 8. Cultural differences in writing 9. Translating and interpreting 10. Intercultural communication issues in professional and workplace contexts 11. Towards successful intercultural communication References.

Is the N170 sensitive to the human face or to several intertwined perceptual and conceptual factors

Abstract: Is the N170 sensitive to the human face or to several intertwined perceptual and conceptual factors?

The evolutionary social psychology of off-record indirect speech acts

Abstract: This paper proposes a new analysis of indirect speech in the framework of game theory, social psychology, and evolutionary psychology. It builds on the theory of Grice, which tries to ground indirect speech in pure rationality (the demands of e‰cient communication between two cooperating agents) and on the Politeness Theory of Brown and Levinson, who proposed that people cooperate not just in exchanging data but in saving face (both the speaker’s and the hearer’s). I suggest that these theories need to be supplemented because they assume that people in conversation always cooperate. A reflection on how a pair of talkers may have goals that conflict as well as coincide requires an examination of the game-theoretic logic of plausible denial, both in legal contexts, where people’s words may be held against them, and in everyday life, where the sanctions are social rather than judicial. This in turn requires a theory of the distinct kinds of relationships that make up human social life, a consideration of a new role for common knowledge in the use of indirect speech, and ultimately the paradox of rational ignorance, where we choose not to know something relevant to our interests.

Humour and the Construction of Maori Leadership at Work

Abstract: Leadership is primarily a communicative activity, and humour provides leaders with a valuable communicative resource for reconciling the competing transactional and relational demands which face th...

Business & professional ethics for directors, executives & accountants

Abstract: BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL ETHICS FOR DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVES & ACCOUNTANTS, 5E, delivers an insider's look at actual companies in the face of a wide range of ethical dilemmas. Providing real-world examples of ethical issues in the workplace, this accounting text gives you insight into the development of sound patterns of behavior on the part of directors, executives, and accountants. Current cases and key readings provide an interesting, challenging, and practical learning experience.

Identidade e estratégia na formação do movimento ambientalista brasileiro

Abstract: Relying on a conceptual synthesis provided by the Political Process and New Social Movement theories, this article analyses the strategic and symbolic dimensions of the Brazilian environmental movement's formation process. The authors argue that three political opportunity structures - Redemocratization, Constituent Assembly and Rio 92 - provided the parameters for environmental groups to arise and face common dilemmas regarding their frames and mobilizing strategies. Through this process, a shared identity came about.

World Food Summit, 1996

Abstract: Two decades after the 1974 World Food Conference, the election of a new director-general of FAO resulted in a call for another world meeting on food security. In his first policy statement to the FAO Council in May 1994, following his election in November 1993, Jacques Diouf from Senegal, the first African director-general of FAO, proposed that a World Food Summit (WFS) be held in 1996 in the context of the changes relating to the programmes, structures and policies of FAO that the FAO Conference had empowered him to make (FAO, 1994a). In making his proposal, he said The challenges facing this Organization are the challenges of Member Nations. It is Member Nations and their people who cannot accept the human tragedy of 800 million people without adequate food, be they those condemned to abject poverty and misery, be they the 192 million children whose hunger today points to deprivation of opportunities tomorrow. It is Member Nations who face the challenge of feeding 9,000 million people by the year 2030. Accordingly, it is Member Nations who rightly insist that their Organization for food and agriculture effectively help them in dealing with these challenges.

Does One Size Fit All?: The Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission Revisited

Abstract: Societies emerging from protracted conflict and violence face numerous challenges at the individual, community and national levels. Accordingly, a variety of strategies have been suggested for "hea ...

O estigma da hanseníase: relato de uma experiência em grupo com pessoas portadoras

Abstract: This article is an account of Hansen’s disease patients in a group experience with the aim of examining thoroughly the issues related to the human that has this pathology. The millennial Hansen’s disease brings prejudice, discrimination and social exclusion since its emergency. For a long time these individuals were rejected by the society, family and friends and condemned to live in hardship, losing contact with the outside world to avoid contamination. The stigma set in the biblical times and nowadays it is still part of people’s fantasies. Although today the Hansen’s disease has a treatment and cure, the stigma and prejudice are still rooted in our culture, hampering the individual to face the disease and leaving serious consequences in their personal and professional life. The reports of the feelings and life experiences presented by the participants in the group show the difficulties faced by these individuals beginning with the search for the diagnosis, itsawareness, the treatment accomplishment and after the cure, the treatment of the physical incapacities. The Hansen’s disease leave deep scars in the human beings due to the countless damages resulted from the disease. The individuals need to recover their self-esteem, their bonds and connect to reintegrate themselves into the real world. The feelings related to this pathology as fear, shame, guilt, social exclusion, rejection and rage are part of their daily life.

