New Vocabularies: Look for, Nearby, Greetings, Address, Refusal, Friendly, Interesting, Stranger, Respect, Usually, Used to, Cultural difference, Directly, Instead.
MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND Read the following conversations. Discuss in pairs and write how 11.1 Depok addresses and greets different people in different situations. You can write using the following table. One is done for you.
নিচের কথোপকথনগুলো পড়ো। জোড়ায় আলোচনা করো এবং লেখ কিভাবে দীপক বিভিন্ন পরিস্থিতিতে ভিন্ন ভিন্ন লোকদেরকে সম্বোধন করেছে। তোমার সুবিধার জন্য একটি নিচের সারণিতে করে দেয়া হলো। MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND
Depok: Hey Robi! What’s up?
Robi: Hi, Depok! How are you?
Teacher: Good morning, Depok! How are you?
Depok: Good morning, Ma’am. I am good.
Depok: Hey Natasa!
Natasa: Dear brother! I feel hungry.
Depok: Good morning, Helal chacha!
Helal chacha: Good morning, you look very happy, what happened?
Depok: Excuse me, sister! Are you looking for something?
Unknown person: Oh! thanks. I’m looking for a nearby hospital.
MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND
Read the following note on greetings, address, refusal, and closing:
Note: Greeting: A greeting is something friendly that we say or do when we meet someone (e.g., hello, hi, Assalamu Alaikum, Namaskar, Adab, Good Morning, etc.). Address: When we talk to someone, we address them. Sometimes we use their names (e.g., Dipok, Helal Chacha, etc.), or titles (e.g., Ms. Yesmin), and sometimes we use a word that shows our feelings for them (e.g., my son, dear friend, etc.). MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND Refusal: A refusal is when we say no to someone or we disagree with something (e.g., No, I’m not. Sorry that I can’t take it, etc.). Closing: The way we end a conversion (e.g., see you again, bye, good night, etc.) |
The Table:
Depok used the following greetings in the conversations | Good to see you, …………….. |
Depok used the following addresses in the conversa- tions | Hey Robi, ……….. |
In pairs/groups discuss the following questions. Then, write the answers in the table below. One is done for you.
জোড়ায়/দলে নিচের প্রশ্নগুলো আলোচনা করো। তারপর নিচের সারণিতে উত্তরগুলো লেখ। তোমার সুবিধার জন্য একটি উত্তর নিচের সারণিতে করে দেয়া হলো। MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND
a. Who do you talk to every day?
b. How do you greet them?
c. How do you address them?
d. How do you accept or refuse someone/something?
e. How do you end the conversations? MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND
The people I talk to everyday | |||||
Family | Friends | Youngers | Elderly people | Unknown people | |
Addres | Baba | Dear | Dear sister | Uncle Habib | Aunty |
Greet | |||||
Refusal | |||||
End conversation |
- Read the following conversation between Dalia and Leonard. And, act it out in pairs. Then, complete the following activities in pairs/ groups.
- নিচে লিওনার্দ ও ডালিয়ার কথোপকথনটি পড়ো এবং জোড়ায় অভিনয় করে তা দেখাও। তারপর নিচের কাজগুলো জোড়ায়/দলে সম্পন্ন করো।
Context: Leonard Cohen reads in class six. He came from Canada to visit a Bangladeshi school. He met Dalia Hassan who also reads in class six.
The conversation between Dalia and Leonard goes like that-

Dalia: So, Leonard, how do you find our school?
Leonard: It’s good, you know. And it is interesting (laughing).
Dalia: Okay. So, what did you find interesting!
Leonard: Well, um…….. I really find it interesting the way you address the people you meet. I mean, you add something after you call a name.
Dalia: (laughing) Yes, we always call our elders by their first name and add brother, sister, uncle or aunty later. And how do you address your elders, by the way?
Leonard: If I know someone, I will call him or her by his/her first name. But if I have just met someone new, I will call his or her last name and add Mr./Ms. in the beginning. So, how do you address strangers?
Dalia: We usually address them as brothers, sisters or uncles, and aunties. So, what about addressing your teachers?
Leonard: We usually call them by their last names. I have seen you never call your teachers’ names. Why so?
Dalia: We never call elders by their names. This is how we show respect to them. Leonard: Interesting. Then, how do you greet someone? Like, in our country, we say hello to elders and strangers, and say hi to friends and younger. Also, we say good morning and good night. MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND
Dalia: We also greet each other by saying good morning and good evening. But usually, Muslims greet each other by salam and Hindus greet by namaskar. We also say adaab to people from other religions.
