The art of The art of

LANGUAGE
CONVERSATION
Chatting at a bus stop, introducing yourself at a party, welcoming someone to your office: all of these situations require
small talk. Light conversation is a way to make ourselves and others feel comfortable in a new situation. Yet what we
say and how we understand it depend very much on our cultural background. In our five dialogues, Janet, Marilyn,
David, Dieter and Tom show you what to say, and in some cases what not to say, when making small talk.
Janet
David
T. Pannell/Corbis (13)
Marilyn
Scene 1
The King’s Hotel, London. David’s 40th birthday party
Janet and Marilyn meet for the first time while getting drinks from the buffet.
The art of
Janet:
Asking for help is a good way to start a conversation.
Marilyn: Sure. Red or white?
small talk
Vor, zwischen und nach den „wichtigen“ Unterhaltungen sollte man immer
Janet:
Red, thanks. I heard somewhere that red wine can
lower the risk of heart disease.
Janet adds information in a fun way to keep the conversation
going.
Marilyn: I’ll drink to that (Darauf trinke ich). Cheers (Prost )! Here
you go!
“I’ll drink to that” shows that Marilyn agrees with or likes what
Janet has said.
Janet:
Janet invites a comment in order to continue the conversation.
Mmm! Delicious (köstlich)! Oh, it’s a Bleasdale.
eine gute Prise freundlicher, allgemeiner Unterhaltung einstreuen. Wie die
Marilyn: I only know California wines. I’m from Napa Valley, you
know. I’ve never heard of this one. Bleasdale?
Marilyn repeats the name to check that she has understood it
properly.
kleine Konversation ihre große Wirkung erzielt, und warum sie das tut, zeigt
Janet:
Janet adds information to keep the conversation going.
Ihnen VIVIENNE ARNOLD anhand typischer Beispiele.
Marilyn: You’re right. It is delicious. David sure has good taste.
Ah, speak of the devil (wenn man vom Teufel spricht )!
“David sure has good taste” is an American usage of “sure”.
A British speaker would say, “David certainly has good taste.”
David:
Hi! How are you?
David, as host ( Gastgeber(in)), asks about the well-being
( Wohlbefinden) of his guests — but does not expect a long
answer.
Janet:
Fine, thanks. We’re just helping ourselves to some wine.
“I’m fine” is a standard response, unless something is really
wrong.
David:
That’s the spirit! (So soll es sein! ) I just have to see if
my mum’s OK. She went to the loo (UK ifml.: Toilette)
half an hour ago and hasn’t been seen since.
David makes an encouraging remark to get his guests to relax.
Then he gives a reason for leaving.
easy
www.
That’s right. Bleasdale. It’s from Australia.
Marilyn: Well, if David’s not going to do the introductions, I guess
it’s up to us. I’m Marilyn.
Marilyn uses an informal way of introducing herself.
Janet:
Repeating someone’s name helps you to remember it.
Nice to meet you, Marilyn. I’m Janet. So how do you
know David?
Marilyn: We met last year through somebody we both know.
Hey! Why don’t we grab (sich holen/nehmen) some food
and sit in the sunshine?
“Why don’t we...?” is a simple way to suggest an idea or plan.
Janet:
If Janet didn’t want to go, she would make a polite excuse:
“Could I join you in a minute or two? I just want to say hello to
somebody.”
Good idea.
t
Images.com/Corbis
Excuse me! Could you pass me the wine, please?
5/09
Spotlight 15