Norway is considered to be a polychronic culture. Time is not as precise at it is here in the states. Arriving less than an hour late is still considered "on time". In general time is put secondary to the quality and care taken to complete the task at hand. In business this will often lead to very slow negotiations, as the Norwegians take their time in making sure no detail is overlooked. Though by most standards Norway is considered to be extremely efficient in it's productivity rate, most tasks are handled separately and work hours are relatively short. Whereas we as Americans prefer to multitask to complete many tasks more quickly, the caliber of work is emphasized much more then the time it takes to complete it in for the Norwegians. This is not to say that the Norwegians are not punctual. On the contrary, Norway, along with the other Scandinavian nations, is considered to be very conservative with time. Days are scheduled in a time blocks to complete tasks and to navigate the activities of daily life. In this way, much of the stress we face here in the U.S. trying to haphazardly complete our daily chores is eliminated. Personal time is also emphasized, though, and is included in any daily schedule. Time for relaxation, socializing, and family time are important aspects of daily Norwegian life that are equally, if not more, important than fulfilling one's respective duties. Like Swedish, Norwegian has specific words to describe the specific time of day (more than just the hour/minute) and what activity is typically done at this time.
Attitudes about time in Sweden are quite conservative, in that specific meeting times and schedules are respected and punctuality the norm. That being said however, an individual's quality of time is also greatly appreciated in the sense that moments of relaxation, exercise, and mealtimes are consecrated as quality periods of time and truly enjoyed to the fullest extent. Specific allocations of time to various activities throughout the day contributes to a less stressful day to day life, unlike in some cultures where productivity and continuous work schedules are preferred. Leisure and family time is evident in low weekly work hours, extensive vacations periods mandated by law, and long maternity/paternity leave. I have not previously made this connection, but in Swedish there are various words t describe a specific hour of the day, and specific activity of the day, which may be related to the importance of quality and understanding of certain activities for each part of the day.
Attitudes about time in India are incredibly interesting because of the stereotype of "Indian standard time." There is some truth to Indian standard time -- in which many people view time in a relaxed way -- as something that does not have to be strictly adhered to, such as a meeting at 7:15 pm, for instance -- it might start at 8 pm. This attitude can even be seen in just observing the way people live life in India. Often, you will see neighbors or friends sitting outside and having tea, or hanging out at the nearby tea/fruit juice stand, as though the time passing by didn't matter at all -- after all, they are enjoying the time with a close friend. At first, I liked this attitude because I felt as though it provided people with a sense of appreciation for the "little things" in life -- dinner with family, drinking tea with a friend, and more.
These attitudes are somewhat reflected in the language. When people are using Hindi casually (in a non-formal setting), time expressions usually take the form of (approximately) "a quarter before/after ___" or "half past ___." To me, this indicates more of an emphasis on being relaxed about time, rather than quoting a specific number (like 6:26 pm vs. half past 6).
(Please see my SDLAP blog page for more info about this topic...under "MLC 110 Culture Post #6).
In Korea, time is split into 4 sections: a chim, se byok, not, and jonyok. Respectively, these mean morning, noon, afternoon, and night. I think it makes more sense than just simply having AM and PM like we use in English. The time system is interesting because they use both types of counting systems when telling the time. The hour (known as "si") uses the numbers: han, du, se, ne, dasot, yosot, ilgob, yodol, ahob, yol, yol-han, and yol-dul. The minute (known as "boon") uses the other number set (il, e, sam...) Korean also has words for times we don't have a certain name for in English. For instance, there is a term to describe two days ago and two days from now. The time in relation to dates is much more simple than in English also. Instead of names for months, they simply say 1st month, 2nd month, 3rd month. Today would be "Sam wol, e sib o il." This means 3rd month, 25th day.
In Afghanistan, attitudes towards time are relatively relaxed. Sure some things are expected to occur at specific times (e.g., doctor appointments, daily prayers, school); for the most part, however, time is not often strictly adhered to, as opposed to Western culture. For instance, a guest maybe invited for lunch, but not show up until 4 p.m. Additionally, some Afghans tend to indicate earlier than desired start times on their wedding invitations with the expectation that many guests will arrive one to two hours after the start time mentioned on the invitation. It is also difficult to predict when something events such as dinner will end due to the hospitality of hosts who insist for their guests to stay longer, or stay for tea. The relatively relaxed perspective on time in Afghanistan often disrupts punctuality. Moreover, since time is treated loosely, if you see someone you know, in passing, you are expected to engage in a full conversation, regardless if you have a prior engagement to attend to.
