lucid, free of unnecessary jargons, and engaging. ... this book will be of great benefit ot anyone who comes into contact with people from a different culture, especially the Japanese.
Zhu Kui, The International Journal of Bilingualism
An extremely useful book. It adds more dimensions to our constantly growing understanding. Her work gives us additional frameworks upon which we can build. - Donna Fujimoto - Journal of Sociolinguistics - 3/3 1999
Japan and the United States are in closer contact politically and economically than ever before, yet in many ways our nations are as far from mutual understanding as ever. Misconceptions and miscommunications between East and West continue to plague this important relationship, frustrating the best efforts of both cultures to work together. Stereotypes abound: Americans see Japanese as evasive and inscrutable, while Japanese see Americans as pushy and selfish. What causes these persistent misunderstandings, and what can be done to avoid them?
Fluent in both languages and at home in both cultures, Haru Yamada brings an insiders perspective and a linguists training to this difficult question, illuminating the many reasons why Americans and Japanese misunderstand one another. Social organization, she explains, shapes the way we talk. Because American and Japanese cultures value different kinds of social relationships, they play different language games with different sets of rules. In America, for instance, Aesops fable about the grasshopper and the ants ends with the ants scorning the foolhardy grasshopper. In Japan, however, the story has a very different ending: the ants invite the grasshopper in to share their winter meal, as they appreciate how his singing spurred them on during their summer labors. In the difference between these two endings, argues Yamada, lies an important lesson: Americans, because of their unique political history, value independence and individuality, while Japanese value mutual dependency and interconnectedness. The language of both cultures is designed to display and reinforce these values so that words, phrases and expressions in one language can have completely different connotations in another, leading to all manner of misunderstanding. Yamada provides numerous examples. In Japan, for instance, silence is valued and halting speech is considered more honest and thoughtful than fluid speech, while in America forthright, polished speech is valued. Likewise, the Japanese use word order to express emphasis, while Americans use vocal stress: a listener unaware of this difference may easily misunderstand the import of a sentence. In a lucid and insightful discussion, Yamada outlines the basic differences between Japanese and American English and analyses a number of real-life business and social interactions in which these differences led to miscommunication. By understanding how and why each culture speaks in the way that it does, Yamada shows, we can learn to avoid frustrating and damaging failures of communication.
Different Games, Different Rules is essential reading for anyone who travels to or communicates regularly with Japan, whether they are scientists, scholars, tourists, or business executives. But as Deborah Tannen notes in her Foreword to the book, even those who will never travel to Japan, do business with a Japanese company, or talk to a person from that part of the world, will find the insights of this book illuminating and helpful, because the greatest benefit that comes of understanding another culture is a better and deeper understanding of one's own.
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An analysis of the problems of communication between the Japanese and American people in the twentieth century. Yamada contrasts the American directness with the subtle nuances of meaning in Japanese business and social language to show how misinterpretation can lead to difficulties in interaction between the two races.
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Foreword by Deborah Tannen
A Few Notes on the Text
1.: Two Stories, Two Games
2.: Communication Equipment
3.: Speak for Yourself, Listen to Others
4.: Taking Care of Business
5.: Open for Business
6.: Scoring Points
7.: Support Network
8.: The Truth about Teasing, Praising, and Repeating
9.: Role Models: Working Man, Nurturing Mother
10.: You Are What You Speak
Notes
References
Index
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lucid, free of unnecessary jargons, and engaging. ... this book will be of great benefit ot anyone who comes into contact with people from a different culture, especially the Japanese.
"Different Games, Different Rules is an insightful analysis of why Japanese and Americans, despite the best of intentions, often misunderstand each other. In easy-to-understand prose and with clear examples, Dr. Haru Yamada illustrates the mutual assumptions, the unconscious strategies, as well as the different mechanics of the two languages that form the barriers to better communication. In showing us ways to improve communication with each
other, she also provides a key to improved understanding of ourselves. Informative and immediately useful for any person involved in Japanese-U.S. dealings."--Norio Ohga, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony
Corporation
"Yamada makes clear the close connection between a country's culture and its language and how cultural differences can create misunderstanding and mistrust during negotiations between companies and countries. This insightful and very useful book should be required reading for government officials and corporate executives in both Japan and the United States."--Tatsuro Toyoda, former President and current senior Advisor, Member of the Board, Toyta Motor
Corporation
"Many others have offered analysis, opinion, and advice on this complex subject, but none have shed more light."--Walter G. Hoadley, Executive Vice President, Bank of America
"Dr. Yamada offers an engaging analysis of the differences between American and Japanese communication styles. Rich in insights on navigating the minefield of cross-cultural communication." --Y. Kobayashi, Chairman, Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
"Different Games, Different Rules is an insightful analysis of why Japanese and Americans, despite the best of intentions, often misunderstand each other. In easy-to-understand prose and with clear examples, Dr. Haru Yamada illustrates the mutual assumptions, the unconscious strategies, as well as the different mechanics of the two languages that form the barriers to better communication. In showing us ways to improve communication with each
other, she also provides a key to improved understanding ourselves. Informative and immediately useful for any person involved in Japanese-U.S. dealings."--Norio Ohga, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony
Corporation
"Yamada makes clear the close connection between a country's culture and its language and how cultural differences can create misunderstanding and mistrust during negotiations between companies and countries. This insightful and very useful book should be required reading for government officials and corporate executives in both Japan and the United States."--Tatsuro Toyoda, former President,and current senior Advisor, Member of the Board, Toyota Motor
Corporation
"Many others have offered analysis, opinion, and advice on this complex subject, but none have shed more light."--Walter G. Hoadley, Executive Vice President, Bank of America
"Dr. Yamada offers an engaging analysis of the differences between American and Japanese communication styles. Rich in insights on navigating the minefield of cross-cultural communication." --Y. Kobayashi, Chairman, Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
"It is marvelously well written. It is witty, engaging, academic, and at the same time, very personal." --Seiichi Makino, Journal of Japapnese Studies
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Selling point: Foreword by Deborah Tannen--Yamada is one of her proteges
Selling point: Yamada brings the wit, intelligence, and overall smarts of You Just Don't Understand to bear on the compelling differences between Japanese and American conversational and cultural styles
Selling point: A must-read book for any American doing business in Japan, and for Japanese business professionals trading with the States
Selling point: Fascinating and insightful reading for everyone else--esp. educators dealing with immigrant populations, etc.
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Haru Yamada is Senior Lecturer of Linguistics at the University of Westminster, London. She is the author of American and Japanese Business Discourse: A Comparison of Interactional Styles and a number of articles on international communication.
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Selling point: Foreword by Deborah Tannen--Yamada is one of her proteges
Selling point: Yamada brings the wit, intelligence, and overall smarts of You Just Don't Understand to bear on the compelling differences between Japanese and American conversational and cultural styles
Selling point: A must-read book for any American doing business in Japan, and for Japanese business professionals trading with the States
Selling point: Fascinating and insightful reading for everyone else--esp. educators dealing with immigrant populations, etc.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780195094886
Publisert
1997
Utgiver
Vendor
Oxford University Press Inc
Vekt
435 gr
Høyde
243 mm
Bredde
162 mm
Dybde
20 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
192
Forfatter
Foreword by