Ex. 2. Introductory Questions. In the United States, it is important to be on time, or

1. In your culture, what is late? What is early?
2. In your culture, is it important to be on time?
3. Are you usually on time? Why or why not?
4. If you are meeting someone, at what point do you feel she or he is late? (5 minutes, 10 minutes, longer)

In the United States, it is important to be on time, or punctual, for an appointment, a class, a meeting, etc. This may not be true in all countries, however. An American professor discovered this difference while teaching a class in a Brazilian university. The two-hour class was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and end at 12 p.m. on the first day, when the professor arrived on time; no one was in the classroom. Many students came after 10 a.m. Several arrived after 10:30 a.m. Two students came after 11 a.m. Although all the students greeted the professor as they arrived, few apologized for their lateness. Were these students being rude? He decided to study the students’ behaviour.

The professor talked to American and Brazilian students about lateness in both informal and formal situation: lunch with a friend, and a university class, respectively. He gave an example and asked them how they would react. If they had lunch appointment with a friend, the average American student defined lateness as 19 minutes after the agreed time. On the other hand, the average Brazilian student felt the friend was late after 33 minutes.

In an American university, students are expected to arrive at the appointed hour. In contrast, in Brazil, neither the teacher not the students always arrive at the appointed hour. Classes not only begin at the scheduled time in the USA, but they also end at the scheduled time. In the Brazilian class, only a few students left the class at noon: many remained past 12:30 to discuss the class and ask more questions. While arriving late may not be very important in Brazil, neither is staying late.

The explanation for these differences is complicated. People from Brazilian and North American cultures have different feelings about lateness. In Brazil, the students believe that a person who usually arrives late is probably more successful than a person who always on time. In fact, Brazilians expect a person with status or prestige to arrive late, while in the USA, lateness is usually considered to be disrespectful and unacceptable. Consequently, if a Brazilian is late for an appointment with a North American, the American may misinterpret the reason for the lateness and become angry.

As a result of his study, the professor learned that the Brazilian students were not being disrespectful to him. Instead, they were simply behaving the appropriate way for a Brazilian student in Brazil. Eventually, the professor was able to adapt his own behaviour to feel comfortable in the new culture.