Cross-Cultural Commentary (for the teacher): Speech, the Japanese say, is silver, but silence is gold. Americans are
uncomfortable with periods of silence in conversations; they rush to fill any void
longer than five seconds. Americans think silences mean the other person hasn't
understood or that things aren't going well—that the other person is upset, not
pleased, or just not interested. The Japanese believe it is polite not to respond
immediately after someone has spoken, especially if that person has made a
proposal of some sort or other. A pause of up to thirty seconds before answering
shows respect to the speaker, indicating that one is carefully considering what one
has heard and is carefully composing one's reply. An immediate response betrays a
person who is not careful or reflective, a dubious business partner.
In the present case, Janet assumed Mr. Maruoka's silence meant displeasure
or disappointment, and she lowered her price in response, only to be met with
silence again. Mr. Maruoka, meanwhile, can scarcely believe his good fortune.
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TASK. Read the dialogue between an American and a Chinese. Comment
