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LEARNING ACTION ENGLISH BY
CULTURAL IMMERSION
Table of Content
Introduction
The idea of "immersion" has come up a number of times in Action English. I think it is an important concept in the context of how best we can Action English. Therefore, I would like to devote this column to a discussion on this issue.
Cultural Immersion
There is no denial that cultural immersion is the best approach to acquiring a(ny) foreign language. By cultural immersion I refer to the process whereby the learners immerse themselves in the everyday life of the (host) culture of which the foreign language is a part. Simply put, if you are learning English, the best way to do so is immerse yourself in an English-speaking culture for as long as you possibly can. As I have suggested on various occasions in my previous Columns, language is a reflection and embodiment of a much larger context we call culture.
Of course, many people manage to learn English, at least on the technical level, without living in an English-speaking culture. But if we were to master the subtlety and complexity of English, or any language, a lived and intimate knowledge of its culture is indispensable. This is one reason why serious students of Chinese (language) come to Taiwan from around the world and study here for a sustained period of time; what they want is a cultural immersion. Their lived experience of Chinese culture will inform their Chinese language study.
A Personal Story
Like many Westerners studying Chinese in Taiwan, I had the same attitude and took the same approach when I came to New York City some 19 years ago as an international student. I was not preparing to stay behind when I first came. In fact, I initially planned to stay in New York for only two years before returning to the media industry in Hong Kong. But it was exactly because I thought I had only two years in the States that I decided I was not going to waste any time and plunged into my "cultural immersion" scheme right from the start. The followings were some of what I did for my own cultural immersion; I have suggested to you some of these activities in Column 8.
Living In English
First, I rented and lived in a place where my house mates were mostly English-speakers. This is how I began to learn a lot of things around the house (I only lived in a very small room in the house) such as plumbing, utensils, appliances, furniture, things you use to clean up the place, and so on. And, equally important, this is how I also began to see and be part of how ordinary Americans live; I got to learn the kind of language they use in their everyday life, among many others, such as:
"Would you mind if I use the bathroom first?"
"I'm done with the bathroom. It's all yours now."
"I've got to run [I'm late]."
"Would you mind turning down you hi-fi a bit?"
"What's on [the TV]?"
"How's your day?"
"I've had a rough day."
"Can I borrow your hair dryer?"
"Give me it." (Kid's version of "Give it to me.")
"Hey, what's cooking]?" which is similar to "What's going on?" or "How're things with you?" or "What's up?" and so on.
"Say that again?" ("Please repeat because I didn't hear you clearly.")
"C'mon, cut that out!" ("Stop doing what you're doing. It's annoying me.")
Etc.
Shopping In English
I did all my grocery shopping and laundry in the neighborhood stores where I had no choice but to speak in English (that is, I avoided the Chinese-owned stores) a lot of the times. This is how I began learning my "shopping English" in everyday life contexts, such as:
"Can you scan this for me?" (asking the supermarket clerk to scan the package for the price)
"How much would that cost me?"
"How much time does a quarter get me?" (How long would the dryer or washer in the laundry mat run for 25 cents?)
"Can I use this coupon for this?" (while pointing to a discount item) or "Is this the coupon for this?"
"How long would it take to dry this much of clothes?" (seeking advice from the laundry mat attendant in determining how many quarters to put in the dryer's coin slot)
"Can you do better than this?" (seeking a bargain) or "Can you give me a break on this?"
Etc.
Watching and Listening In English
I watched only English-language TV programs and movies. And, as I said in Column 8, I often repeated after the actors or announcers in the program, sometimes in my heart and sometimes out loud. By the way, I remember watching just two Hong Kong-made movies during the first several years of my life in New York. But it was only because the directors of those movies were my friends and they were in town; I had no choice but to go see the movies with them. I hope they would not read this: I hated one of them because it was a horrible movie; I dozed off on the other because the story was very boring :-)
In the beginning, it was not very easy for me to get a lot of the meanings from or in American movies or TV shows. Of course, like you, I knew many words and expressions even then. But when I was in Hong Kong I could have Chinese words or subtitles to help me. So it took my mind's ears a while to internalize all those strange sounds that are the English words coming out of the movie actor's or TV host's month. As you can guess it, it became easier and easier over time.
Reading In English
Then, I read The New York Times everyday. I did not read other New York papers because I think The Times is generally better in its use of language than many other papers in the area (and I could only afford one at that time). Since I was a graduate student then, I had the luxury of reading books everyday as well. Again, in the beginning, it was NOT easy at all. I remember spending six hours a day for a whole week to finish just about 80% of my first graduate-level book, The Human Use of Human Beings by Dr. Norbert Wiener, the founder of cybernetics. And I could understand only about a third of it at the time (and I think "a third" may have been a wishful exaggeration on my part!). The funny part of this story is that, only about three students in my class of some 50 graduate students, most of whom are native-speakers, got that far and I was one of them.
