Auf der Grundlage empirisch erhobenen Sprachmaterials untersucht die Studie das diskursive Aushandeln von Sprache und Identität innerhalb der intimsten "Community of Practice (CofP)", der Ehe zwischen interkulturellen Sprachpartnern. Die Studie ist in die sozialpsychologischen Konzepte von Identität und "Positioning" eingebettet. So wird am Beispiel von Interviews mit interkulturellen Paaren - genauer: englische Muttersprachler/innen, die mit deutschsprachigen Schweizer/innen verheiratet sind, in einer diglossen Sprachregion in der Zentralschweiz leben und über drei Jahre interviewt wurden - die Verhandlung und Performanz hybrider Identitäten analysiert und gezeigt, wie "doing Swiss" diskursiv ko-konstruiert und ausgehandelt wird. This book presents an empirical study that examines intercultural couples' reasons for specific language practices and investigates the negotiation and performances of hybrid identities within the marital unit, the most intimate community of practice (CofP). The theoretical framework adopted draws on the sociocultural linguistic approach to identity and the social psychological theory of positioning. The data stem from ethnographic observation and recordings carried out over a three-year period with intercultural couples, namely Anglophones married to native German-speaking Swiss, who reside in central Switzerland, where a diglossic situation prevails. The positionings individuals take up or refute indicate that the performance of "doing Swiss" is not only discursively co-constructed, but a site where the negotiation of meaning emerges within the context of social interaction.

An insightful look at the stresses and challenges of intercultural relationships - from one who has been there. Today we live in a world without borders, a global village. Distance no longer defines who we meet, fall in love with or marry. The Internet and e-mail connect people around the world in seconds. Immigration, study abroad, travel and multinational business have created a thriving cross-cultural community. But the experiences shared across cultures and countries do not always bridge the fundamental differences in beliefs and behaviors that span diverse cultures. In Intercultural Marriage, Dugan Romano delivers a "reality check" for anyone already in, or contemplating, an intercultural marriage. This insightful book interweaves lessons learned from others and suggests that the joys of an intercultural marriage often result from turning the challenges of crossing cultures into an opportunity for a fulfilling and lasting relationship. Now in its third edition, Intercultural Marriage examines the impact of cultural differences in marriage and offers practical guidelines on how to deal with the complexities they bring to a partnership. Covering such topics as raising bicultural children, religion, values, male vs. female roles, sex and social class, Romano continues to give voice to hundreds of couples she has interviewed and followed for over a decade.

In an increasingly global and connected world, marriages between spouses of different countries and cultures are on the rise. Marla Alupoaicei, herself wed to a Romanian, helps couples sort through such issues as food, finances, family, and such “hidden” problems as different understandings of what it means to be “on time.” Marla combines real-life stories with expert perspectives and biblical insight for a helpful guide both for those just starting out on the intercultural adventure – and those in the midst of it. You'll get practical and biblical advice for handling the most common intercultural conflicts, including: Planning your wedding Communication Understanding each other's values Different views of time Agreeing on food Managing finances Intimacy Raising children Handling illness and grief

This is a simple saga of the twists and turns in the life of a farm boy. Depicted through his eyes are such world disturbing events as the "great depression" and World War II. It tells of that farm boy's disappointments through the journey of life and reveals how the "Higher Power" overshadowing him turned those disappointments into blessings. Through the author's eyes we get glimpses of how life was lived on a farm in the early part of the twentieth century. It tells of the simple joys experienced by those living the rural way of life. It tells about life in a one-room school with one's mother as the teacher. It tells of the struggles of young people in their effort to get an education. Through the eyes of that farm boy one gets a close view of the horrors encountered on the battlefield. It tells of a marriage that "could not work" but did. It tells of life in the minister's manse and the view of church life from the other side of the pulpit. Also, it tells of the joy of encountering the different cultures experienced through travel in other parts of the world. It speaks of how life at the end of the trail can be the most difficult of all of life's encounters.

This innovative study of naturally-occurring English conversations between Hong Kong Chinese and their native English friends and colleagues makes a worthwhile contribution to the research literature on intercultural conversation. Through analyzing dyadic intercultural conversations, the study investigates the ways in which culturally divergent conversationalists manage their organizational and interpersonal aspects of the unfolding conversations. The study focuses on five features of conversational interaction — disagreements, compliments and compliment responses, simultaneous talk, discourse topic management and discourse information structure — where cultural values and attitudes are particularly evident. For each of the features, hypotheses are formulated and tested through the detailed analysis of twenty-five intercultural conversations. This quantitative analysis is then followed by qualitative analysis of excerpts from the conversations to show the ways in which conversational interaction is performed and negotiated. The study shows in very revealing ways that intercultural conversations involve a complex, interactive and collaborative process of communication between the participants.

This new edition of a business textbook bestseller has been completely updated to reflect the numerous global changes that have occurred since 1999: globalization, SARS, AIDS, the handover of Hong Kong, and so forth. In particular, the book presents a fuller discussion of global business today. Also, issues of terrorism and state security as they affect culture and business are discussed substantially. The structure and content of the book remains the same, with thorough updating of the plentiful region and country descriptions, demographic data, graphs and maps. This book differs from textbooks on International Management because it zeroes in on culture as the crucial dimension and educates students about the cultures around the world so they will be better prepared to work successfully for a multinational corporation or in a global context.

Mixed matches are more complicated relationships than those between people from similar backgrounds. Often, the very qualities that attracted us to our partners ultimately lie at the roots of our most difficult problems. For even when partners don't feel a strong identification with their racial, religious, or cultural groups, they discover that their loyalty to the past goes deeper than they realized. Psychotherapist Joel Crohn has learned in years of counseling couples in cross-cultural relationships that how partners negotiate their cultural and religious differences is as important as what the difference are. Over time, the reserve of a Protestant wife can seem like emotional withholding to her Jewish husband, whose openness seems intrusive to her. An Asian father may feel his children need more discipline, while his American wife thinks they have it harder than she did. A black Trinidadian man is excited about the opportunities in the United States, while his Detroit-born black girlfriend thinks he's naive about racism. The methods in Mixed Matches have helped these and many other couples approach each other compassionately, teaching them to "translate" their different styles of expression and negotiate successful resolutions. Dr. Crohn also offers practical advice on how couples can confront prejudice and stereotypes, deal with in-laws, and help children achieve a sense of identity in a bicultural family.