Málfríður - 15.03.2010, Blaðsíða 26

nation, which has undergone profound changes in
the last 60 years.
4) Contrasts between Spanish and Icelandic commu-
nication styles
Spanish people are more talkative and speak more
loudly, sometimes so much that it seems that they
are all shouting at each other and arguing instead
of talking. Several people may speak at once. They
often interrupt each other anticipating the closure
of the utterance and the conclusion. This can be an
unpleasant experience for an Icelander and con-
sidered as impolite or chaotic, but for a Spaniard,
it merely means that the person is interested in
what one is saying. On the other hand, silence is
charged with negative meanings of indifference or
mistrust. Similarly the Spanish see the importance
of gaze as a signal of sincerity and attention towards
the interlocutor. Regarding body language, Spanish
people, compared to Icelanders, also express them-
selves with more face and hand gestures which are
commonly used to strengthen a verbal message.
Moreover, Spaniards are very tactile in communica-
tion, when talking they can touch your arm or slap
your back to emphasize something said. In their
informal encounter with Spanish natives, Icelanders
have to be prepared and get used to cheek-kisses
(or rather a pair of delicate brushing of the cheeks
starting with the left) when introducing, meeting, or
congratulating. In general, in these situations, men
and women would kiss and women also would
kiss women. Men normally shake hands, though
men kissing may occur particularly between close
friends or relatives. The concept of personal space is
also very different, the distance between two people
who are just standing and talking, tend to be shorter
and this may make Icelanders feel uncomfortable.
5) The expression of feelings and self-image is also
very different in the two cultures. Self-confidence and
patriotism of Icelanders, proud of their heritage, are
quite noticeable to foreigners here in Iceland. But the
most general and common rule in Spain is to display
modesty and simplicity, avoiding excessive signs of
patriotism. After a personal compliment such as
“Your blouse is beautiful”, an Icelander would appre-
ciate it and say “takk” (thanks) but a Spaniard would
unconsciously diminish the compliment by adding
a sentence that downgrade it (“I bought it at.. and it
didn’t cost much”) or return it with something kind to
say to the other person (“your dress is also very nice”).
The Spanish are very liable to make compliments to
their friends and to the passer-by. Talking about cross-
cultural differences in the course of Methodology of
Spanish as a foreign Language, an Icelandic student
commented that she felt very ashamed when many
Spanish people addressed to her as “guapa” (liter-
ally beautiful), thinking that it was a personal com-
ment, until she realized that “guapa” is commonly
used as a mere joyful greeting to a woman. Most of
Icelandic women had also noticed that Spanish men
are not shy of showing their admiration of female
beauty on the street by using “piropos” (a flirtatious
compliment) unlike Icelanders, who are not so open
to express their feelings, and they strictly preserve
the right of others to privacy. Spaniards are more
emotional and tend to express any kind of emotion,
even at work, and it is even expected to ask about
the mood or privacy of others as a sign of interest.
6) The concept of politeness is not the same in the
two countries. Iceland is a society based on indi-
vidualism. Independence and self-sufficiency are
very important: Children are raised to be independ-
ent from an early age and everyone is expected to
look after him/herself and her/his immediate fam-
ily only. Spain, in comparison, is a society based on
collectivism in which people see themselves strongly
integrated into a group, where all the members are
group-dependent. Just to mention one example, the
value of sharing has an immense relevance in Spain,
and this can be reflected in the custom of paying bills
when drinking or eating out with friends. In Iceland
the custom is that each person pays for himself or
herself, rather than any one person paying for any-
one else, unless the invitation stated otherwise. In
most places of Spain it is common to take turns to
pay the bill or to split it regardless of what anyone
ate or drank. As a result in Spain at restaurants the
waiter by default will come with the total bill, if you
want to get separate bills you should request it in
advance. In Iceland people generally call each other
by their first names even in formal situations, but in
Spain, where hierarchy and rank are very important,
it is normal to address people using titles according
to their gender, marital status, professional occupa-
tion, academic position, or diplomatic / military rank
…. In formal writing, rules are stricter in Spanish
than in Icelandic. In Spanish spoken in Spain the
personal pronoun Usted (a polite you) is specifically
used to demonstrate respect to strangers, older peo-
ple, authority figures, or in business. Furthermore, in
Spain “por favor” (please) and “gracias” (thank you)
are thought to be unnecessary among relatives and
friends, or its lack in everyday exchanges in shops
and restaurants is not considered impolite.
2 MÁLFRÍÐUR