But again, things did get easier and easier over time. True, I was very frustrated at first. I needed my dictionary Buddha knows how many times for every page I read. But I also knew my brain needed time to get used to this new language. So as I was very frustrated at times I was also very patient. And, I reminded myself, I had only two years to do all of these.
Self-Correcting In English
I made it clear to all my professors, classmates, friends, house mates, landlords, etc. to know that I would not be offended or insulted if they pointed out my mistakes in my English, both written and spoken. In fact, I made it a point to my professors, classmates, and friends that they should correct me if I made any mistake. I asked those classmates whom I considered good writers to proofread my papers; I then compared their suggested revision to what I wrote so I learned "the better way" to say what I wanted to say. I paid a great deal of attention listening to HOW my friends say certain things and I used them in similar contexts later.
Of course, I screwed up many times. I had a very thick accent (without knowing it too consciously at the time). But, hey, I had and still have a very pro-active and positive outlook about such matters. I knew then that I would become good at it if I kept on doing it. I knew my brain, my eyes, my ears, my hands, and all my non-verbal communication faculty needed time to learn. I also knew then that if my friend knew I did not mind if they corrected me, they would be free to help me. And they did!!! Believe me, I still maintain this attitude today. Yes, I now teach Wiener's book as one of the many heavy-duty books in my graduate seminars. Yes, I use English to teach a lot of native English-speaking students from the 17-year-old undergraduate students to adult learners who want to get a higher degree taking classes in the evening. And, yes, I have published quite a number of academic articles in English. BUT, to date, I still tell my students and my friends, young and old, to feel free to correct me if and when they think I make any mistake in my speech or writing.
I guess what I am trying to say is this: Don't worry about making mistakes. Don't be offended, afraid, or shy if someone corrects your mistakes. Better yet, make sure your foreign friends know that you are very open-minded, have confidence in yourself, and are eager to learn. Let them know in one way or another that you welcome their suggestions or questions asking you to clarify what you just said. If they feel that you are not a narrow-minded person and you will not be insulted by their reaction or suggestion, they will be free to be your excellent companion in your English learning experience.
Diversifying In English
I paid (and still pay) a great deal of attention to the ethnic and cultural background of the people I come into contact with. This is a very important point that I cannot emphasize enough. There may be one writing system of English, but there are many cultural usages and interpretations of the language. (This is a subject that I will pick up in my next column on "interpretation.") The Chinese experience offers a good analogy in this context: We have a unified Chinese writing system, but the diverse regionalism in Chinese history and culture facilitates diverse uses and interpretations of the language.
What I am trying to say here is that we ought to be multicultural in our Action English. What we usually learn in textbooks and listen to in the mass media is what may be called "mid-American English," which has its origins in the Midwest. It is considered the "standard" English in the States. But while this so-called "standard" English gives us a common ground, we also ought to understand the various regional, ethnic, or cultural differences in English as it is used or spoken by people from different regional, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
For example, unless we understand something about the history or cultural heritage of Jewish people, we will not be able to fully understand the English that Jewish Americans take for granted. For one thing, the English that Jewish Americans are accustomed to contain many words from the Yiddish heritage, words that we will not know if we do not pay attention to or look for.
On another level, a lot of their expressions do require some historical understanding. For example, what does this expression mean to you: "It could've been worse!" Well, on the "mid-American level," that is, by just reading the surface of the expression, it can mean just that, "I'm not doing too badly after all." While many people use this express for this connotation ("I'm not doing too badly after all."), this expression in fact has a much darker historical origin. As a Jewish friend from Israel once explained to me, it refers to the fortunate escape of some Jewish people from the horror of the Holocaust!
In brief, since I have come to know a lot of Jewish American classmates and friends after coming to New York, I have been able to learn a few things about their history and cultural heritage. This knowledge has helped me a great deal not only in getting to enjoy their jokes a lot more but also in getting to know them as my fellow beings better. My point is, the more you know about the various regional, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds of English, the more sophisticated and complex your Active English will become.
How Do We Do It In Taiwan?
Of course, it will not be easy, if at all possible, for us to have such an English cultural immersion in Taiwan because Taiwan is not an English-speaking environment. However, I think it is possible that you create pockets of environment whereby you immerse yourself in Action English. The above are just some of the things I have been doing for learning and mastering my Action English. The list can go on and on and I am sure you can add more ideas to this list. But, more important, I suggest that you use the above experiences of mine only as some sort of a guideline in creating your cultural immersion in where you live, where you shop, where you work, where you hang out with (foreign) friends, and so on. It really is a matter of persistence and devotion. The fact that you get to read this column up to this point indicates a very high level of English ability on your part. So you can certain do it and do it well.
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