In class today, you talked a bit about stereotypes.
For your homework today, we'd like you to post about sterotypes.
Do you have different stereotypes of the different nationalities within Britain (Scots, Irish, Welsh, English) or do you just have one stereotype for everyone?
Do you have both positive and negative stereotypes of Britain?
Now that you are here in the UK, how much truth do you think there are in the stereotypes you have?
What other countries do you have strong stereotypes of?
Are they positive or negative - or both?
Finally, what stereotypes do you think other nationalities might have of you?
What associations might they have with your country of origin?
And how far do you think these beleifs contain a grain of truth?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next, from a teaching point of view, what language do you think students might need if they are to express ideas about stereotypes and assumptions. For example, one useful structure might be:
The English / Russians / Americans ARE OFTEN SEEN AS BEING (A BIT) . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also from a teaching point of view, do you think you could use any of the videos linked in below in your classrooms?
If so, what would you do with them?
What language / discussions might emerge from them?
If not, why not?
7 comments:
I have both negative and positive stereotypes about the British and I have seen both of them confirmed. For example, they are polite and patient (queing or when asking for directions) but also rowdy and drinking a lot (english girls in Malia, Crete or guys watching football in a pub). And there are many more examples, but since I have been coming here for years, I know that none of these apply to everyone.
I think that people regard us Dutch as cheese-eating, impatient, weed smoking cheapskints. None of these are true obviously ;). However, the money thing is hard to refute I guess, because this morning when we talked aboit eating out you all seemed to know the expression 'going Dutch'... As for the weed smoking, I am aware that people might think that everything is allowed by law in Holland. This is true to a certain extent, we are very open-minded about matters such as softdrugs, prostitution and same sex marriages. I can see that maybe for some other cultures this is somewhat strange.
I do hope that peole have positive stereotypes about us as well, such as our patriotic feelings, for example we feel very united when Holland is playing football, and especially last year of course!
When teaching my students about culture I would introduce them to vocabulary such as:
- it is said that Germans...
- we feel that the French are...
- we might think that Spamish peole are... But on the contrary, they...
- when thinking about Scotland, the following immediately springs to mind..
Since my laptop seems to have given up, and I am typing this on my iphone, I will leace it at this and watch the videos some other time.
Hi again Juul -
Thanks for taking the time to write this up. Very interesting.
I think your twin stereotypes of Britain (and I'm guessing you're not differentiating between the English and the rest here?) do hold a grain of truth. Folk here can be very polite and orderly, and can also be the opposite. Look at the last few days in London: mad anarchic looting and idiocy and at the same time community-minded clear-ups and civility!
Surprised you managed to feel patriotic about the Dutch team last year! As one of my Dutch friends said at the time . . . it was a Dutch team that played in the traditional German manner, whilst the young German team played like the Dutch used to! The worst possible thing for a Dutch football fan, I know!
I think you're right that we see the Dutch as being very, very liberal and easy-going, though I'm not so sure many Brits would say that you're tight-fisted OR particularly patriotic.
Our other stereotypes of the Dutch is that you're very earnest and a little lacking in a sense of humour - very important from an English point of view.
By the way, if you Google STEREOTYPES OF THE DUTCH some interesting bits and pieces come up! I've just spent ten fun minutes reading about Old and New Money Men, Socialists and Sjonnie & Anita!
Oh, and I liked your language focus, though I think these sound even better:
The Germans are widely believed to be . . .
The Germans are often said to be . . .
It is often claimed that the French are a bit / quite . . .
Spaniards are often thought to be fairly / quite . .. but in reality, many are often . . .
The stereotype of the Scots that springs most readily to mind is that they . . .
I meant that I was proud of the way in which the whole country turns orange during an important football match! It is interesting what you say about humour, because while apparently we lack in it, it is something that is another stereotype of the English in paticular for me. In Holland we call it, when translated, 'dry humour' and you are famous for it because of John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson.
Yeah, we say DRY as well, and it's usually a very positive thing if we say someone has a very dry sense of humour. It's the kind of opposite of FRIENDS or something, where all the laughter is almost cued in!
By the way, there are plenty of Brits who'll tell you Rowan Atkinson is for export only!! :-)
Haha right. He doesn't talk much anyway..
Whilst diging through some of my old files, I came across a poem that came out in the right-wing media around the time the Channel Tunnel (the Chunnel) opened. It's meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but embodies many of the kinds of fears of mainland Europe that a certain kind of English person has, and also breaks down national stereotypes one by one.
Just so it's clear, I am in no way advocating or supporting nay of these views, but thought it might interest you to see how The Right imagines Europe!
Ode to the Chunnel
or
Why the English do not want a Channel Tunnel
by Tim Stone
There'll be carloads of Louises
From Parisian stripteases
Importing foul diseases
Into Kent.
There'll be modern French Wells Fargoes
Sending juggernauts with cargoes
Of frogslegs and escargots
And men's scent.
There'll be Dutchmen too, by jingo,
Who'll refuse to speak the lingo,
Coming over for the bingo
And the dogs.
And through this umbilical,
Seeking knickers from St. Michael,
Girls from Rotterdam will cycle
In their clogs.
There'll be Danes on every corner
Faces pink after a sauna,
trying hard to sell us porno
Graphic books.
There'll be men like Julius Caesar
Getting in without a Visa
Careless architects from Pisa
Bloody crooks.
There'll be wealthy German campers
With enormous picnic hampers
Full of sauerkraut and champers
And pork pies.
There'll be Eyeties slick and smarmy,
Reared on pizza and salami,
Turning up at Veeraswamy
Without ties.
There'll be Swedes of charmless candour
Coming over to Philander,
Spreading left-wing progaganda
About wealth.
Belgian Girls of vast proportions
Who failed to take precautions
Driving over for abortions
On the Health.
There'll be Spanish senoritas
Jamming all our parking meters
With their miserable pesetas
(I don't know !).
And senoras doing sambas
Shouting "vamos" and "caramba"
And believing that the amber
Light means "Go".
There'll be Austrians with poodles
Wanting membership of Boodles
Then demanding apple strudels
With their tea.
There'll be lecherous Kuwaitis
Driving lorryloads of Katies
From the Thames to the Euphrates
C.O.D.
There'll be men from Lithuania
From Rumania and Albania
From Tasmania and Pennsylvania
I've no doubt.
So, dear immigration panel
Boys in sports jackets and flannel,
Please protect our English Channel
Throw them out!.
Post a Comment