I anno, 2^ lingua, LL

My comments are highlighted in yellow. -- PB

Martina Micillo

April 2, 2008

TASK 5. Make a questionnaire to know the cultural values of the American students from the Trinity College of Rome

1. Define a few characteristic language habits or attitudes

• They love Europe as the image of a mythical experience in a land with a great past, especially in what concerns history and arts.¹

Question 1 Do you like Europe? Yes, too much – A bit – Not so much – Other (For example: he/she has visited only Italy, or only Spain etc…)

I expect: Yes too much

VERY INTELLIGENT QUESTION, ESPECIALLY THE ADJECTIVE “MYTHICAL”. THEY FEEL A SENSE OF INFERIORITY WITH RESPECT TO EUROPEANS (A SENSE THEY DON'T LIKE TO ADMIT) BECAUSE OF THEIR MYTHICAL PAST, FULL OF HISTORY AND ART – SOMETHING LIKE YOU FEEL WHEN YOU WALK INSIDE THE CATHEDRAL OF SAN PIETRO IN VATICANO. UNFORTUNATELY, YOUR QUESTION DOES NOT BRING THIS OUT. YOU ASK: “DO YOU LIKE EUROPE?” WELL, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THEM TO ANSWER TO A EUROPEAN (YOU)? OF COURSE THEY SAY “YES.” BUT WHAT DOES THAT YES MEAN? WHAT IS BEHIND IT? YOU HAVE NOT TESTED FOR YOUR MYTHICAL STATUS IN THEIR EYES WITH THAT QUESTION.

• They have a myth of themselves and of their independence

Question 2, With how much strength do you feel tied to America and consider it as a myth? On ten point scale

I expect: 10)

GOOD, BUT YOU HAVE TWO QUESTIONS, NOT ONE. MAYBE THEY FEEL TIED TO AMERICA BUT DO NOT CONSIDER IT A MYTH; IN THAT CASE HOW CAN THEY ANSWER ON A 10-POINT SCALE? SUGGESTION: ELIMINATE THE SECOND QUESTION ABOUT “MYTH”. ASK IT AS A SEPARATE QUESTION: “DO YOU THINK THE IDEA OF AMERICA AS A WONDERFUL COUNTRY IS A MYTH?”

• They are superficial

Question 3, Are you agree with the statement that American people are a bit superficial? Agree – Don’t agree

I expect: Agree

THE IDEA IS GOOD BUT, LIKE YOUR QUESTION ON “AMERICA AS A MYTH”, YOU ARE ASKING YOUR AMERICAN INTERLOCUTOR AN ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION TO ANSWER. IF SHE OR HE IS SUPERFICIAL, AS YOU SEEM TO THINK BY YOUR QUESTION, SHE WILL OF COURSE ANSWER “NO, WE ARE NOT SUPERFICIAL” BECAUSE SUPERFICIAL PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE THEY ARE. IF YOUR INTERLOCUTOR ANSWERS “YES”, THEN ACCORDING TO YOUR DEFINITION OF AMERICANS (“THEY ARE SUPERFICIAL”) S/HE IS NOT AN AMERICAN, SINCE HE REALIZES SOMETHING THAT HIS COMPATRIOTS DON'T REALIZE. SOLUTION: NEVER ASK A PERSON “ARE YOU OR YOUR COMPATRIOTS SUPERFICIAL?” INSTEAD, ASK A QUESTION ABOUT SOMETHING SENSITIVE AND THEN SEE IF THEY GIVE YOU A SUPERFICIAL ANSWER. FOR EXAMPLE, IN THIS CASE, A QUESTION LIKE: “HOW MUCH MONEY SHOULD A COUNTRY SPEND TO CONSERVE ANCIENT DOCUMENTS AND MONUMENTS? -- A LOT, SO-SO, JUST A MINIMUM”

• They are informal

Question 4, Do you speak to your professor calling him/her with name or surname? Name - Surname

I expect: Name

Question 5 If you’re invited to an evening meal with friends, what kind of clothes do you put on? Casual – Elegant dress – Sportswear

