This document discusses effective strategies for cross-cultural communication in libraries. It notes that there were over 670,000 international students in the US in 2009. When communicating across language and cultural barriers, it is important to consider rate and style of speech, cultural references, idioms, jargon, and listening for meaning rather than individual sounds. The document provides examples of idioms, jargon, and cultural references that could cause confusion and recommends speaking clearly and slowly, explaining unfamiliar terms, and avoiding assumptions about shared cultural knowledge.

1. Cross-Cultural Communication Effective Strategies for Libraries Dawn Amsberry Penn State University ALA Annual 2010

2. Linguistic and Cultural Diversityin Higher Education 670,000 international students in the United States in 2009 Increase of 7.7% over previous year Largest sending countries: India, China, Korea 4,421 international students at Penn State University in 2009 http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/

3. Communicating across Language and Cultural Barriers Rate and style of speech Use of idioms and jargon Cultural references Listening for meaning Positive attitude

4. Rate and style of speech Speaking slowly does not aid comprehension Pause at the end of thought groups Use normal grammar and syntax Speak clearly Blau, E.K. (1990) “The Effect of Syntax, Speed, and Pauses on Listening Comprehension,” TESOL Quarterly24: 746-753.

5. Super Salad?

6. Idioms Phrases with meanings that can’t be inferred from the individual words: “Kick the bucket.”

7. Monty Python’s Flying Circus:How not to use idioms Dead Parrot Sketch

8. Monty Python’s Flying Circus:How not to use Idioms This parrot is no more! He's expired and gone to meet his maker! If you hadn't nailed him to the perch he'd bepushing up the daisies! He's off the twig! He's kicked the bucket, he's shuffled off his mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!

9. Jargon: the third language bibliographic instructionLC subjectcitationdatabase abstract Boolean logic authority controlindexbrowse periodicalkeyword reservescatalog referencecirculation classificationpeer reviewed

10. Are these books on hold?

11. ACRL/IS Multilingual Glossary http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/about/sections/is/projpubs/multilingual.cfm

12. Cultural References Batter up!

13. Wicket Keeper?

14. Gully, point, sweeper cover…

15. Language and American culture Baseball language: touch base, in the ballpark, batting 1000, cover the bases, curveball, out of left field Other sports: hole in one, slam dunk, Hail Mary pass

16. Language and Culture Poker: ace in the hole, poker face, show your hand, hit the jackpot References to American politics, history (John Hancock), comic strips, movies, songs

17. Effective Listening Accent does not mean unintelligible Listen for meaning, not individual sounds Identify the topic Ability to understand accented speech improves with exposure Munro, M.J. and Derwing, T.M. (1999), "Foreign accent, comprehensibility, and intelligibility in the speech of second language learners", Language Learning, Vol. 49, pp. 285-310.

18. Speech Accent Archivehttp://accent.gmu.edu/

19. Attitudes toward accented speech Top Ten Disney Villains http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pC6cw5A_rw

20. Media Stereotypes Good guys speak with American accents Cartoon villains speak with foreign accents Lippi-Green, R.(1997). English with an accent: Language, ideology, and discrimination in the United States. New York, NY: Routledge. Dobrow, J.R. & Gidney, C.L. (1998). The good, the bad and the foreign: The use of dialect in children's animated television. Annals of the American Academy, 557: 1998.

21. Effective cross-cultural communication strategies Speak clearly at a normal rate with pauses Avoid or explain idioms and cultural references Avoid assumptions about shared cultural knowledge Listen for meaning rather than sounds Be aware of attitudes toward accented speech

22. Questions & Discussion Dawn Amsberry dua4@psu.edu