Reader question: What's "small talk" exactly?
My comments:
Small talk is gossip, chitchat, unimportant chatter, small being the significant adjective pointing to its, well, insignificance.
In terms of the media, all the gossip columns are small talk. They shouldn't be in newspapers but they are, and on television also, as well as over the radio and the Internet. Take gossips about celebrities, for example. Does it really matter if that famous model Loulou (never mind who she is – I'm making it up) frolics with her boyfriend in the sea half-clad in a bikini? I mean, even if "half-clad in a bikini" is a grammatically sound description, why should the public be told about it? Why shouldn't we be told instead more of the important issues such as what all the politicians are saying? Or business scandals, for that matter, or traffic accidents, coal mine explosions or any other natural calamity or bad news.
Well, you got me there. I admit pictures of a half-naked – can I say naked? – Loulou on the beach would beat, say, ranting politicians all day, such being the current state of affairs we're in. I too realize that sometimes small talk is the best talk anywhere in the newspaper, on television and over the radio. So therefore, let's gossip a bit about "small talk" with examples culled from the Internet.
1. from itpub.net:
Small Talk: Who, What, Where, When, Why?
WHY do people make small talk?
There are a few different reasons why people use small talk. The first, and most obvious, is to break an uncomfortable silence. Another reason, however, is simply to fill time. That is why it is so common to make small talk when you are waiting for something. Some people make small talk in order to be polite. You may not feel like chatting with anyone at a party, but it is rude to just sit in a corner by yourself. After someone introduces you to another person, you do not know anything about them, so in order to show a polite interest in getting to know them better, you have to start with some small talk.
2. from USA Today (September 9, 2001):
Small talk, big payoff
They say talk is cheap, but chatting up strangers you meet on business trips is sometimes profitable.
It was for medical equipment salesman Douglas Ruby.
Last November, Ruby struck up a conversation with Rod Ferrand, a seatmate on his flight who turned out to be in a similar line of work. At the flight's end, Ruby and Ferrand exchanged business cards and parted.
It wasn't until June, when Ruby was laid off and looking for work, that he dug up Ferrand's card and mailed him his resume. Coincidentally, Ferrand's company, Merit Medical Systems, had an opening. Ruby got the job, beating out 150 other applicants.
"Don't be scared of talking to strangers," says Ruby of New Orleans. "That guy I met on the plane is now my boss."
3. from Guardian Unlimited (December 7, 2007):
Small Talk with Kelly Dalglish
- It's a dilemma, all right. Finally Kelly, can you tell us a joke?
- OK, so this vampire bat goes back into the cave, and his face is covered in blood, and all the other vampire bats are really, really jealous. So they're asking: "Where did you get that from, where have you been?" And he says, "Come, I'll show you all my secrets", and they fly out and they go over the dark forest, and he says: "You see that big oak tree over there?" The vampire bats say: "Yes", and he says: "Well I didn't."
体坛英语资讯:Hong Kong-Sanya sailing competition to kick off in October
昨天你还对这些流行新词嗤之以鼻,今天它们已经被列入牛津辞典
国内英语资讯:Party building to be strengthened in political advisory bodies
国际英语资讯:News Analysis: In Gaza, possibilities for truce, war are equal
体坛英语资讯:Roland-Garros tennis club to come to Wuhan in 2019
国际英语资讯:UAE issues law to develop local sovereign bond market
国际英语资讯:Hillary Clintons security clearance revoked at her request
国内英语资讯:Chinese premier meets Dutch king, calls for more cooperation
体坛英语资讯:Raptors star Leonard focusing on present, not future
戴森推出美发神器!简直是所有女生的天堂哈哈哈
国际英语资讯:CSU suffers great loss in Bavaria state election: initial forecast
国内英语资讯:China Focus: Chinese medical aid helps promote TCM in Madagascar
国际英语资讯:Malaysias Anwar expected to return to parliament in by-election
One Minute 一分钟
体坛英语资讯:Ex-boss Liu Guoliang returns after 15-month leave from Chinese table tennis
体坛英语资讯:Cameroon International Cycling Tour kicks off in Douala
国际英语资讯:Cambodia allows U.S. to resume search for remains of American soldiers missing during Vietna
如何避免食物浪费?
美国和英国居然有不少人相信地球是平的
体坛英语资讯:Indonesian racer wins second stage at Tour de Banyuwangi
体坛英语资讯:Peru to host Ecuador in November friendly
体坛英语资讯:Kenyas top tennis player Okutoyi to compete at Tunisia Masters
双语阅读:为什么更多的美国人搬到较小城市
国内英语资讯:Chinese premier arrives in Netherlands for official visit
国内英语资讯:China Focus: 40 years on, Xiaogang still testbed of Chinas rural reform
国内英语资讯:China, Netherlands eye more open, pragmatic cooperation to safeguard multilateralism, free t
国际英语资讯:Trump denies relaxation of sanctions against Turkey
这些历史事件居然是同时发生?我已凌乱
智能音响花式吓坏主人!笑到吐血....
国际英语资讯:Syrias gates to neighboring countries start opening after years of isolation
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |