the differences in linguistic behaviour style among universities in America and Vietnam

PART I: INTRODUCTION It is estimated that the United States of America has the world largest international population with nearly 600,000 students choosing to broaden their education and life experiences in the USA Nowadays, more and more Vietnamese students flock into America for further studying in the famous universities However, one of the most difficult things they often encounter is that they not know how to communicate successfully with the professors or the foreign friends there From that point, this paper aims to guide Vietnamese learners who go abroad for the purposes of further studying how to overcome that linguistic problem Firstly, this paper will raise the awareness of the differences in linguistic behavior at universities in America and Vietnam so that Vietnamese students can avoid the cultural shock After that, the paper is going to provide some necessary tips to help Vietnamese learners communicate successfully in American universities PART II: DEVELOPMENT The paper is going to cover four main parts: Student-student interaction in America Teacher-student interaction in America Slang at American universities Some necessary tips for Vietnamese students to communicate successfully at American universities In first three parts, the paper is intent on showing the main features of linguistic behavior in America and from that, draws the differences in linguistic behavior style among universities in America and Vietnam In the last part, the paper will provide some common tips for Vietnamese students and then go into details in several specific cases 2.1 Student - Student interaction in America 2.1.1 Features of student – student interaction in America One of the most important factors if one student wants to go abroad to learn is that they need to succeed in interacting with other American students Therefore, in this part, some common features about the topics that American students often talk about and their language or conversational styles will be discussed After that, the comparisons between American students’ interaction and Vietnamese students’ one will be given It is common knowledge that American students are so friendly They often call each other by first names or nicknames Like many students from other countries, American students often chat with each other in their break time at class or outside the classroom They spend a lot of time talking about the classes, the professors as well as the social activities Topics that American students are less likely to bring up casually include religion, politics and especially, they rarely talk about homework outside class This is because Americans value of independence and self-reliance They consider their ideas as their own property Many foreign students are dismayed to find that American students not help each other with their studies in the way students in their own countries Indeed, American students often seem to be competing rather than cooperating with each other The second important thing that international students should be aware of is the language style used among American students Firstly, American students also use lots of the idiomatic expressions and slang expressions in their speech A clear sample for this idea is that “After I graduated from university, I lost touch with most of my classmates” “Lose touch” in this sentence means to fail to keep in contact or communication with someone Secondly, American students also use humor when they speak It may not always be easy for the international students to understand American humor or to tell when students are actually making a joke When in doubt, ask them if they are joking For example, this sentence is just an expression of American humor “I will give you $500, why don't you tell me the answer of this question?” If students not understand what their friends say, they can ask their friends like: "What you seem to be saying is that Have I understood you correctly?" or "Are you saying that ?" or "Am I correct in my understanding that what you want to know is ?" or "Are you asking ?" or "If I understand you correctly, you are asking " Thirdly, during the flow of a normal conversation, American students usually take turns speaking, that is, no one speaks for a prolonged uninterrupted period of time Americans prefer to avoid arguments and long periods of silence When talking to someone, Americans alternate between looking briefly into the listener's eyes and looking slightly away When they are listening to another person, they look almost constantly at the speaker's eyes American students tend to distrust people who not look into their eyes while talking to them It is noticeable that Americans are literal, demonstrated by such expressions as: "Just say no," "What part of 'no' don't you understand?" and "Say what you mean and mean what you say." 2.1.2 Similarities and differences in linguistic style among students at universities in America and Vietnam Regarding to the similarities, both American and Vietnamese students often call each other by first names Moreover, when talking to each other, both use a lot of slang and implicature In terms of the differences, while American students avoid talking about some topics like politics or homework, Vietnamese students find those topics very interesting Vietnamese students tend not to avoid any topics except for the topics that are too private like sexual life Moreover, sometimes Vietnamese students use the mixture of Vietnamese and English when speaking For example: “Cậu comment cho tớ không?” 2.2 Student - Teacher interaction in America 2.2.1 Features of student – teacher interaction in America The professors in the United States of America can be less formal than in many countries For instance, it is common for any faculty to be on a first name basis with the students, especially with the graduate levels “My adviser wants me to call him by his first name”, many foreign graduate students in the United States have said On the other hand, the international students often comment on their professors, “They keep bowing and saying ‘yes, sir, yes, sir’ Some international students find it easy to accept another new culture, “In my country, the teachers are pretty much sitting next to God and God asked them for advice three times a day So when you talk to a teacher…there is a power issue and a status issue; but here you can call your teacher by their first name It is less formal; whereas some cannot overcome the cultural shock, especially, Asian students, “I just can’t it! It doesn’t seem right I have to show my respect” I can hardly stand it! I wish they’d stop being so polite and just say what they have on their mind” They are accustomed to more