6/1/19, W06 'Personal Space Differences'

After viewing the video by Brother Ivers on Personal Space https://video.byui.edu/media/05+Personal+Space+Differences/0_yz4lk5f0 and the video on Japanese subways https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8FQsg12hoY as well as completing the reading on personal space ownership, I realized how much our culture dictates the way we communicate through action with all those we come in contact with.

I learned that even the amount of personal space we allow when conversing with or initially meeting someone, speaks volumes on how we feel about that person. It’s the fact that the distance can vary from one culture to another that can cause misunderstandings between people. For example, what are our cultural paradigms for the intimate, personal, social or public zone and who do we allow in, compared to someone we speak with at work who’s from another culture?

How do we remedy the misinterpretations that are bound to happen as the world becomes more globalized? For example, what about a simple miscommunication regarding personal space that can happen when Americans are talking loud enough to be overheard, and the English view that communication as bad manners? What about Americans’ strong feelings regarding ownership of material possessions, compared with other cultures that don’t view their belongings as extensions of themselves, or an invasion of their personal space? From just these two examples, I realized that TESOL teachers have a lot more to teach and take into consideration than just teaching the English language to their students.

As I read the article about personal space ownership and the section on territory and ownership, I gained insight on the universality and application of ownership even as it relates to students. I realized that learning how to help provide my future students with a sense of security and consistency is important. Perhaps assigning them a seat and a place they can put their belongings in class would help fulfill this need? I feel that as we continue to learn and share cultural understanding with each other, we can learn to decipher better the real meanings of other cultures’ communication.