An Evaluation Of French And Polish Communicative Kinds - Doing Enterprise Inside A Borderless Europe

The relations between France and Poland are very shut. Our contacts have been intensified following the current accession of Poland to the European Union. The brand new actuality of the enlarged EU has given a brand new spirit to the historic bonds that bind our two nations.

Pierre Ménat, Ambassador of France (Warsaw Voice, July 2005)

With a rising European continent with out borders, there are various points to think about on this journey in the direction of a unified superstate. Every nation (round 52) has historically its personal values, beliefs, customs and habits, in addition to its personal language and communication fashion. A monumental problem within the creation of a unified state is to mix or unite all these nationwide traits right into a harmonious, unified nation. This text goals to match the kinds of communication of each French and Polish as a way to spotlight similarities and doable conflicts and to narrate the topic to the broader European context.

The languages

France and Poland are two European nations, each of which have sturdy nationwide traits and communication kinds. The French language stands for a passionate, expressive romance, wherein Polish represents the sharper Slavic language household, specifically, Polish is a member of the subgroup of Lechitic languages. French isn't solely the official language of France, but additionally the official language of Haiti, Luxembourg and greater than fifteen African nations. The French language is among the official languages ​​in Canada, Belgium and Switzerland, and in lots of nations akin to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia it's thought of an unofficial second language. Polish is the official language of Poland and has about 50 million audio system worldwide. Additionally it is used as a second language in some components of Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

Clichés and customary errors

One of the frequent stereotypes in regards to the French character is that they're impolite and aggressive when speaking with each foreigners and foreigners. A 2005 Telegraph newspaper article titled "Europe unites in hatred of France" highlighted a collection of beliefs and attitudes that symbolize different European nations to the French. In accordance with this prestigious broadsheet newspaper, the British referred to them as chauvinists, cussed, nannied and humorless. The Germans acknowledged that the French had been presumptuous, unconventional and frivolous. The Spaniards regarded her as chilly, distant, useless and rude. In Italy, they're excited, talkative and shallow, snobbish, boastful, flesh-loving, righteous and egocentric, and the Greeks don't significantly like them, selfish bons vivants. Though the Poles are often much less revered, a global recruiting paper entitled "Understanding Your Polish Workers" lately highlighted the principle values ​​and attitudes of the Polish individuals. These included nationwide pleasure, faith, household, stubbornness, braveness, idealism, stoicism and generosity and hospitality. Though the favored consensus opinion concerning the Polish character isn't as sturdy as that of the French, the Poles are recognized for his or her temperament (polski temperament) and are typically simple, direct and rigid in perspective and alter of opinion.

Communicative kinds

On the office, a lot evaluation was accomplished by way of communicative fashion. Usually, this workstation gives L2 communication in an L1 context. This ideology was included within the work of Beal, 1990, who famous that Australian English felt that the French had been impolite or boastful after observing their office communication fashion in Australia. Earlier than this investigation, wherein the conduct was noticed within the French office, it turned out that "an lively assertion of the view of all, using a selected verbal pressure to provide extra weight to those views, and the conflict of beliefs and curiosity a part of regular functioning are ". (d & Iribarne, 1989: 29, cited in Peeters, B, 2000: 198). Beal, 1993, emphasised that among the many French, the consensus is neither extremely valued nor wanted in a dialog, because the consensus means that an individual's objections could be suppressed and stored to himself. The French need full openness of opinions and attitudes in communication. This creates an intense discipline of battle, however it additionally types the idea for a constructive trade of open concepts, which is thought to be a necessary ingredient of French society. Just like the French, the Polish fashion of communication emphasizes emotionality and disagreement. (Wierzbicka, 1991, cited in Goddard, C. & Wierzbicka, A. 1997: 243) famous that Polish tradition attaches nice significance to the uninhibited expression of constructive and adverse emotions. Opinions are often powerfully expressed, and the excellence between private opinion and reality is perceived as low or is commonly absent. This want for open expression, even on the expense of somebody harming somebody, is central to Polish communication. It's additional exemplified by means of the cultural script strategy as proposed by Wierzbicka, 1991.