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Norway is considered to be a polychronic culture. Time is not as precise at it is here in the states. Arriving less than an hour late is still considered "on time". In general time is put secondary to the quality and care taken to complete the task at hand. In business this will often lead to very slow negotiations, as the Norwegians take their time in making sure no detail is overlooked. Though by most standards Norway is considered to be extremely efficient in it's productivity rate, most tasks are handled separately and work hours are relatively short. Whereas we as Americans prefer to multitask to complete many tasks more quickly, the caliber of work is emphasized much more then the time it takes to complete it in for the Norwegians. This is not to say that the Norwegians are not punctual. On the contrary, Norway, along with the other Scandinavian nations, is considered to be very conservative with time. Days are scheduled in a time blocks to complete tasks and to navigate the activities of daily life. In this way, much of the stress we face here in the U.S. trying to haphazardly complete our daily chores is eliminated. Personal time is also emphasized, though, and is included in any daily schedule. Time for relaxation, socializing, and family time are important aspects of daily Norwegian life that are equally, if not more, important than fulfilling one's respective duties. Like Swedish, Norwegian has specific words to describe the specific time of day (more than just the hour/minute) and what activity is typically done at this time.
Correction:
*Norway is considered to be a monochronic culture though time is not as precise at it is here in the states.
Attitudes about time in Sweden are quite conservative, in that specific meeting times and schedules are respected and punctuality the norm. That being said however, an individual's quality of time is also greatly appreciated in the sense that moments of relaxation, exercise, and mealtimes are consecrated as quality periods of time and truly enjoyed to the fullest extent. Specific allocations of time to various activities throughout the day contributes to a less stressful day to day life, unlike in some cultures where productivity and continuous work schedules are preferred. Leisure and family time is evident in low weekly work hours, extensive vacations periods mandated by law, and long maternity/paternity leave. I have not previously made this connection, but in Swedish there are various words t describe a specific hour of the day, and specific activity of the day, which may be related to the importance of quality and understanding of certain activities for each part of the day.
Attitudes about time in India are incredibly interesting because of the stereotype of "Indian standard time." There is some truth to Indian standard time -- in which many people view time in a relaxed way -- as something that does not have to be strictly adhered to, such as a meeting at 7:15 pm, for instance -- it might start at 8 pm. This attitude can even be seen in just observing the way people live life in India. Often, you will see neighbors or friends sitting outside and having tea, or hanging out at the nearby tea/fruit juice stand, as though the time passing by didn't matter at all -- after all, they are enjoying the time with a close friend. At first, I liked this attitude because I felt as though it provided people with a sense of appreciation for the "little things" in life -- dinner with family, drinking tea with a friend, and more.
These attitudes are somewhat reflected in the language. When people are using Hindi casually (in a non-formal setting), time expressions usually take the form of (approximately) "a quarter before/after ___" or "half past ___." To me, this indicates more of an emphasis on being relaxed about time, rather than quoting a specific number (like 6:26 pm vs. half past 6).
(Please see my SDLAP blog page for more info about this topic...under "MLC 110 Culture Post #6).
Thanks!
In Korea, time is split into 4 sections: a chim, se byok, not, and jonyok. Respectively, these mean morning, noon, afternoon, and night. I think it makes more sense than just simply having AM and PM like we use in English. The time system is interesting because they use both types of counting systems when telling the time. The hour (known as "si") uses the numbers: han, du, se, ne, dasot, yosot, ilgob, yodol, ahob, yol, yol-han, and yol-dul. The minute (known as "boon") uses the other number set (il, e, sam...) Korean also has words for times we don't have a certain name for in English. For instance, there is a term to describe two days ago and two days from now. The time in relation to dates is much more simple than in English also. Instead of names for months, they simply say 1st month, 2nd month, 3rd month. Today would be "Sam wol, e sib o il." This means 3rd month, 25th day.
In Afghanistan, attitudes towards time are relatively relaxed. Sure some things are expected to occur at specific times (e.g., doctor appointments, daily prayers, school); for the most part, however, time is not often strictly adhered to, as opposed to Western culture. For instance, a guest maybe invited for lunch, but not show up until 4 p.m. Additionally, some Afghans tend to indicate earlier than desired start times on their wedding invitations with the expectation that many guests will arrive one to two hours after the start time mentioned on the invitation. It is also difficult to predict when something events such as dinner will end due to the hospitality of hosts who insist for their guests to stay longer, or stay for tea. The relatively relaxed perspective on time in Afghanistan often disrupts punctuality. Moreover, since time is treated loosely, if you see someone you know, in passing, you are expected to engage in a full conversation, regardless if you have a prior engagement to attend to.