Point of View: Creative Visualization,

Expressing OpinionSpoken English II, Class 1 & 3

Dr. Janet SioFujian Normal University

Culture Vocabulary Review

Food Customs

Clothing Language

Music Art

Technology

Beliefs Attitudes

Values History

Expectations

World View

Communication Style

“A way of life shared by a group of people”

Culture

Customs

Beliefs

Attitudes

Values

History

Expectations

Communication Style

World View

Diverse

Generalization

Miscommunication

Point of View

A way of life shared by a group of people

Ways of behaving

Ideas about what is true, right or wrong

Feelings about something

What is considered to be important

What has happened in the past

What is considered to be reasonable or usual

The ways we use language to express ourselves

A person or group’s way of looking at the world around them

Having differences

A fact which is common among a group of people

A failure to tell or understand each other’s meaning

the way a group or person(s) understand something because of their underlying needs, wants and feelings

Sentence PatternsDescribing Perspectives Exercise

In my culture, people usually (don’t) _____. In China, people often / rarely _____.

people would (not) _____.

people are (not) expected to _____.

people feel comfortable/uncomfortable__.

From the Asian perspective/point of view,….”

  “In contrast, the Western way of....”

Homework

• Prepare an explanation of your assigned slide.

• Use the sentence patterns for comparing and describing perspectives.

• You will be explaining your slide to the class.

Creative Visualization: When East Meets West

by Liu Yang

• Born in Beijing in 1976• moved to Germany at the age of 13• Graduated in 2000 with a Master’s

degree in Design from the Berlin University of the Arts

Blue --> Westerner    Red --> Asian

1. Opinion 意见“direct” vs “indirect”

2. Ego 自尊“ confident” vs “modest”“inflated” vs “insecure”

3. Way of Life 生活方式“independent” vs “communal”

4. Social Network 关系“Simple” vs “complex”

5. Punctuality 准时 “ punctual” or “flexible”

6. Lining Up 排队

7. Travelling 旅游“ traveller” vs “tourist”

8. Handling Problems 处理问题“ Head on” vs “sweep under the rug”

9. At a Party 联欢会“mixer” vs “banquet”

10. Sundays on the Road星期天 在路上

11. Anger 怒气“Transparent” vs “hidden” emotion

12. The Leader 领导“Facilitator” or “Authority”

13. The Child 孩子African proverb: “It takes a village to raise a

child.”

14. Elderly in Day to Day Life老人生活

“ freedom” vs “duty”

Expressing Opinion

Bob Miller, an American teacher, is talking after class with his Chinese colleague, Jason Liu.

Jason: Hey, Bob, do you have a minute?

Bob: Sure, Professor Liu.

Jason: I’m teaching a lesson tomorrow about American television. How do you feel about the programs nowadays?

Bob: Well, as far as I’m concerned, most TV programs are a waste of time, especially the sitcoms and dramas. They’re either too superficial or too violent.

Jason: That’s true, but what about the news shows?

Bob: I think some of them are good quality, but some are really just entertainment, not serious news. You lived in the U.S. for a year. What do you think?

Jason: What you say is true about network news, but wouldn’t you say that public TV has a lot of good educational programs?

Bob: Yes, you’re right. I don’t watch TV much, but when I do, I prefer to watch public TV. The history, nature, and music programs are

really interesting. I like not having to watch all those stupid commercials, too!

Expressing Opinion

AGREEING

Exactly.

That’s what I think, too.

I agree.

That’s a good point.

Yes, you’re right

DISAGREEING

What you say is true, but…

That’s true, but…

You have a point, but...

That may be, but...

I don’t know about that. I think...

Do you think so? I think...

Oh, no. I think...

“As far as I’m concerned,…”“I think...”“If you ask me...”“In my opinion...”“As I see it...”

FNU PETS Oral English 2012

Practice: Asking and Expressing Opinions

What do you think about/is… ?What is your opinion of/about…. ?How do you feel about… ?

In pairs (groups of 2-3 people), ask each other for opinions about:

• Food to eat in Fuzhou• Getting married early• Places to travel to in China for summer holiday

(consider cost, distance, convenience, crowds)

Homework: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

(an image can communicate complex ideas more easily than words)

Try to describe one of the following paintings by American painter Norman Rockwell as fully as possible.

Think about the language you would use to describe:

(1)Objects and people

(2)Actions (what is presently happening and what will happen)

(3)Facial expressions

(4)The mood (the atmosphere)

• “As far as I’m concerned,…”

• “I think...”• “If you ask me...”• “In my opinion...”• “As I see it...”

• “As far as I’m concerned,…”

• “I think...”• “If you ask me...”• “In my opinion...”• “As I see it...”

• “As far as I’m concerned,…”

• “I think...”• “If you ask me...”• “In my opinion...”• “As I see it...”

• “As far as I’m concerned,…”

• “I think...”

• “If you ask me...”• “In my opinion...”• “As I see it...”