Read the following summary of cultural information from “Capítulo 1”, then answer the questions. (

Question

The United States is famously considered a melting pot of peoples and cultures, and one of the primary contributing groups to that melting pot is the Hispanic culture. Hispanics come from a variety of areas in the world, including Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Spain, and other countries. As of 2016, Hispanics are the most numerous minority group of the United States, comprising 17.8% of the country’s population, thus Spanish language and Hispanic culture is integrating more and more into American society.
Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language in the world, and the same goes for the United States. Together with the language differences, there are some cultural elements integrated that may be slightly different from English-speaking American culture. For example, in Spanish there are two forms of the subject you: informal tú and formal usted, the former used in a familiar setting and the latter as a show of respect. Additionally, when people of Hispanic backgrounds greet each other, it is common to shake hands, hug, or kiss one another. They exchange a kiss on the cheek with a woman, whereas in English-speaking cultures women and men usually shake hands, or sometimes hug if they are close. Finally, Spanish speakers are used to reading the hour on the 24-hour clock, or military time, so in the United States they become accustomed to reading a.m. and p.m. to indicate time of day.

Name one similarity and one difference between greeting styles in Hispanic cultures versus English-speaking cultures.

Answer 1

In both cultures men shake hands with each other. In Hispanic culture, women exchange a kiss with another man or woman, while in English speaking culture kisses aren’t exchanged.