Did you have a good week-end? or why there is no such thing as a simple question in cross-cultural encounters

Abstract

Abstract This paper is a description of some typical differences in conversational routines in French and Australian English, and the kinds of tensions that arise when speakers with two different sets of rules come into contact. This conflict exists for most French people in Australia, who speak English, but who tend to retain their French conversational strategies. The paper shows that even simple questions contain a variety of assumptions ranging from whom it is suitable to ask, to the kind of answer or the amount of detail expected. These differences lead to an analysis of the different underlying cultural values governing the rules of interaction in the two languages. This study is based on visits to a French company operating in Australia, with employees being taped on the job as well as being interviewed individually.

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