名篇背诵：The English and the Americans 英国人和美国人

The English and the Americans 英国人和美国人

爱德华·T. 霍尔(Edward T. Hall)

The contrasting English and American patterns have some remarkable implications, particularly if we assume that man, like other animals, has a built-in need to shut himself off from others from time to time. An English student in one of my seminars typified what happens when hidden patterns clash. He was quite obviously experiencing strain in his relationships with Americans. Nothing seemed to go right and it was quite clear from his remarks that we did not know how to behave. An analysis of his complaints showed that a major source of irritation was that no American seemed to be able to pick up the subtle clues that there were times when he didn't want his thoughts intruded on. As he stated it, “I'm walking around the apartment and it seems that whenever I want to be alone my roommate starts talking to me. Pretty soon he's asking ‘What's the matter?’and wants to know if I'm angry. By then I am angry and say something.”

It took some time but finally we were able to identify most of the contrasting features of the American and British problems that were in conflict in this case. When the American wants to be alone he goes into a room and shuts the door — he depends on architectural features for screening. For an American to refuse to talk to someone else present in the same room, to give them the “silent treatment” is the ultimate form of rejection and a sure sign of great displeasure. The English, on the other hand, lacking rooms of their own since childhood, never developed the practice of using space as a refuge from others. They have in effect internalized a set of barriers, which they erect and which others are supposed to recognize. Therefore, the more the Englishman shuts himself off when he is with an American the more likely the American is to break in to assure himself that all is well. Tension lasts until the two get to know each other. The important point is that the spatial and architectural needs of each are not the same at all.

pick up the subtle clues (对微妙的暗示)心领神会

the ultimate form of rejection 最严厉的拒绝方式

shut off 分开，与人隔开

- spatial [ˈspeɪʃəl] a. 空间的，占据空间的

英国人和美国人两种互相矛盾的模式，有一些明显的含义，尤其是如果我们假定人类像其他动物那样，有一种内在的需求机制，不时地把自己和别人隔绝。我的研究班有一个英国学生典型地表现了潜在模式冲突时会发生什么情况。他十分明显地经历着和美国人的交往关系中的紧张状态。好像啥也弄得不对头，他的讲话中十分明显地表达出我们美国人不懂得该采取什么行为举止。对他抱怨的分析表明，引起恼怒的主要来源是，有时他在不想让自己的思路受到干扰的时候，做出某种微妙的暗示，没有一个美国人能够领会这种暗示。如他所说，“我在家前屋后走着，好像是每当我要独处的时候，我的室友总要上前跟我讲话。他很快就会问‘怎么回事呀？’而且想弄明白我是否生气了。此时我当真生气了，且出言不逊。”

不过，过了一段时间，我们终于能够辨别出在这种情况下美国和英国相冲突的问题中大部分的矛盾特点。当美国人想独处时，他进入房间，关上门——用的是建筑屏蔽的特点。对于一个美国人来说，拒绝和在同屋的旁人说话，给人家“缄默处理”是表示拒绝的最后形式，而且是确定无疑的、极不乐意的表示。另一方面，英国人，从孩提时期就缺少自己的房间，从来没有养成利用空间回避他人的习惯。他们实际上在内心深处构筑了一整套壁垒，堡垒是自己构建而且认定他人能够意识得到的。因此英国人和美国人在一起时越是封闭自己，美国人越是要突破防线，以确保一切都正常。紧张关系一直持续到美国人和英国人互相间十分了解。关键在于，受空间条件限制的需要机制和人为构建的需要机制，两者完全不同。

爱德华·T. 霍尔(1914—　)，美国西北大学人类学教授，著述很多，如《理解文化差异》(Understanding Culture Differences ，1990)，《隐藏的空间》(The Hidden Dimension， 1966)等。他认为影响文化的主要因素为：时间、空间和情境。情境指文化资源的高情境(high context)和低情境(low context)。他还根据自己的研究指出“空间能说话”。他的学术思想对当前学术界有一定影响。