Summary of conversational ballgames
Nancy Masterson Sakamoto’s "conversational ballgames” explains about how difficult is it to stand in a conversation in different culture. She explains how difficult it was to her to teach her new Japanese student English language as they hold Japanese style conversations and also she could not properly communicate with her husband as well as with his friends because of different rules of conversational ballgames. She here explains about how is it difficult to communicate in Japanese and in western culture and compares her analogies with different kind of sports like Table tennis, Bowling, Badminton etc.
She compares western style conversation to be like game of tennis in which two plays and both of them hits one after another or if there are more than two she compares western style conversation with tennis with more than two players or volleyball in which whoever gets the chance just hits or whoever is the nearest hits. She compares Japanese style of conversations to be like Bowling in which you just have to wait for your turn to come and just watch other speak or play until your time comes. She first used to think that it is because of their lack of proper English skills but she later came to realize that it is because of playing different conversational ballgames.
I also have been in quite similar situation when I first came to USA or when I used to talk with my dad’s chinese friends because of which I completely agree with Mrs sakamoto. Different countries has their own rules of conversation like in my home country Nepal we do not speak or interrupt any senior or any elder ones whenever they are speaking as it is a sign of disrespect.
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