Differences in Speech Behavior of Americans and Ukrainians

Abstract

The article deals with the differences in the speech behavior of Americans and Ukrainians, namely the reporting of bad news, expressions of sympathy, advice, and prohibition. Language as a social phenomenon reflects the features of social consciousness, cultural, psychological, and value orientations of a particular society. Language constructions leave a certain imprint on the reported information. The choice of construction is predetermined by the nature of the speaker’s worldview. American behavior is predicated on the presentation of a positive image of the self to the outside world. The leading characteristics of the American linguocultural space are a straightforward expression of opinions and a tendency towards a positive assessment of all life phenomena. The speech habits of Ukrainians, inherited from Soviet times, on the contrary, reflect a negative way of thinking. The hangover from the ​Soviet times is a large number of negative constructions. From generation to generation, people have faced a number of restrictions and prohibitions on a daily basis, which have gradually turned into speech clichés. In addition, the Ukrainian culture, in contrast to the American one, is characterized by less straightforwardness in communication. The examples given in the article illustrate the need to adapt the translation to the cultural norms of another language.