人类学家米勒的问答集 03 [美国媒体]

本文收录三个问题

What are the similarities and differences between how the Chinese and the Japanese relate to foreign people in their country?

中国人和日本人，对待外国人方面有哪些异同？




Eric Miller, Ph.D. in Cultural anthropology, research professor and applied anthropologist
Answered Jun 24, 2014
I know China much better than Japan, though I have been to both and know people from both, as well as quite a few foreigners who have lived and worked in Japan.  
I think there are some similarities.  Foreign people are generally seen as outsiders, and will be as long as they are in the country.  They are guests, and so are treated well in both countries.  As outsiders, they are not really expected to understand local rules, and are given quite a bit of leeway to make mistakes and speak the language poorly.
People appreciate foreigners who speak a little bit of the language and understand a bit of the culture.  In China, the more you understand and fit in, the more delighted people will be.  In Japan, people might actually be uncomfortable with a foreigner who speaks perfect Japanese and really understands all of the cultural rules.  Foreigners are outsiders, and shouldn't get Japanese culture so well.

相较于日本，我更了解中国。
我在两个国家都生活过，也有一些外国朋友在日本工作生活。
相同的地方。外国人通常被视为外来者，只会在那个国家呆一段时间。
外国人是客人，所以在两个国家都被招待得很好。
作为外来者，外国人没被指望了解当地的社会规则，在犯错误和讲不好语言方面，他们被留了很大的余地。

两国人民很欣赏那些会讲一点语言、懂一点当地文化的外国人。
在中国，你越是理解和适应中国文化，中国人越是高兴。
在日本，如果一个外国人能将流利的日语、了解日本所有的文化规则，日本人会感到不舒服，他们觉得外国人是外来者，不应该如此了解日本文化。

Lots of young Chinese and Japanese speak English.  Chinese overall see more comfortable using their English and seem a bit bolder in approaching foreigners.  Japanese seem much more reluctant to approach people to offer help or ask questions. This is a double-edge sword, as Chinese will stare at foreigners, approach them, yell 'hello' at them, ask to take pictures with them.  When I was in Japan, some people shouted out 'hello' as I walked by, and it turned out they were Chinese tourists.  
Once contact is made with Japanese, they seem to take more responsibility to be helpful--walking you to your destination, for example.  This is probably a reason they are a bit reluctant to approach people to offer help in the first place--it is a bigger commitment for them.

许多中日的年轻人能讲英语。总体来看，中国人使用英语让人更舒服，在接近外国人方面，中国人也更大胆。
日本人看起来，似乎更不情愿去接近外国人提供帮助或提出问题。这是一把双刃剑。

中国人会盯着外国人看，接近他们，对他们打招呼“hello”，跟他们一起拍照。
当我在日本的时候，我走近的时候，有些人冲我喊“hello”，一问，原来是中国游客。

跟日本人接触的话，他们似乎更愿意承担帮助的责任--例如陪你走到你的目的地。
这可能是他们有点不愿提供帮助的原因--因为他们的承诺要更大。

I have heard that in Japan there are restaurants that have signs saying no foreigners are allowed, but I didn't see that.  There are hotels in China that will not accept foreign guests, but I have never heard of a restaurant, bar or spa that excludes foreigners.
Finally, for foreigners who are Chinese or Japanese, or look like they are, people in both countries will find it disconcerting and a bit unacceptable that they do not speak the language and understand the social rules.  This is probably a bit less true in China, where people might feel a bit more admiration and envy of an overseas Chinese.

听传闻，说在日本有些餐馆挂出告示，说禁止外国人入内，但是我没有看过。
在中国，有些旅馆是不接受外国客人的，但是在餐馆、酒吧、健身中心，我还没听说过有这种情况。

对于长得跟他们一样的华裔和日裔的外国人，不能讲他们的语言，也不懂两国的社会规则，两国的人们都会感到困惑和有些不能接受。
在中国的话，这种情况会比较少，因为人们对海外的华人还是比较敬佩和羡慕的。

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Why is it that many Chinese people can't speak proper English despite getting schooled heavily in it? Does it have something to do with their culture? Many Indians can read and write English properly despite it not being their mother tongue.

为什么中国人接受了大量的英语学习，还是说不好英语呢？这跟他们的文化有怎样的关系呢？
许多印度人就可以流畅地读写英语啊，尽管英语不是他们的母语。

Eric Miller, Ph.D. in Cultural anthropology, research professor and applied anthropologist
Answered Jun 5, 2014
English is primarily used to prepare for exams, as many have noted.  But many people genuinely want to learn, or want their children to learn to be able to speak English.  I've spoken to teachers eager to improve their teaching of English in the classroom.  
One fundamental problem is that classes are large and infrequent.  You cannot really learn spoken English a few hours a week in a class with 50 students.  If an entire hour of class was used solely to encourage students to speak, they could each speak for only just over a minute per class!  In my experience with Chinese-language instruction, classes are often tiny, with 15 students at the high end, and many having 4 or less.  
The lack of opportunity for real-world practice of English is a real challenge.  To learn to speak English people do need to actually use it, and for most in China there is just no opportunity.  Some people do overcome this obstacle, largely by immersing themselves in English-language video and audio content, such as movies and just really spending a lot of time practicing speaking on their own.
Also, it is true that English is actually used as a common language of commerce in India, whereas Mandarin serves that role in China.

