In this section, Crystal focuses primarily on conversation. The overwhelming message I took away from the reading is that conversation and language are so complex! There are seemingly innumerable ways in which they same idea can be conveyed in words. As Crystal points out, conversation rarely follows the stereotype of speaking on complete sentences, careful listening, question and answer and the like. True conversation is disordered, with people interrupting, finishing each others sentences, and picking up on the previous person’s thoughts, for example. I found Crystal’s observations about the so called rules of language to be very interesting as well. These rules include taking turns to speak, making it clear that one wishes to speak next, interrupting only to a limited extent, and knowing when to ignore or acknowledge certain comments. The section about different meanings and uses of politeness expressions was something I experienced in India with Hindi. The expression for “thank you” is used far less frequently in India than in the US, I may say thank you upwards of 30 times a day. In addition, I was never formally taught a word for “you’re welcome.” An analogous word exists, but is so rarely used as to be inconsequential.
I have focused primarily on my cross-cultural experiences in India, as they are most pertinent to my current language study. However, I also traveled to Peru, another substantially different culture. I went to Peru relatively uninformed about the culture, whereas I learned quite a bit about India before I left and had a comprehensive orientation there when I arrived. I did not know any Spanish when I was in Peru, while in India I was developing limited skills in Hindi. These factors, in addition to the much lengthier period of time I spent in India, made my time there much more interesting and culturally engaging. In any future travels, I will definitely plan to learn about cultural norms and at least some basic language skills for wherever I go.
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