I expect: Casual or sportswear

OK BUT DON'T BE SURPRISED IF YOUR INTERVIEWEE ANSWERS “I CALL MY TEACHER “PROFESSOR SMITH” -- FIRST, ONLY SOME TEACHERS TELL THEIR STUDENTS TO CALL THEM BY THEIR FIRST NAMES: “SOME” IS MORE THAN “NONE” AS IN ITALY, AND IT IS AN INDICATION OF A TENDENCY TO BE INFORMAL ... BUT YOU CANNOT DISCOVER THIS INFORMATION WITH ONE QUESTION TO ONE INTERVIEWEE. TRY THIS QUESTION INSTEAD: “WOULD YOU CONSIDER IT STRANGE IF A CERTAIN PROFESSOR TOLD HIS STUDENTS TO CALL HIM BY HIS FIRST NAME?” THIS QUESTION IS BETTER BECAUSE YOUR INTERVIEWEE MAY HAVE FRIENDS WHO CALL THEIR TEACHER BY HER/HIS FIRST NAME.

YOUR SECOND QUESTION IS AMBIGUOUS: “YOU ARE INVITED TO AN EVENING MEAL”... WHERE? AT THE HOME OF LONG-TIME FRIENDS WHO ARE ROCK MUSICIANS? OR AT THE HOME OF RECTOR OF YOUR UNIVERSITY BECAUSE YOU WERE ELECTED STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE ACADEMIC SENATE? THESE ARE VERY DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES! IN ADDITION, MANY AMERICANS MAY NOT UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “CASUAL” CLOTHING AND “SPORTSWEAR.” SO MAYBE A BETTER QUESTION IS: “Would you be surprised or even angry if you invited a group of friends to your home for dinner and one of them showed up wearing a gym suit?”

• They are optimist

Question 6, When you’re going to prepare a very hard exam, do you feel anxious or relaxed?

I expect: Relaxed

THIS IS NOT A GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT A PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAIT, NOT A CULTURAL TRAIT: BEING OPTIMISTIC OR PESSIMISTIC ABOUT AN EXAM DEPENDS ON YOUR PERSONALITY (NOT YOUR CULTURE) AND, OF COURSE, HOW PREPARED YOU ARE.

IT IS TRUE THAT PEOPLE CALL AMERICANS “OPTIMISTIC”, BUT NOT ABOUT PRIVATE MATTERS LIKE EXAMS. THEY ARE OPTIMISTIC IN THAT THEY BELIEVE THAT IF YOU WORK HARD YOU WILL SUCCEED IN LIFE, AS A GENERAL RULE. AMERICANS ALSO BELIEVE THAT THEIR NEW PRESIDENT WILL DO GOOD THINGS (ITALIANS ARE ALWAYS CYNICAL ABOUT THEIR NEW POLITICAL LEADERS). BUT, AGAIN, THIS OPTIMISM IS CULTURAL, NOT PSYCHOLOGICAL, BECAUSE IT REGARDS LIFE IN GENERAL AND IS AN ATTITUDE THAT MOST AMERICANS HAVE IN GENERAL. SO IF YOU REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT EXAMS, REPHRASE YOUR QUESTION THIS WAY: “Do you believe that if a student studies hard and is of at least average intelligence he or she will usually pass an exam?” MOST AMERICANS WILL ANSWER YES, MOST ITALIANS WILL ANSWER “NOT NECESSARILY, THAT DEPENDS ON THE PROF.” SO THIS SHOWS AMERICAN OPTIMISM AS A CULTURAL VALUE, NOT AN INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL VALUE.

• They get married very young

Question 7, What do you think is the best age to get married? Eighteen to twenty five – Twenty five to thirty – After thirty

I expect: Eighteen to twenty five

NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS QUESTION. EXCEPT FOR YOUR USE OF THE EXPRESSION “VERY YOUNG”, FOR ME 25 IS NOT “VERY YOUNG.”

• They’re used to eating junk food

Question 8, Are you usual to eating junk food? Yes, so much – A bit – Not so much

I expect: Yes, so much

THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH YOUR ENGLISH HERE: Are you usual to eating junk food MEANS Sei abituato a mangiare porcherie? AND NO ONE WILL LIKE TO SAY “Sì, sono abituato”. YOU SHOULD ASK INSTEAD: “How often do you eat junk food? -- Every day, once a week, once every so often, never?” OF COURSE, THIS WILL GIVE YOU INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR INTERVIEWEE, NOT ABOUT AMERICANS IN GENERAL OR AT LEAST EAST-COAST UPPER CLASS AMERICANS IN GENERAL. SO MAYBE YOU SHOULD ASK: “How often do the students at your college eat junk food?