This time period can be mirrored, if circuitously, in the usual language of Polish utilization. The crucial kind is often used when inquiring or giving recommendation in Polish communities. In contrast to English, Polish has no supposed relationship between courtesy and using the crucial. Nonetheless, Polish makes use of numerous diminutives to often soften imperatives and provides the interplay a way of heat and closeness. These diminutives are often used when speaking to a well-recognized or a baby. French additionally displays this follow to some extent, however on a a lot smaller scale by means of using intimate language types akin to & # 39; ty & # 39; and & # 39; tu & # 39 ;. Polish and French are heat and hospitable to mates and shut relationships, however stay cautious and daring in the direction of outsiders. In each French and Polish, there's a subtle system of grammatical gender with a fundamental female and male kind. In Poland, nevertheless, there are a complete of 5 totally different gender patterns: private males animate non-personal males, inanimate males, females and neutrals.

In Paris, French excessive honesty and directness may be witnessed by means of the stylized ritual of erupting individuals. That is seen as an integral a part of an individual's id as a Parisian and as a way to indicate respect and worth to others. The fundamental rule for this ritual is: the extra offensive you might be, the extra you worth the opposite individual's existence. This additionally confirms the truth that the 2 individuals have a typical membership and id as Parisian residents and are subsequently entitled to carry out such a ritual by regulation.

This Parisian ritual symbolizes the idea of "engagement" (dedication or engagement) proposed by Beal in 1993. With regard to the French cultural writings proposed later by Wierzbicka, 1994, the fundamental guidelines for engagement had been set forth within the following cultural script:

Everybody has the appropriate to have their very own needs, opinions and emotions. However everybody has an obligation to specific his needs, opinions, emotions clearly, and when others wish to affect them, they've an obligation to defend and justify their wishes, opinions and emotions. (Beal, 1993: 102)

Just like the Parisians, the Poles have a particular communicative ingredient that strengthens relationships throughout the group and establishes a typical hyperlink between relative strangers who share the Polish nationality. The poles use linguistic genres as recognized by (Bakhtin, 1986, cited in Goddard, C. & Wierzbicka, A. 1997: 252). Probably the most regularly recognized Polish language genres are these of Kawal and Podanie. Kawal represents a conspiratorial joke that's often political in nature and expresses solidarity because it targets the perceived frequent enemies of Nazi Germany or Russia. Podanie, however, represents a type of communication between a mean citizen and a reliable authority or authorities workplace. The creator will act to solicit favors or presents and declare that they depend upon the authorities awaiting impending goodwill. This panel may be prolonged to any sort of request addressed to somebody who has a major place. The sort of Polish communication displays a substantial amount of life in a Communist nation, though the fundamental capabilities of Kawal and Podanie are to be ridiculed with somebody in Paris who performs the social perform each serve.

Throughout the engagement, there's the equally necessary idea of the Renvoyer la balle (throwing the ball again). Beal, 1994, in contrast this communicative technique with a verbal duel wherein behaviors akin to scoring, teasing, sarcasm, and provocation had been important constructive qualities. That is usually noticed by the French desire for overlapping, snapping, and incising whereas the opposite individual speaks. Whereas such conduct is usually thought of impolite in lots of different European cultures, the French see it as a dynamic, free-flowing, expressive manner of speaking. The "fixed breaks in French dialog" are on no account about reducing off somebody in the course of a phrase or sentence ... however to indicate my curiosity within the different's comment ... "(Carroll, 1988: 36) Throughout a typical French dialog, listeners and audio system at all times appear to know when it's time to become involved in including their very own opinions, often as quickly as they know what the opposite individual goes to say Murata, 1994, described this conduct as "cooperative disruption conduct." This creates a aggressive setting of fast pondering and reacting wherein all contributors wrestle for his or her time within the limelight:

