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either of the cultures I am addressing in this study. Indeed my connections with
both cultures have guided and influenced this study. It is on these personal
grounds then that I should begin by highlight the personal elements as far as I
myself am concerned (2.1).
2.1 Personal Musings
As an'Englishman P2
with limited experience of other cultures, upon first
conversing with the Germans, some ten plus years ago now, I experienced a
certain degree of 'cultural shock'. On my first participation in what I shall term
hereon in German 'sociable episodes, that is, conversation conducted as part
of informal gatherings between friends, family and close acquaintances (see
chapters 3 and 5), 1 was taken aback upon receiving seemingly unfriendly,
patronising, or even aggressive responses to my early tentative steps at
'speaking German'. Verbal contributions to ongoing talk that I thought would
allow me to display my openness for interaction, present myself as a'good
conversationalist' and share with others something of my self -jokes,
'throwaway' comments, 'quips', amusing little anecdotes (deliberately in their
'not taking issues too seriously' formulation) - seemed to have the opposite
effect. Frequently, I felt as if I had 'gone and said the wrong thing', 'put my foot
in it', made a 'gaffe, or even said something insulting. I often found myself
having to defend what I had just said and not infrequently being 'dragged' into a
conversation that I had not really intended nor wanted, and quite frankly, didn't
know how to deal with - the closest thing to which that I knew of from my own
background being 'pre- fisticufF argumentation. I was unfortunately at a loss to
know exactly what it was I was doing wrong.
Several cognitive in situ 're-runnings' of such episodes failed to reveal
exactly what aspect of my contribution could have brought about the need for
such responses and subsequent treatment at the hands of my conversational
others. This was at first quite disconcerting, made me feel a little ill at ease -
intimidated even, and served to confirm the negative stereotypes that I had
brought with me from the entrenched post-war mentality of the UK. My German
interlocutors did indeed appear to be aggressively face-threatening, rude, and
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