• They speak loudly

Question 9, Do you like people speaking with a loud voice, very careless about the people close by? Not so much – Yes, I like it – Other

I expect: Not so much

EVERYONE, IN EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, WILL ANSWER “Not so much” TO THIS QUESTION! SO IT DOES NOT TELL YOU ANYTHING ABOUT AMERICANS. NO ONE IN ANY COUNTRY WOULD SAY “Yes, I like to speak with a loud voice careless about other people”, BECAUSE THE WORD “careless” IS A SELF-CONDEMNATION! TRY THIS QUESTION: “If you are in a pizzeria and there are people at a nearby table who are laughing and talking loudly, do you consider this friendly (positively) or a nuisance (negatively) or simply a fact of life?”

• They have numerous fears

Question 10, If you’re in an airport and a police officer stops the person before you in the queue, how do you feel? Very agitated 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Not agitated

I expect: Very agitated

THIS IS LIKE THE PREVIOUS QUESTION: IT IS DECEPTIVE. AFTER THE 9/11 AIRPLANE ATTACK ON THE TWIN TOWERS, EVERYONE, IN EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, WILL ANSWER “Very agitated” TO THIS QUESTION! SO IT DOES NOT TELL YOU ANYTHING ABOUT AMERICANS. SO DON'T TALK ABOUT AIRPORTS, IF YOU WANT TO DISCOVER A GENERAL TENDENCY TO HAVE FEARS.

GENERAL CONSIDERATION ON THIS PAPER: SINCE I CRITICIZED EVERY QUESTION, YOU MIGHT THINK THAT THIS IS A POOR PAPER. ON THE CONTRARY! I CONSIDER IT AN EXCELLENT PAPER (I DON'T GIVE MARKS, BUT IF I HAD TO GIVE A MARK I WOULD SAY 28 OUT OF 30). BUT THEN I WOULD ADD: “...THIS IS IS AN EXCELLENT PAPER...FOR A STUDENT WHO, AFTER ONLY 6 LESSONS HAS TO WRITE A QUESTIONNAIRE THAT DETECTS CULTURAL TRAITS, SOMETHING THAT YOU NEED A WHOLE SEMESTER OR YEAR-LONG COURSE TO LEARN TO DO WELL.”

THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO UNDERSTAND OTHERS. AND, SPECIFICALLY, WHAT IT MEANS TO INTERVIEW PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THEM. AND EVEN MORE SPECIFICALLY, WHAT IT MEANS TO INTERVIEW ANGLO PEOPLE. OUR COURSE LASTS ONLY 10 LESSONS. THAT IS VERY LITTLE. SO I DO NOT EXPECT A MASTERPIECE. BUT YOUR PAPER SHOWS THAT YOU BEGAN TO THINK SERIOUSLY ABOUT UNDERSTANDING ANGLO PEOPLE BY INTERVIEWING THEM. SO YOU DID A VERY GOOD JOB FOR A FIRST ATTEMPT.

2. Make questions that you think reveal if an interviewee has them

MY QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Do you like Europe? Yes, too much – A bit – Not so much – Other (For example: he/she has visited only Italy, or only Spain etc…)

2. With how much strength do you feel tied to America and consider it as a myth? On ten point scale

3. Are you agree with the statement that American people are a bit superficial? Agree – Don’t agree

4. Do you speak to your professor calling him/her with name or surname? Name - Surname

5. If you’re invited to an evening meal with friends, what kind of clothes do you put on? Casual – Elegant dresses – Sportswear

6. When you’re going to prepare a very hard exam, do you feel anxious or relaxed? Anxious 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Relaxed - Other

7. What do you think is the best age to get married? Eighteen to twenty five – Twenty five to thirty – After thirty

8. Are you usual to eat junk food? Yes, so much – A bit – Not so much

9. Do you like people speaking with a loud voice, very careless about the people close by? Not so much – Yes, I like it – Other

10. If you’re in an airport and a police officer stops the person before you in the queue, how do you feel? Very agitated 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Not agitated