Mandarin and Tamil are optional. Some of Jonathan’s Chinese friends go to Indian schools and Indians go to Chinese ones, which makes Malaysia a sort of a «cultural pan». In this multicultural and multiracial environment there is no stigmatization of accents. Nevertheless being «weak» in English is generally seen as unprofessional. Some people speak broken English and direct translate phrases from their native tongues, which makes people talking to them «reframe their mind» in order to be able to understand whatever they are saying.
Jonathan’s interest in Psycholinguistics originated while he was working at a Learning Disability Centre. His research thesis is on how bilingualism affects cognitive abilities in individuals. During his semester here in the U.S. he is continuing this project which is only theoretical at this point as there is no time to get a special permission to conduct any experiments involving «human subjects» here in the U.S. One of the hypothesis in Jonathan’s work is that individuals who are fluent in 2 or 3 languages would have «lesser reaction times». Jonathan mentions the Stroop Test which has been widely used in experimental psychology since the 1930s after it had been introduced by an American psychologist as well as for studying the effects of bilingualism. Another question Jonathan is struggling with is at what point one considers themselves proficient: is being able to hold a conversation enough or does it have to be of a certain complexity and length?
Switching between his languages, Jonathan is mostly affected by how different they are in terms of showing respect. For example, English doesn’t have a hierarchy of respect, but when used in Malaysia, it does sound different. So, if I came to Malaysia, Jonathan as someone younger would address me as «Aunt Olga» to show extra respect. In Cantonese there are even more nuanced forms for that. E.g., the form «the first Aunt» would be used to show even more respect and reverance.
When it comes to his linguistic experiences here in the U.S., Jonathan is amazed by how unique the language they use here is. It has quite a few «hipster» terms such as the word «lit» to describe something super good. But overall, accommodating to new terms has been a fun experience.
For those wanting to step up their language game, Jonathan thinks it is important to find a person you can discuss how English is used in a certain community so that you can «connect and stick with them». Preferrably it has to be a native speaker so that accommodation to the culture goes more smoothly. Finally, Jonathan believes language is a relative thing. So, here in NJ it would be different from Texas and vice versa. As long as you find a local to help you through the process, you will be fine.
∞ Having heard Jonathan’s story, I was in no way surprised he chose bilingualism as his research object. There was no way for me to even imagine growing up in such a multilingualism environment. I believe researchers like Jonathan and myself (with similar interests but different backgrounds) enrich the field. What I could totally relate to was dealing with the ethical issues of doing research in the U.S. American universities have IRBs (Institutional Review Boards) that are tasked with reviewing and monitoring research involving human subjects. This inspection takes a while. I had to go through it for this project as well.
Despite some age difference, Jonathan and I were able to connect and stayed in touch even after he had left the U.S. He was able to pursue a PhD program and further his fascinating research. I was really moved by his sincerity in sharing some of issues faced on his journey via social media.
A Latin American with an American accent
(Pedro, Paraguay)
Languages spoken: Spanish, English, Portuguese.
Field of study/career: Hospitality Management.
The first time I met Pedro (a friend of Jonathan’s, the previous interviewee), I thought he was American. It was not only his perfect American accent, but there was something about the way he used body language – I can’t even put that into words – that made me think like that. Once I found out Pedro was actually from Paraguay and was here in the U.S. on the Global UGRAD program to study Hotel Management and Hospitality,
I was really surprised.
As we talked more with Pedro – particularly during our weekend trip with a bunch of other internationals to see the fall colors («fall foliage») of Upstate New York along with the Niagara Falls – I found out he was my colleague teaching English back in his home country. For some reason I used to have a collective image of Latin America, so starting meeting more and more people from this region here in the U.S. helped me find out more about the linguistic profiles of the countries making it up.
Pedro learned English on his own by listening to a bunch of songs and recording himself repeating the lyrics to improve his pronunciation. At that point it was nothing more than «a fun game». After that he started translating some comic books, poetry and video games. Pedro was amazed by how much stuff he was able to access in English. Then the Internet «blew off» in his country and this was when virtually everything one needed for studies was to be found on YouTube and it was actually better explained in English than in Spanish.
Normally at schools only basics are taught and there is no speaking practice whatsoever. But there is a big institution in Paraguya called CCPA (Centro Cultural Paraguayo Americano) where immersive language courses where students are thrown into the environment are offered. Everything is in English and for those at lower levels visual cues are provided. There is also an institution called Elevate English (that Pedro is working for back home) where the focus of the instruction is the pronunciation. This was the method that Pedro used to employ in his own language learning and is now embracing as a teacher. He believes that the way one sounds is something that can make or break it for you when it comes to that crucial first impression – be it at an interview for a job or an exchange program. Pedro adds that he sees no point in spending too much time on grammar and general vocabulary. Instead, learning has to focus only on certain things a student will be using when speaking English in the future.
Pedro prefers American English which he imitated by focusing specifically on the features that were different from other varieties of English. Interestingly, in the CCPA British textbooks are mostly used, but audio recordings are predominantly American and sometimes they showcase «an array of different people» (e.g., Chinese). The majority of teachers are non-native speakers but have American accent.
There is no doubt as to the extent to which English as a foreign language dominates Latin America as a whole. Even though Latin American music is in the national top 40, songs in English are in the majority. There are also more and more stores selling books in English. Besides, a lot of opportunities are offered for Master and PhD programs after college. They are not very competitive as most people in Paraguay go straight to work instead of pursuing further studies. Being fluent in English, Pedro had access to a bunch of resources he otherwise wouldn’t have known about.
Now in his career as a teacher Pedro also uses «a wide array of activities» that are only available on English-language sources. Now he is also studying Hotel Management and Hospitality where knowing foreign languages comes in handy.
Based on his teaching experience, Pedro finds that Spanish speakers mostly struggle with certain vowels. He also has his students record themselves to be able to keep track of their progress.
He believes that the moment students realize they sound more native, they muster the courage to start applying for international programs that might potentially change their lives dramatically. Their self-image becomes more positive, which shows how pronunciation is something that can seriously hold one back.
Apart from American English, Pedro picked up the language of the neighboring Brazil as comic books in Portuguese were cheaper than those in Spanish. He used to speak