Diseño del blog
17 mayo 2020
Ana del Río
Do not thank me!
One thing that we Spaniards notice when we travel or emigrate to Anglo-Saxon countries is the diligence with which gratitude is expressed: thank you for this, thank you for that, thank you for everything! As a Spanish teacher, it never ceases to amaze me that my students constantly thank me for correcting their mistakes.
Gratitude
is, of course, part of being polite, which itself is based on conventions and therefore, varies from one society to another.
This is the reason why it is highly recommended to familiarize yourself with the customs of a country before traveling, in order to avoid cultural shocks and uncomfortable situations.
Do we Spaniards never express our gratitude?
Of course we do! But if we compare ourselves with, for example, Great Britain, we fall short.
Jon Nazca
There is an interesting theory that explains this issue, namely that society can be divided into two types: those that embrace nearness and those that tend towards distancing.
We Spaniards lean more towards proximity, thus minimizing the relationship between power and social distance, favouring and reinforcing the interpersonal relationships between people who are talkings. Therefore, the use of compliments and collaborative responses is frequent.
For this reason, expressions of courtesy such as thanks or apology
are secondary and will only appear when they feel necessary and not in routine conversation. In addition, when such courtesy is expressed, the Spanish usually accompany it with some physical contact to intensify its meaning, unlike in Anglo-Saxon cultures.
Spanish students need to be aware of this difference to avoid pragmatic mistakes
such as excessive courtesy which might seem out of place culturally. In the same way, we Spaniards ought to take special care and use gratitude more than usual to avoid appearing rude when we find ourselves in countries with other social norms. Remember that to learn Spanish or any other language, it is not enough to study grammar and vocabulary, you also need to know the culture to which it is linked.
Have you ever noticed this cultural difference? Has it affected you professionally or personally?
Have you made any changes in the way you communicate because of it?
Learn how to say thank you and you're welcome in Spanish!
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