Tips on helping your learner adjust to some of the American norms of casual conversation.
Americans like to make small talk; it's a friendly way to open up a conversation. It also can be formulaic and while Americans learn the formula as they grow up here, people from other countries may not have that same advantage.
Your learner may be unfamiliar with American small talk, because it isn't the same across all cultures. However, you can help your learner learn how to initiate and respond to small talk conversations in your tutoring sessions.
First of all, explain what small talk is: polite conversation about seemingly unimportant topics. It could be about the weather outside, the traffic that day, or a popular TV show. Typically these conversations are kept brief and light.
People are not always genuinely curious about how you are doing, so these questions often act as mere conversation starters. For example, when an American asks "How are you?" the polite and appropriate response is often a brief "Good, how are you?" or "Fine, thanks."
These questions, and the disinterest in the response, can sometimes be off-putting to a non-native English speaker who may perceive the American's reaction as cold. Tell your learner that small talk is widely understood as a way to warm-up the conversation and not to take these questions personally or feel insulted when people they talk to do not give them a full report on how they are feeling. Small talk is just another example of how cultural norms are just as important, and confusing, for foreigners to learn as English itself.
Happy Tutoring!
Natalie Howard
Washington University in St. Louis, Class of 2017
ENGLISH AT LARGE
Literacy and Learning for Life
Join the conversation
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| From: https://jayadevm.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/social-media-clipart.jpg |
Your learner may be unfamiliar with American small talk, because it isn't the same across all cultures. However, you can help your learner learn how to initiate and respond to small talk conversations in your tutoring sessions.
First of all, explain what small talk is: polite conversation about seemingly unimportant topics. It could be about the weather outside, the traffic that day, or a popular TV show. Typically these conversations are kept brief and light.
 |
| From: http://images.clipartpanda.com/conversation-clipart-chat-hi.png |
People are not always genuinely curious about how you are doing, so these questions often act as mere conversation starters. For example, when an American asks "How are you?" the polite and appropriate response is often a brief "Good, how are you?" or "Fine, thanks."
These questions, and the disinterest in the response, can sometimes be off-putting to a non-native English speaker who may perceive the American's reaction as cold. Tell your learner that small talk is widely understood as a way to warm-up the conversation and not to take these questions personally or feel insulted when people they talk to do not give them a full report on how they are feeling. Small talk is just another example of how cultural norms are just as important, and confusing, for foreigners to learn as English itself.
Happy Tutoring!
Natalie Howard
Washington University in St. Louis, Class of 2017
ENGLISH AT LARGE
Literacy and Learning for Life
Join the conversation
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