Uniting against terror : cooperative nonmilitary responses to the global terrorist threat

Abstract: As terrorist attacks continue around the world, from London and Madrid to Afghanistan and Iraq, questions multiply about the effectiveness of current antiterrorist strategies. America's reliance on military approaches and the Bush administration's avowal of a constant state of war have overshadowed nonmilitary, multilateral efforts, and there has been an analogous neglect of these alternative strategies in the literature on terrorism. Uniting Against Terror fills this gap, examining and evaluating post-9/11 cooperative nonmilitary responses to the global terrorist threat, with a particular focus on efforts of the United Nations, the Financial Action Task Force, the European Union, and a wide array of multilateral institutions. Uniting Against Terror argues that defeating the global terrorist threat requires engaging international financial, diplomatic, intelligence, and defense communities and law enforcement organizations in an atmosphere of cooperation. It examines cooperative diplomatic and economic policies to address the changing face of terrorism and the global Al Qaida threat, differentiates between protective measures and long-term preventive policies, and makes recommendations for effective cooperative nonmilitary strategies. Included are chapters that analyze the UN and its role, the unique blend of sanctions and diplomacy that convinced Libya to end its support of terrorism, efforts to halt the financing of terrorist networks, and an account of the European Union's unified "Plan of Action" against terrorism.ContributorsStephanie Ahern, Oldrich Bures, David Cortright, Kathryn L. Gardner, Linda Gerber-Stellingwerf, Jason Ipe, George A. Lopez, Thomas E. McNamara, Alistair Millar, Eric Rosand David Cortright is a Research Fellow at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame and President of Fourth Freedom Forum. George A. Lopez is Senior Fellow and Professor of Political Science at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Cortright and Lopez have edited several other books together, including, most recently, Smart Sanctions: Targeting Economic Statecraft.

Terror, Fear and Behaviour in the Jerusalem Housing Market:

Abstract: This paper tests the hypothesis that fear is a central factor in understanding human behaviour in the face of terror. This claim is addressed in the context of behaviour in the Jerusalem housing ma...

English in the European Parliament: MEPs and their language repertoires

Abstract: This article discusses the role of English in the European Parliament. The author describes how the more democratic role that Europe has embraced has advanced the role of languages at the national level, but has some trouble balancing all twenty-three official languages at the "supranational" level. The members of parliament must face this difficulty, and the author presents their experiences. The experiences that native English and French speakers have formed into two categories of those that are pedantically monolingual, and those who try to engage with members of other languages. Members from other European Union countries and their competencies in English and other foreign languages are presented.

Perception of novel faces: the parts have it!

Abstract: It has been suggested that, as a result of expertise, configural information plays a predominant role in face processing. We investigated this idea using novel and learned faces. In experiment 1, s...

The speech act of apology : a linguistic exploration of politeness orientation in British and Jordanian culture

Abstract: Through an investigation of the realisation patterns of apologies in British English and Jordanian Arabic, this study presents an account of politeness phenomena in Jordanian culture as compared to British culture. A comparison is thus made between the British conceptualisation of the pragmatic notions of face and politeness and their Jordanian equivalents. In order to arrive at better understanding of how politeness operates in each of the cultures under study, it was decided to linguistically examine the act of apologising within the theoretical framework of Brown & Levinson's (1978,1987) model of politeness in which a distinction is made between two main constituents of face: negative face and positive face. The adoption of Brown & Levinson's theory of politeness also meets the need to study this particular speech act in connection with explanatory variables, such as social power, social distance, and the absolute ranking of imposition, which all provide more insights into how politeness is conceived of in the two cultures. The intercultural and intracultural analyses carried out in this study uncover the similarities and differences in the two cultures' linguistic behaviour, as exhibited in the performance of this act. The study argues that Brown & Levinson's claim for the universality of their theory, in which apologies and deference are viewed as being intrinsically negative politeness strategies, is not supported on the ground that Jordanian apologies are found to be positive politeness strategies. The study's main contribution to the field of politeness research is to reinforce the findings of previous researchers (Locher & Watts 2005; Spencer-Oatey 2005; Arundale 2006) who argue that Brown & Levinson's (1987) model of politeness can still be valid if politeness strategies they have proposed are viewed as possible realisations of relational work. The study also reaffirms the findings of Davies et al (2007) and Koutsantoni (2007) in which apologies are found to be of benefit for both the apologiser and the apologisee and likely to maintain "equity" between them. Seen in this way, apologies could be viewed as "relational" and "interactional" phenomena.

The Name And Nature of Leviathan: Political Symbolism and Biblical Exegesis

Abstract: Why did Thomas Hobbes give the title Leviathan to his major work of political theory? On the face of it, the answer to this question is clearly and sufficiently provided in the text itself. In the ...