formal relationships and sometimes have difficulty bringing themselves to speak to their professors at all, let alone address them by their given name In general, American professors prefer the informal relationship and the minimal acknowledgement of status differences; however, it is not all the case, some professors still like being called their titles and family names Saying that student - professor relationship at American universities is informal However, the language used between two groups is like the terms used in a café bar and there are no recognized status differences between them In fact, the language used to interact between two contains both formal and informal terms Moreover, students are expected to show their deference in subtle ways, mainly in the vocabulary and tone of voice they use when speaking to their professors Although American professors are often very friendly and helpful, many international students feel that they are not as caring or as personally involved with students as their lecturers at home This is the reason why the student - professor relationships in America are considered to be professional The relationship in the United States is most often determined by some kinds of function One can have friends from church, from school or from work These relationships focused on the interest of people in that category Sometimes, there is overlap, and one person is in all the categories The professional relationship is one that does not overlap with other categories While the professors genuinely care about their students, they also expect their students to take care of the personal life privately On the other hand, the professors will most likely help with the issues concerning the course, for instance, giving ideas on paper written for a conference presentation or introducing the students to the important academic and non- academic people If the students have a major personal issue or trauma that may temporarily interrupts their work, such as personal illness, financial problem or a death in their family It is completely appropriate to share them with their professor so that he knows why they are absent from their responsibilities Most of the professors will be sympathetic and helpful in making up work in such situations In the classroom, the directness and specifics are expected and valued American professors generally expect their students to ask questions or even challenge what they say The professors not generally assume that they know all about the subjects, nor they assume that they always explain things clearly If a student does not understand or needs assistance, then clarification should be requested during the class, just after class ends or in the professor’s office at the times he or she has announced as “office hours” For instance, Instructor: To send an email, you just have to click on this button, type in the email address, or you can select an address from the address book Do you follow me? Student: I’m not sure I get your point Could you clarify what address book is? Being direct is considered as rude in some countries, but in the United States, it is considered not only polite, but also necessary for academic survival The students who not ask questions may be considered uninterested or uncommitted In addition, the noticeable thing is that when students cannot answer the questions given by the teachers, they can simply say “I don’t know” which is sometimes rude in some other countries, like Vietnam The students in United States are expected to show their ideas, feelings freely An international student says “Here if you know it, speak it out Then we know, you know it But in my country, the professor reads the questions but nobody would answer the question because when you answer it, if you are wrong, then he will laugh at you If you are right, then he will just think “Hey, everyone knows that, why you speak it out?” So it’s different Culture is different in every countries In my country, people appreciate those students who just work without talking too much” When disagreeing with the professors about something, the students can make comment or opponent For example, Professor: Culture is the system of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people Student: Excuse me for interrupting, but I don’t agree with you on this point In my opinion, culture is a collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another Most professors welcome their students’ questions and comments about the material being covered in the course; however, they not welcome the students’ efforts to negotiate for higher grades The professors normally believe that they have an acceptable system for determining grades, and unless it seems possible that a mistake has been made, the professors respond negatively to the students who try to talk them into raising a grade Some international students, particularly ones from the countries in which negotiating is a common practice, severely damage their reputations in the professors’ eyes by trying to bargain for the better grades 2.2.2 Similarities and differences in linguistic style between student - teacher at universities in America and Vietnam Regarding to the differences, there are three main differences between the two countries Firstly, in terms of the way to address the professor, while professors in United States are often like being called by their first names, Vietnamese students often call their teachers by their title because according to Vietnamese culture, calling teachers by their first names may show the disrespect to them Another difference is the style of requesting the clarification American students are expected to ask for clarification freely when they are confused about what the teacher says whereas Vietnamese students tend to keep silent even when they not understand just because of scaring or suffering from losing their face Thirdly, in terms of giving ideas, there is a contrast between two countries In America, the students are expected to share their knowledge and to express their perspectives, even when those perspectives differ from those of the instructors Furthermore, when the students cannot answer the questions or give ideas that the professor has questioned, they just need simply say “I don’t know” and the professors will guide you In contrast, Vietnamese teachers seem to be the authority, so almost the students consider every words the teachers say are completely true and they just receive the information passively, which reflects teacher - centered approach of teaching and learning of this country On the one hand, in some cases, Vietnamese teachers feel unpleasant when the students say “I don’t know” In spite of having some differences, there is still one similarity between two groups, which