The French commit themselves in several methods: they recommend an appropriate phrase, they finish the sentence of the opposite speaker, they intervene, they start their transfer with "extra", "however", they reinforce their speech with "moi", " I for one "and with en fait" in truth "and so forth. (Beal, 1993: 103)

Polish individuals additionally like to hang around throughout a debate or dialog and see verbal communication as a duel or a check of character. The worth of a persistent, rigid dialogue strategy may be illustrated by the Polish compromise. This suggests a collection of extraordinarily adverse connotations in reference to an ethical weak spot or a deplorable lack of firmness in Polish society. It's attention-grabbing to notice that the French and the Poles have a lot in frequent of their free, duel-like, uninhibited expression. If we predict that Poland isn't included within the desk "individualism rating" (Hofstede, 1991, cited in Neuliep, 2000: 37). Of the 52 nations listed, nevertheless, France was in 11th place. From this one may argue that the communication kinds of the Polish are rather more collective and nationalistic than these of the French, who act on a way more individualistic stage. It may additionally sign the next acceptance of confrontational conduct in France. Certainly, French society may be seen as a society with a particular confrontation mentality wherein conflicts are tolerated and welcomed. Plainly in France "cooperation and battle are two equally essential elements for the seek for dialogue". (Kerbat-Orecchioni, 1990: 148, cited in Mullan, Ok. 2001: 7).

Whereas the communicative fashion of France and Poland is complicated, particularly for outsiders who typically discover it offensive, impolite and direct, it's advisable to view the nationwide mentalities of those nations as a mirrored image of the next assertion: "If everybody agrees, there's nothing extra to say, in case of discrepancies a dialogue is feasible. "(Moeschler, 1985: 153, cited in Mullan, Ok. 2001: 7) That is actually a meals for thought for all nationalities.

As European superstate approaches the sensation inside France, the French are always altering. Through the 2005 referendum in France, many individuals rejected the brand new constitutional treaty, which might be the subsequent huge step in a 50-year means of European financial and political integration. Symbolizing an anti-European sentiment, the "Polish plumber" was created and used as an emblem of fears that France could be harm by the imaginative and prescient of the Treaty for a bigger, closer-knit Europe. The Polish plumber performed with the panic of excessive employment, low cost labor and elevated immigration as a harmful affect from the East. Whereas the Polish authorities was an assault on the Polish nation, it responded to embrace the French embassy and produce a humorous tourism poster for the French. On the poster stood a good-looking Polish plumber with the sentence "Je reste en Pologne, venez nombreux" (I'll keep in Poland, cross in numbers). This shocking and extremely efficient response was surprising from such a burgeoning authorities and illustrates the transformation of Poland and its versatile humorousness. Polish humor, nevertheless, can't be in comparison with French humor. Besemeres, in 2007, acknowledged that as a Polish / Australian youngster of each genres, she may by no means discover the humorousness in Poland that will enable her to tease others mercilessly. The sort of humor is way simpler to search out in France, the place it is not uncommon to tease and criticize different individuals and nations.

Conclusion

A authorities report from December 2004 (quoted in The Scotsman) by Frances prime directors concluded, "The French don't consider in something anymore ... they don't even assume it's price their whereas to specific their opinions or to be tempted as soon as once more." grow to be." The nation's 100 finest prefects continued to make use of phrases akin to lifelessness, resignation, worry and pessimism to explain the perspective that they now consider prevails in right this moment's France. One may check with the current social and political unrest in France in 2006 and 2007 to see that this report, though not scientifically confirmed, is a sure ingredient of reality concerning the altering nature and mentality of France. Poland can be a social change. Their steps in the dead of night days of communism had been acknowledged once they voted in favor of becoming a member of the European Union in 2003 with a 75% majority. The then president, Aleksander Kwasniewski, welcomed the end result and informed the cheering crowd in Warsaw: "We now have returned to the European household". With the advancing European integration and the continued migration of the individuals, the Polish id, the communicative fashion of speech and cultural services will undoubtedly be reborn within the 21st century.