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Mar

10 Cultural Do’s and Taboos: Chatting Around the World

by Janine Boylan on March 4, 2013

surprised girl, illustrating cultural taboos in conversation

It’s a good idea to know cultural taboos before you speak!
© Thinkstock

Hot (and Not So Hot) Topics

There are certain things you just shouldn’t talk about.

I’ve had a few Oh, I see moments around this—what is a culturally taboo topic in one place may not be in another. And, on the flip side, what is acceptable in one country, may be taboo in another. Sometimes it’s not until you’ve made the mistake that you learn the rules. Read more...

Janine Boylan 4 Comments

Crossing Cultures/Cultural Do's & Taboos/Language & Culture/Worldwide Sites

Feb

Language Speaks Volumes About Cultural Differences

by Janine Boylan on February 18, 2013

Language can reveal so much about the values and priorities in a culture. That’s why I love learning about different languages and discovering the richness of cultural differences. Perhaps Rita Mae Brown best described the connection between language and culture when she said:

Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.

One Thousand Names

What would you call this animal? To me, it is simply a reindeer.

Reindeer, illustrating that languages reflect cultural differences

There are 48 terms in the Northern Saami language for the shape of reindeer antlers.
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Cultural Diversity/Language & Culture/Worldwide Sites

Dec

Ten Christmas Traditions Stuffed in Stockings ‘n Shoes

by Janine Boylan on December 24, 2012

Christmas stocking showing Christmas traditions in different cultures

How Different Cultures Fill ‘Em Up

Every Christmas morning, plump velvet stockings line our hearth. And Christmas tradition dictates that each stocking has a tangerine and a brand new penny in it.

Getting the Hang of Stockings and Shoes

According to legend, the Christmas stocking originated when three impoverished girls hung their freshly-washed socks by the fire to dry. Walking by their home that evening, Saint Nicholas saw the stockings, and, feeling pity for the girls, secretly filled each sock with a generous bag of gold. The gold changed the lives of the girls forever. Read more...