This project aims to contribute to knowledge about the significance of language diversity for the diversity of cultural experiences. We are interested in whether the particular language somebody speaks makes an important difference to the way they lead their life.

We address this question by studying how people deal with chores in three different settings: among Polish couples in Lublin (Poland), English couples in Portsmouth (UK), and English-Polish couples in Portsmouth (UK).

Dealing with chores is, on one level, a mundane everyday necessity. At the same time, the conduct of this activity points to values regarding mutual expectations and responsibilities – values which might not be obvious, but which members of a community need to orient themselves towards for life to feel “right” and “normal”.

We expect that sharing responsibilities means different things in English and in Polish cultures: Whereas the point of addressing chores in English would typically be to establish “who does what”, in Polish conversations about daily chores subjectivity is often left unmentioned, suggesting that their aim is to remind one another of a shared responsibility.

A challenge to the “normal” way of doing things, as in cross-cultural relationships, has a strong emotional dimension: For an English speaker, the prospect of being continually “monitored” might sound unattractive. For a Polish speaker, the prospect of dealing with chores independently and thus being “on your own” might sound unattractive.

This project is supported by the ESRC, and is being carried out at the University of Portsmouth in cooperation with the Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lubin.
Website Designed by Paul Marshman, University of Portsmouth