Language is so ubiquitous that we experience it as we make jokes with friends, understand lectures professors speeched and read original novels everyday. I wandered through Homer Babbidge Library, touching books, hoping, more than one time, that anyone watching me might think I was a native speaker. However, from the last two weeks in the US, I can tell a different language is not so quickly perfected, since there are so many differences between Mandarin, my mother language, and English.
First of all, it’s about the grammar. Take “I just ate…”Even this snippet of daily conversation reveals how much languages can differ from one another. In English, you have to mark the verb for tense; in this case, you say “ate” rather than “eat.” In Mandarin we need not, the future can be below and the past above. I made a lot of mistakes about the tense in speaking English. Now I’ll think carefully before I speak out.
In addition, “How’s it going. ” “How are you.” “Thank you.” “Nice to meet you.” “Have a good day. ” I receive these greetings every day, every hour at UConn, when I help others to keep the door open, meet new friends and pay money in grocery stores etc. Even when I sneeze, there comes a “bless you”. Amazingly, these greetings can always make me in a good mood, even cheer me up when I’m depressed. I don’t know if there is any magic or something, I rise a sense of being respected and now I’m glad to greet to others as well. However, in China, people do not greet each other so much. Even when I said “thank you” to my friend for borrowing a pen, he would think I was so polite that I didn’t recognize him as friend. “Thank you” is kind of unnecessary between friends in China.
As the saying goes “to have a second language is to have a second soul.” In my point of view, learning a different language not just be about the grammar or how to reflect or express my thoughts, it also offers me a window on a culture’s dispositions and priorities of the people who speak it. Maybe that’s why language is so attractive and beautiful.
#2
The Hindus say, “Nada Brahma,” one translation of which is, “The world is sound.” That’s true. Since human started to use language, spoken language especially, to communicate with each other a million years ago, sound was not confined in natural sound. Everyday we listen to news, pop music and people’s speech to get social trends, enjoyment and knowledge, although sometimes some sounds are not that welcome.
That is where noise comes from. Noise, from my point of view, is a type of sound that is less or least desired. Shout and bad words are the perfect examples of noise. However, noise seems more contextual today. I always can hear people say that “dining hall is really noisy.” True, I would never chose a dining hall to study before I watched the TED video.
There is the sound of coffee grinder mentioned in that video, for me, the first time, it’s noisy. However, Julian Treasure, the lecturer, calls that “the hidden choir.” He says the mundane sounds can be really interesting if you pay attention. So I replayed the video and listened again. This time I could figure out its tempo markings and dynamics and I really enjoyed it.. Then I kept thinking, if the sound of coffee grinder can be interesting, what about the sound in the dining hall?
So next time when I sat in the dining hall, I followed the 5 ways Julian Treasure shared in the lecture: I reset my ear in quiet, figured out the channels on my right and left, enjoyed savoring, listened positions and talked with others by using RASA. What I found? That it is all about the language–different languages (Indian, Chinese, English, etc), different accents of language (Irish, British, American, African American, etc) and different expression in languages. I like it, not to mention that it’s also a good way to improve my English! So, I think, sometimes, it’s not our environment or other people that are too noisy. On the contrary, it is ourselves who are too impatient to listen, to listen the sounds and appreciate the language.
“Listen is our access of understanding.” Every human being needs to listen consciously in order to live fully– connected in space and in time to the physical world around us, connected in understanding to each other, not to mention spiritually connected, because every spiritual path has listening and contemplation at its heart.
#3
No one will deny that sdjective, simile and metaphor are the powerful building blocks of descriptive speaking and writing. They add meaning and depth to nouns, helping listeners and readers to more fully understand what’s in our mind.
When it comes to adjectives, many words spoken at UConn pop up in my mind. “good” ”all set” “she’s amazing” “what’s so funny?””it’s weird.” casually or with a rising pitch, using adjective is more exactly to describe what we see, what we hear, what we taste, what we touch, what we think. For example, we describe someone is a “heavyset” guy, not a “fat” guy. Also, we can put a bunch of them together unlimitedly for “she has beautiful, big, dazzling, deep, blue eyes” Adjective, what’s more, is pretty meaningful to substitute many words. Case in point, when professor emphasized that it was a PROFOUND point, meant we should stop taking notes and staring at the laptop to watch the professor and listen carefully. Only by paying a little attention, we will know how an adjective can be so useful and powerful.
If we say adjectives are like toys for human to play, similes and metaphors, from my point of view, are flavors to make the language tasty and insightful. Take some examples for simile, “hills like white elephants”, “her joy burst forth like a blooming flower in spring”. That, to some extent, makes things vividly, like drawing a picture in front of readers or listener. As for metaphors, “You curl your fingers into a fist and with simple thrust of force, you knock on the door.” this is absolutely a notice for people who walk in others room without knocking the door first to show their politeness.
Above all, we have to say these variations are essential ingredient of our language, they provide richer understanding of the content and keep our communication different and fresh, and language variable.
#4
With the development of globalization, the number of international students, especially Chinese, skyrockets in the universities in the U.S. In a 2011 article, “The China Conundrum,” The Chronicle showed that many Chinese students speak poor English and participate little in class, in part because of the language deficiency. I agree it’s a problem. I have seen and experienced difficulties firsthand. After all, adapting to a new environment with a different language and a different culture is not easy.
The video made (or produced) by Michigan State University talks about the gap between Chinese and American students in this college. If I’m the filmmaker for the program like this in UConn, I will be more likely to choose international and American both girls and boys in the groups, instead of grouping only girls from China and only boys from America.
A phenomenon, mentioned by American student in the video, is that Chinese students always do things as a group and never be open. It’s inevitable, when we first step in a strange environment, to make friends with people who have the same background. It gives us a sense of assurance and belonging. For me, however, what comes down is my English which is still not strong enough to speak and write fluently.
For example, one of my American friends who took the same communication class with me never reviewed the course, he just went to classes and answered exams by common sense, then easily got an A, but I needed to prepare 1 week to get an A. I really have to put on much more to catch up.
The only and the most efficient way, from my point of view, to make international student viable oversea is to be active in communicating with native speakers. When I talked with American friends with my non-fluent English, they all understood me, and gave me time, sincerely or for being polite, to express what’s in my mind. That means a lot to me everytime. I can always learn something through these conversations. What’s more, I can find there are many topics American students talked about are familiar with what we chat in China, like complaining how much assignment they face or gossip with each other. So, don’t be afraid, do as the Romans do.
In conclusion, as an international student, I am very grateful to be here and to be doing what I am doing. Coming to the United States for college was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.In order to make meaningful and healthy interaction between international and American students, we all need to be patient, be welcoming, cause this is a huge and valuable opportunity, I think, for students come from different countries and backgrounds to know and learn from each other.
–Yijun, English 1003, Spring 2013