Patrick CP #4

Date/Time: September 11, 2018, 6:41 p.m.

Location: CIES Courtyard

Topic Discussed: Cultural Perspectives

Class discussion today centered on the various cultural aspects that affect one’s writing perspective. My conversation partner and I continued this discussion. We explored those perspectives as it pertained to Northerners, Southerners (in the U.S.), Mexicans, Russians, English, and the Caribbean. This discussion included topicss such as dialects and learning to understand communication in terms of pronunciation/articulation, nuance, and “round the bush” vs. “straight to the point” approaches to communication.

As is typical in our discussions, word usage and vocabulary were focal points in our discussion. The words “inadvertently” vs. “unintentionally”, for example, sparked an interesting discussion. Do both words work? Are there other words that convey clearly the idea(s) in the given context (the one under discussion at the moment)? I like discussions when both persons are fully engaged, and focused on the many facets of communicating in English—to achieve clear and productive learning.