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Hand shakes for example were infrequent, to the point of being alien 3. In
greetings, the enthusiastic "und wie gehts" [and how are you] in German
appeared in English as a rather throwaway and cursory "Hows it goi n'... al right',
often uttered as the speaker's main involvement was focused elsewhere, in
some other task such as taking guests coats, attending to food in the kitchen, or
chastising nearby children. Eye contact was brief and not necessarily
choreographed with'ask after other'type questions, and smiles were usually
only initiated as a result of some 'quip' to "How are you questions"
("Knackered! ", "Not three bad", "I was alright'till I saw that shirt you're wearin"').
During departure phases, the'Vielleicht k6nnen wir uns nachste Woche treffen"
[Perhaps we could meet next week] had as its English equivalent "We'll have to
do this again sometime". However, whereas this German initiator invariably led
to a discussion of mutually available times, and more often than not a fixing of
an appointment there and then (one that was taken to be as fixed as a doctors
appointment and subsequently expected to be met on time), the English version
was often met with "Yeah, we'll give you a call when we know what we're doin"'
or something similarly not-committal. Subsequent calls were not in actuality
expected (see comments in House 1996), nor usually made 4.
The mai ,n phases of the majority of gatherings from which my data are
taken involved some central eating and drinking activity. Normally, this was
done with participants sat together around a table that had been prepared prior
to participants' arrival by the host(ess). Consequently, throughout main phases,
topic talk often focused on the food presented and arranged by the host.
Enquiries about one or the other aspect of the immediate environment were
common. For instance, asking whatthis' or'thatfood item was, expressing
interest in particular recipes or cooking techniques used, and offering
compliments to the host(ess) were common in both data sets. Often, if food was
not available for such solidaric focus (for instance before it was served / after it
had been eaten), sociability props would receive similar attention, for example
crockery, tablecloths, or the layout of the table. Failing this, environmental props
such as clothing / jewellery worn by one or the other participants, furniture, or, if
outside some aspect of the garden might provide a suitable joint focus of
attention. This complimentary activity appeared in the main phases of
gatherings in both cultures, in particular, at the beginning and end of eating
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