Abstract

The movie English Vinglish tells a story about a conservative Indian woman who came to New York to help her sister with her niece’s wedding. She had many awful experiences because of her inability of English and lack of the international communication skills, then she attended English lessons and gained self-confidence at last. This thesis is based on John W. Berry’s intercultural adaptation theory. It introduces the main plot of the movie English Vinglish and then the religion backgrounds of India and America. It demonstrates the cultural conflicts between India and America from many aspects. This thesis also researches the reflection of cultural adaption in this movie and Indian women’s family status and cultural identity.

Keywords: cultural conflicts; cultural adaptation; English Vinglish; cultural identity

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction.1

2. Cultural backgrounds of India and America 1

2.1 Cultural background of India .1

2.2 Cultural background of America2

3. Cultural Conflicts and Adaptation3

3.1 The definition of cultural conflicts.3

3.2 Conflicts between Indian culture and American culture.3

3.3 Reasons for cultural conflicts.5

3.4 Cultural adaptation7

3.5 Cultural identity8

4. Cultural Adaptation in the Movie English Vinglish9

4.1 The symbols of cultural adaptation in English Vinglish10

4.2 Women’s family status in India.10

4.3 Seeking for identity.11

4.4 Balance in the two worlds.11

5. Conclusion.12

Work Cited13