Leonard: Okay… this is very different from ours. You know what, I used to think that everyone greets the way we do.
Dalia: No, I think we have cultural differences. Every culture has its own way to greet or address people. MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND
Leonard: You know one thing, we do not like to hear the ‘No’ word directly. Instead, we use words such as ‘apology’, ‘I am afraid’, ‘sorry, but’, then we explain why we are refusing. For example, I would say, ‘sorry but I think we have cultural differences’ or ‘I am afraid I think we have cultural differences’.
Dalia: That was new for me. We usually say no directly. MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND
Leonard: I agree with you, we have cultural differences around the world… (Unfinished)
Here are some words from the above conversation. The meanings of these words/phrases are given below with alternatives. Choose the best answer among the four.
উপরের কথোপকথন থেকে এখানে কিছু শব্দ দেয়া হলো। শব্দগুলোর অর্থ বিকল্প অর্থসহ নিচে দেয়া আছে। চারটি উত্তরের মধ্যে সবচেয়ে সঠিক উত্তরটি লেখ ।
A. I find it interesting the way you address the people you meet. Here the underlined word means-
i) valuable
ii) familiar
iii) different
iv) rare
B. We say hello to elders and strangers. Here the underlined word means-
v) Elderly persons
vi) Youngers
vii) Seniors
viii) Unknown persons
C. We have cultural differences around the world. Here the underlined word means-
ix) Exchange
X) Choices
xi) Varieties
xii) Practice
D. We usually say no directly. Here the underlined word means-
xiii) Personally
xiv) Simply
xv) Straightly
xvi) Lately
E. I used to think that everyone greets the way we do. Here the underlined word means-
i) Never in the past
ii) Sometimes in the future
iii) Always in the past
iv) Always in the future
Now in pairs/groups, ask and answer the following questions.
A. Who are Leonard and Dalia?
B. What interesting thing did Leonard find in addressing people?
C. In Canada, how do they call their teachers?
D. How do Muslims and Hindus greet each other in our country? E. How do the people of Canada say ‘no’ to others? MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND
Read the conversation again and, in pairs/groups,write the cultural differences in the communication you have found between Bangladesh and Canada.
জোড়ায়/দলে নিচের কথোপকথনটি পড়ো। বাংলাদেশ ও কানাডার ক্ষেত্রে কি কি সাংস্কৃতিক পার্থক্য তুমি পেয়েছ তা লেখ।
Bangladeshi Culture | Foreign/Canadian Culture | |
---|---|---|
Addressing elders | ||
Addressing strangers | ||
Addressing teachers | ||
Greeting teachers | ||
Greeting elders | ||
Greeting strangers | ||
Greeting friends/ youngers | ||
Refusing something/ someone |
English Now read the following conversation in pairs/groups and complete it with the appropriate words/expressions. Practise the conversation in pairs. And later, act it out in front of the class. MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND
জোড়ায়/দলে পরের কথোপকথনটি পড়ো এবং সঠিক শব্দ/অভিব্যক্তি দিয়ে শূন্যস্থান পূর্ণ করো। জোড়ায় আলোচনাটি অনুশীলন করো এবং পরবর্তীতে ক্লাসের সামনে তা অভিনয় করে দেখাও ।
Story Setting:
AMAR EKUSHEY BOOK FAIR
On a breezy spring afternoon, Rakib, a Bangladeshi boy aged 13, meets Scott, a British boy of the same age, in the book fair. Incidentally, both are at the same book stall and are checking out the books available in that stall. MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND

Rakib: ………………………..
Scott: …………………….
Rakib: I see that you are holding a book on birds. Are you interested in wildlife? MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND
Scott: ……….What about you?
Rakib: Yes indeed. That’s why when I saw you with this book, I had to ask you whether you are also an animal lover? I am Rakib by the way.
Scott:………….Rakib. My name is Scott.
Rakib: ……………., Scott. What do you think about this book fair?
Scott: I read about this book fair earlier, but I did not know that there would be more than 400 stalls. There are so many books to check out and buy.
Rakib: …………. The more stalls I visit, the more I want to buy.
Scott: I understand how you are feeling. I feel the same way. A copy of wildlife was the last book on my list. I will go home now……………, Rakib. MEETING AN OVERSEAS FRIEND
Rakib: I still have a book to buy. After that, I will go home………………………… Scott.
Read More : THE BOY UNDER THE TREE