Presentation on national stereotypes. C1 Erasmus+: Ready for innovative teaching?

1. Introduction
 Nowadays the issue under consideration is of vital importance
worldwide. Lithuania, being a member-state of the European Union
and of the world community, faces the problem in its full swing.
Lithuanian citizens (especially young ones) are leaving the country
in hundreds while people from Eastern Europe and Asia are coming
in search of better living conditions and work. Students should be
informed on the modern tendencies of the process and realize both
its benefits and drawbacks. Moreover, tolerance to people of other
origins and religious beliefs should become one of the main
characteristics of a real citizen. In addition, it’s necessary to
distinguish false and true values and be aware of schematic and
exaggerated character of national stereotypes.

2. Nacionaliniai
stereotipai

3. Aims and objectives
 To foster tolerance towards people of
other nationalities.
 To show that national variety enriches
modern society.
 To develop critical opinion to existing
national stereotypes.

15.  “Heaven is where the police are British,
the cooks are French, the mechanics are
Germans, the lovers are Italian and it’s all
organised by the Swiss. Hell is where the
police are Germans, the cooks are
English, the mechanics are French, the
lovers are Swiss, and it’s all organised by
the Italians.”

16. Questions on the joke.
 Do you find this joke amusing?
 Do you think it corresponds to these
nationalities’ reputation?
 Can you improve it by changing some of the
nationalities or some of the jobs?
 Do you have tourists from other countries?
Which nationalities? What are they?

17. Brazilians voted best tourists,
German worst.
 In the recent survey conducted by the American Board of
tourism, Brazilians have been rated as the world’s best
tourists. People working in jobs ranging from taxi-drivers
to hotel receptionists and airline flight attendants almost
unanimously rated the Brazilians as being ‘friendly’ and
‘polite’. The opposite seemed true of the Germans. “The
Germans just don’t seem to get it,” said one manager of
a hotel chain, based in New Orleans. “They’re rude and
impatient yet they expect service with a smile. They
travel outside Germany yet want to have things just like
at home. Plus they never tip.”

18.  The best tippers are the Japanese, according to the
survey. A travel agent representative explains: “The
Japanese are afraid of ‘losing face’. They’ll do what they
think is expected of them in the country they are visiting,
so they’re usually extremely polite. They rate very high in
the cultural sensitivity category.”
 The French scored extremely low in the ‘willingness to
understand and speak English’ category. “It’s amazing.
They can be rude and snobby,” said a ticket agent at
Chicago O’Hare international Airport. “You try to explain
things to them and they answer you back in French. Not
only that, they smoke too much – even where it’s not
allowed - and they are generally messy, leaving
cigarettes and other rubbish on the floor. It’s
unbelievable.”

19. A summary of the Board’s
survey.
Friendliest
nationalities
Most polite Willingness to
understand and
speak English
Most culturally-
sensitive
1. Brazilians
2. Japanese
3. Korean
4. Canadians
5. Portuguese
6. Russians
1. Japanese
2. Brazilians
3. British
4. Spanish
5. Korean
1. Brazilians
2. Dutch
3. Swiss
4. Hungarians
5. Poles
6. Lithuanians
1. Brazilians
2. Japanese
3. Romanians
4. Egyptians
5. Koreans

20. Mark the statements below true (T)
or false (F):
 People all over the world think Brazilians are the best
tourists.
 The japanese are often afraid of doing or saying the
wrong thin when travelling.
 The French are generally not very happy to speak
English.
 The germans want to get a real feel for the local lifestyle
when they travel.
 The french don’t seem to be very tidy when they travel.
 The germans are happy to show their appriciation for
good service.

21. Which nationalities do you think are
being described below?
 They are always in big groups
 They talk too much
 They’re good dancers
 They smoke too much
 They’re fat
 They think they’re the best
 They’re mean. They count every penny.
 They talk with their hands
 They’re bad drivers
 They’re rich
 They always want things done their way
 The women are beautiful
 They’re all blond-haired and blue-eyed.

22. Take a chance!
 Student work in groups creating their own
stereotypes of different nationalities.
 "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or
eighty. Anyone who keeps learning
stays young."
Henry Ford (1863–1947)
Founder of the Ford Motor Company

23. Thank you for attention.
Prepared by Irina Rovda, English
teacher-expert
Vilnius, Lithuania