Developing intercultural communicative skills

Examples of Stereotypes
Example 1 Only boys can play sports. This is a very common stereotype against women and girls. However, like most stereotypes it’s inaccurate. Most people who say this aren’t thinking about the fact that some of the world’s greatest athletes are women: women like Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd, for example, who recently brought the World Cup gold to America, or the world-champion tennis player Serena Williams. Most males would look pretty foolish if they had to go up against Williams in a tennis match!
Example 2 Asians are good at math. Stereotypes are not necessarily negative on the surface – sometimes, they can appear complimentary. For example, Asians are sometimes stereotyped as good at math, while Africans are stereotyped as athletic. But these stereotypes are still inaccurate. For one thing, they are simply false: many Asians are bad at math, and many Africans are very poor athletes. In addition, “positive” stereotypes oversimplify the complex abilities of each group. After all, Africans can be great scientists and Asians can be great athletes.
Taboo is an action or word that is avoided for religious or social reasons. Taboo, alternatively called tabu, tapu or Tongan. It is a prohibition of social actions based on false beliefs that performing such actions is either too scared, or too dangerous for the human race. Disregarding taboo is generally considered a deviant act by the society. Taboo is putting a person or a thing under temporary or permanent prohibition, especially as a social custom.
Types of taboo:
1. Religious Taboo
It is something in a particular religion which the religion considers forbidden.
Example: The consumption of alcohol is a major sin or “haraam’’ in Islam.
2. Cultural Taboo
There is a number of cultural taboos prevailing in and around the world.
Example: Never wear red to a funeral in China or write a person’s name in red in Korea.
3. Food and Drink Taboo
Food and drink taboo is a restriction on consumption of various kinds of food and drink. Example: Predatory fish, like piranhas and bottom feeders, are considered taboo for the ill to eat in Brazil.