Quote:
|
I noticed with some alarm that in normal conversation things could reach almost a shouting level, as one person would talk, the next would talk louder, the next would talk louder, maybe several people would talk at once..... then a moment silence and it would start all over, I have noticed this kind of communication pattern among Arabs who know each other well fairly often since then. It is sometimes intense, but it has never led to violence. It is just a different communication rhythm than we see among westerners, I think. I am used to it now, but it was a lesson to be learned.
|
Actually, this aptly describes my dad's family's mode of conversation.
My mother married into the family at 19 and was as adept at this form of conversation as anyone born an Arnold. One of the wonders of the world was to listen to my mom and my aunt both talk at the same time about different things, then answer each other the same way. I've never seen two other people hold two completely unrelated conversations simultaneously.