正如很多人提到的，英语在中国主要是用来考试的。
但是有很多中国人是真的想学英语，或希望自己的孩子能说好英语。
我曾经跟中国的英语老师交流过，他们也很想在课堂上提高他们的教学水平。

一个根本性的问题，那就是英语课堂太大、次数太少。
一个班级有50名学生，每周只花几个小时来学英语，那样你真的学不会英语口语。
假设课堂有一个小时，只是单纯鼓励每个学生都说出来，那么每个人只能讲一分钟多点时间。
在我学中文的过程中，班级规模都很小，一个班最多15个人，许多班都不超过4个人。

缺乏在现实世界中运用英语，是个真正的挑战。
要想讲好英语，必须实际运用它，但对大多数的中国人来说，完全没有那个机会。
有些中国人克服了这个障碍，他们主要是让自己沉浸在英文视频和音频内容里，例如英文电影，而且真的花了大量的时间练习自己跟自己说话。
在印度，英语实际上是通用的商业语言，然而，在中国，通用的商业语言是普通话。

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What are funeral traditions in China?

中国的葬礼传统是怎样的？

Eric Miller, Ph.D. in Cultural anthropology, research professor and applied anthropologist
Answered Jun 17, 2014
They vary, but interestingly, key elements were quite universal in Chinese funerals and it has even been argued by Evelyn Rawski and James Watson that rituals were key to creating a unified Chinese society, and among rituals, the most important was funerals.  
A rather uniform set of funerary features emerged in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and some of those elements continue to this day.  James Watson identifies the following:  
(1) Public notification of death by wailing and other expressions of grief. 
(2) Donning of white clothing, shoes, and hoods (made of sackcloth or hemp) by mourners. 
(3) Ritualized bathing of the corpse. 
(4) The transfer of food, money, and goods from the living to the dead. 
(5) The preparation and installation of a soul tablet for the dead. 
(6) The ritualized use of money and the employment of professionals. 
(7) Music to accompany the corpse and settle the spirit. 
(8) Sealing the corpse in an airtight coffin. 
(9) Expulsion of the coffin from the community.*
While Taoists and Buddhists can play an important role, the structure and function of the funeral itself is arguably Confucian.  

中国的葬礼传统与西方的不一样，但是很有趣。核心元素在中国的葬礼中是普遍存在的。
就此，人类学家拉夫斯基和沃森还专门讨论过。
他们认为，仪式是中国社会统一的关键，而在仪式中，最重要的就是葬礼。

明清时期，中国出现了相当统一的丧葬特征，其中的一些风俗今天还在延用。
沃森总结了以下特征：

1  通过哀嚎和其他悲伤的方式公开通告死亡
2  哀悼者穿上白色的衣服、鞋子和帽子（由麻布制成）
3  仪式化的方式沐浴死者
4  将食物、钱币和物品，从生者转移到死者身上
5  为死者准备和安立灵魂的石碑
6  雇佣专业人员，仪式化地使用钱币
7  吹奏音乐陪伴死者，让灵魂安息
8  密封存放死者的棺材
9  将棺材送出村庄或社区

虽然道教和佛教在其中发挥了重要作用，但葬礼仪式本身的结构和功能可以说是儒家的。

Where I lived in rural Shandong, rites were performed by lay people without involvement of priests.  The ritual had been shortened from 3 days to 1 day.  Most of the above elements remain, though cremation is now practiced prior to burial.  Certainly, rice was not offered, but other foods and drink were.  In the north there are also less paper offerings of objects like houses, cars, and iphones and more focus on money.  Also, today it is popular for mourners to give gifts of large flower wreaths memorializing the dead.  Usually, these are made of paper flowers.  
In the past, rural funerals were held in homes, but increasingly these are being held in funeral homes.  

我在山东农村的时候，葬礼是由普通人执行的，他们也没有请祭司什么的。
葬礼也从原来的3天缩短到1天。上面讲的大部分特征都还存在着，但现在安葬前要先火化。
当然，那儿没有出现米饭，但其他的食物和酒水都是有的。
在那个地方，纸扎的房子、汽车和苹果手机等比较少见，主要是纸钱。
现在也流行追悼的人给死者送上大花圈，通常，那些都是纸做的。
在过去，农村的葬礼通常都是在家中举行，但现在越来越多的在殡仪馆举行了。