is the respect of the students to their teachers Whatever the way the students call their name is, the language students use to communicate has to be polite enough For example, when American students ask for help or raise their voice, they often say politely with the starting words such as “ Could you, would you, would you mind, and so on”, and Vietnamese students also the same act such as: “ em thưa cô, em thưa thầy, ạ, dạ” There is no request, command or declare when students communicate with their teachers In fact, there are some common points and separate ones about teacher – student interaction between two countries in the world If any Vietnamese students have any chances to come to American for studying, they have to consider these points to make a good interaction with their teachers 2.3 Slang at American universities 2.3.1 Features of slang at American universities According to Oxford Advance learner’s dictionary, slang consists of very informal words and expressions that are more common in spoken languages, especially used by a particular group of people For example: “What’s up? TTUL!” American students use a lot of slang when talking to each other The reasons for this seem to be the same with Vietnamese students, so this paper will make clear this point when discussing about the similarities and differences in the usage of slang in two countries 2.3.2 Similarities and differences in using slang at universities in America and Vietnam The most fundamental similarities are the purposes of slang usage First of all, the students in both Vietnam and America use slang because it makes them sound cool in several different ways In the first place, it is cool in the sense of being hip and in style When the students speak, they are communicating not only a message about the content of what they are saying, but also a message about whom they believe they are: their identity Using slang artfully is a kind of performance and shows that the speaker is in tune with the times Moreover, slang is cool in the sense that it is fun Talking in slang is creative and often humorous Slang can be a form of playing It may be entertaining and amusing to both speakers and listeners Secondly, slang is a way for the students to differentiate themselves from their parents’ generation They want to be different In fact, many parents not even understand half of the stuff their kids say Slang is ever - changing New slang terms are invented every day and each group of friends may have its own slang terms that people outside their group may not understand Therefore, another similarity is that slang is a good way to keep privacy Last but not least, slang can be used to exchange the ideas more quickly The students not have to talk much, but their friends still understand them thoroughly In terms of differences in the usage of slang in both countries, firstly, in Vietnam, the students use slang to talk to their classmates or friends only For example: A: Mày hem bít ah? B: Hem, tao hem bít Using slang with the elderly people (parents, grandparents, teachers, etc.) could result in the disapproval However, in United States, the students use slang to talk to both their classmates and elderly people For example: Student: Professor John, I forgot my blue book Professor: Lucky for you, I have an extra blue book Secondly, Vietnamese students use slang more often in chatting, sending messages and email than in speaking while American students use slang often both in speaking and in chatting, sending message or email They use slang in almost things such as school, shopping, party, food, money, emotion, time, etc That means American students use slang more often than Vietnamese ones 2.4 Some necessary tips for Vietnamese students to communicate successfully at American universities After studying in United States for years, many international students draw several valuable experiences “Once you are in the United States, find someone to “show you the ropes” (England, 2001) Either an international student from your country or a United States student can help you learn, understand, and adjust to the United Sates education system, “Make good friends from the United States and your home country that you can ask stupid questions and not be misunderstood…The questions might be cultural, academic or anything” “Try to adapt” (England, 2001) As you encounter differences in the United States, think of ways to deal with them constructively, “don’t expect it to be like in your countries…Try to adjust…Just because things are different doesn’t mean they are wrong” Moreover, Vietnamese students should remember some small following tips to overcome their difficulties in communication in American universities  When interact with the professors: check with the professors before addressing him or her by their first name only “Would you mind if I call you Tom?” “May I call you by your first name?”  When asking for clarification, a question should always be made “I’m not sure I get your point, could you clarify it for me?” You shouldn’t say: “I need an explanation or I want a clarification”  To deal with slang, the best way is to make friends with American students or Vietnamese students who have studied in United States for years, they will be willing to explain when and how to use slang in US Moreover, they can give recommends on some curse words, vulgar sexual words and vulgar references to drugs that should be avoided such as “airhead, nutter, bastard, etc.” Furthermore, Vietnamese students can find and read some kinds of materials related to using slang in college speak (“What’s up – a guide to American college speak” - Thomson) PART 3: CONCLUSION In conclusion, the United States of America is one of the famous countries about further studying for lots of abroad students, especially Vietnamese students In order to have good results when studying at universities in America as well as avoid the culture shock, the students have to recognize deeply the ways they should communicate with their professors and friends Finally, some tips in this paper can be useful, necessary to help the international students get early accustomed to the studying environment in America 10 ... people in that category Sometimes, there is overlap, and one person is in all the categories The professional relationship is one that does not overlap with other categories While the professors... second important thing that international students should be aware of is the language style used among American students Firstly, American students also use lots of the idiomatic expressions and... who not look into their eyes while talking to them It is noticeable that Americans are literal, demonstrated by such expressions as: "Just say no," "What part of 'no' don't you understand?" and