Assessment 04
Semester 1 2023
Year Mark: 15%
Discussion Assessment 04 (215679)
Task 1 (30)
Forms of address, greetings, and gestures
Language has the power to affect interpersonal relationships positively or negatively.
Interpersonal relationships involve relationships between people. Attitudes can be reflected
through different forms of language usage, for example, address, greetings and gestures,
proverbial expressions, and religion. These are the basic elements of communication a person
must know if he or she intends to interact with persons of a different cultural background in a
multilingual society.
Look at the picture above and answer the questions that follow.
1. How are they greeting each other? What else can you say about this greeting/s?
(5)
2. In a multicultural society as South Africa misunderstandings are bound to happen. Provide us
with an example where you had an encounter with someone from a different culture, race or
language group where there was a misunderstanding experienced when greeting or
communicating? Elaborate.
(10)
3. What happened during your communication with that person? Were you able to resolve the
misunderstanding or not? Explain. (6)
4. Discuss how you would greet the following people below in your culture, both formally and
informally and share with us the consequences of not using the correct greeting where necessary.
(9)
a) Peer
b) Parents
c) Elder
, Task 1 Forms of address, greetings, and gestures
1. How are they greeting each other? What else can you say about this greeting/s?
The Woman – Handshake greeting
• The woman uses a handshake which is a most common greeting of a handshake accompanied by
eye contact and a smile. This is appropriate among most South Africans.
• Handshakes may be light or firm depending on the person you are greeting.
• When shaking hands with a person of the opposite gender, men usually wait for women to extend
their hands first.
The man – Bow greeting
It is a form of greeting, a sign of respect, and used to express deference, sincerity, humility, and
remorse. The bow originates from the waist, with the back straight. Men place their hands on the
side while women clasp their hands in front.
The bow meaning of bow can be distinguished as follows:
1. Slight bow = 15 degrees
2. Salute = 30 degrees
3. Respect bow =45 degrees
Therefore it’s evident that the man uses a 45 degrees respect bow as a form of greeting.
2. In a multicultural society as South Africa misunderstandings are bound to happen. Provide us with
an example where you had an encounter with someone from a different culture, race or language
group where there was a misunderstanding experienced when greeting or communicating?
Elaborate.
As Tsonga and having grown up in a multi-cultural background family don't have personal
experiences to share, therefore I use another person’s example of an encounter between an English-
speaking and a Xhosa speaker.
Semester 1 2023
Year Mark: 15%
Discussion Assessment 04 (215679)
Task 1 (30)
Forms of address, greetings, and gestures
Language has the power to affect interpersonal relationships positively or negatively.
Interpersonal relationships involve relationships between people. Attitudes can be reflected
through different forms of language usage, for example, address, greetings and gestures,
proverbial expressions, and religion. These are the basic elements of communication a person
must know if he or she intends to interact with persons of a different cultural background in a
multilingual society.
Look at the picture above and answer the questions that follow.
1. How are they greeting each other? What else can you say about this greeting/s?
(5)
2. In a multicultural society as South Africa misunderstandings are bound to happen. Provide us
with an example where you had an encounter with someone from a different culture, race or
language group where there was a misunderstanding experienced when greeting or
communicating? Elaborate.
(10)
3. What happened during your communication with that person? Were you able to resolve the
misunderstanding or not? Explain. (6)
4. Discuss how you would greet the following people below in your culture, both formally and
informally and share with us the consequences of not using the correct greeting where necessary.
(9)
a) Peer
b) Parents
c) Elder
, Task 1 Forms of address, greetings, and gestures
1. How are they greeting each other? What else can you say about this greeting/s?
The Woman – Handshake greeting
• The woman uses a handshake which is a most common greeting of a handshake accompanied by
eye contact and a smile. This is appropriate among most South Africans.
• Handshakes may be light or firm depending on the person you are greeting.
• When shaking hands with a person of the opposite gender, men usually wait for women to extend
their hands first.
The man – Bow greeting
It is a form of greeting, a sign of respect, and used to express deference, sincerity, humility, and
remorse. The bow originates from the waist, with the back straight. Men place their hands on the
side while women clasp their hands in front.
The bow meaning of bow can be distinguished as follows:
1. Slight bow = 15 degrees
2. Salute = 30 degrees
3. Respect bow =45 degrees
Therefore it’s evident that the man uses a 45 degrees respect bow as a form of greeting.
2. In a multicultural society as South Africa misunderstandings are bound to happen. Provide us with
an example where you had an encounter with someone from a different culture, race or language
group where there was a misunderstanding experienced when greeting or communicating?
Elaborate.
As Tsonga and having grown up in a multi-cultural background family don't have personal
experiences to share, therefore I use another person’s example of an encounter between an English-
speaking and a Xhosa speaker.
