Effects of Western Exposure to Southeast Asian College Students use of Formal English and English Slang



I. Abstract


The acquisition and learning of language has been has been primarily attributed to the requirement of higher education in Southeast Asia to acquire a universal language in order to understand and to be understood in the international setting. This will be an impetus for the researcher to incorporate the group slang used by the students into a translation dictionary. Moreover, The capability of using English as a language is thus gauged providing a concrete research on the efficacy of college students in Japan, China and Philippines. The study will also use the descriptive approach using questionnaires as tools of data gathering. These shall be given to college students in China, Japan and Philippines.


II. Introduction


English is considered as a universal language in contemporary times. In order to excel in the corporate and industrial world, a firm grasp of the language is required, especially from college students. Nevertheless, in countries where English isn’t the first language, there is a degree of difficulty in the acquisition of such language skills. Moreover, it is given a unique typology of the language as reflected from the accent patterned from the speaking styles of individual nations. Moreover, culture also becomes a significant factor in the use of the English language, particularly with its utilization of slang. Exposure to the culture of the western part of the globe through mass media and direct immersion on the nation dictates the level of competency of the learner in the acquisition of language. Discussions of “culture” and “learning styles” are essential to understanding how people learn. Shade (1993) elaborates on Madhere’s (1989) definition of culture by defining it as “a group’s preferred way of perceiving, judging, and organizing the ideas, situations and events they encounter in their daily lives” (p. 9). She further explains that cultures may maintain specific religious orientation, language, or style of communication and may have preferences for expressive methods of their perceptions of the world. Guidelines used by individuals to select information to which they attend and to interpret given information are also determined by culture. It is only natural to assume that culture would affect how children learn.


Research proponents in the area of individual differences are now looking at the manner in which children learn (Cohen, 1969; Shade, 1993). Learning style, as defined by the National Task Force of Learning Style and Brain Behavior (cited in Bennett, 1990) defines the construct as a consistent pattern of behavior and performance by which an individual approaches educational experiences. It is the composite of characteristic cognitive, affective, and physiological behaviors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how a learner perceives, interacts with, and responds to the learning environment. It is formed in a deep structure of neural organization and personality which molds and is molded by human development and the cultural experiences of home, school, and society. (p. 94) There is an existing, albeit not wholly understood relationship between learning styles and culture (Bennett, 1986; Castaneda & Gray, 1974; Hernandez, 1989). The concept of culture envelopes the values, customs, beliefs, communication patterns, and aesthetic standards which have been passed from one generation to the next (Parillo, 1990). These particular dimensions serve as a cohesive cultural force, which, in turn, help to define the behavior of a society (Parillo, 1990). Anderson (1988) contends that as the cultures of ethnically distinct communities vary, so do the differences in their learning styles.


 


Relevance of the Research

The study involves the analysis of the effects of exposure to western culture in the use of formal usage as well as English slang of students. In this study, it the researcher will be able to discern the English slang adopted by the individual countries involved in this study. Thus, this will be an impetus for the researcher to incorporate the group slang used by the students into a translation dictionary.


Furthermore, the study will also determine the relationship of culture in the use of English as a language as well as a colloquial lingo. It is thus in this medium that research on the ability of using both formal and colloquial methods of the individual countries involved will be taken into account. The capability of using English as a language is thus gauged providing a concrete research on the efficacy of college students in Japan, China and Philippines.


 


Study problem The acquisition and learning of language has been has been primarily attributed to the requirement of higher education in Southeast Asia to acquire a universal language in order to understand and to be understood in the international setting. The acquisition of English as second language could thus be varied as well considering the differing speech patterns in Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, all of these educational institutions teach universal principles of formal usage of English. The level of knowledge on these principles is thus considerably satisfactory, especially for those who are currently acquiring their degrees in college. Moreover, college students have a certain degree of individualism and independence in their acquisition of knowledge. This independence also places them in a vulnerable spot in the acquisition of culture aside from their own. These students readily acquire language not only for academic purposes but also for social rationales as well.

 


III. Literature Review


Language is a system of conventions developed by group members to communicate among themselves. The Roman alphabet is one such convention. Though the Roman alphabet was adopted for the written expression of the English language, it has always been inadequate for representing each sound of English (especially Modern English) with clear, one-to-one sound/symbol correspondences (Pyles, 1993, p25). English is full of exceptions and examples of a letter representing different sounds when combined with other letters. The digraphs (ch, ck, ph, sh, th, wh, and qu) are just a few of these. The x, of course, represents two sounds — the sounds of the k and the s — together. And the vowels of English are the worst for people who find spelling difficult. English is, in fact, now a world language. American and British English are only two variations of the language although these two national varieties have the largest numbers of speakers and greatest worldwide impact.


Second language acquisition is the phrase used to describe the process that people go through when confronted by a need to use a language other than their native one for communication. People acquire their first and second languages differently. Some of the issues and processes involved in language acquisition include the idea of innateness, the relevance of the language input the language learner receives, and the nature of early developmental grammars (O’Grady, 1989).  In addition, the linguistic development of children depends upon the linguistic experiences of childhood and the language and language structures that children encounter. Therefore, the burden of language exposure falls upon children’s parents and caretakers. A common approach among the caretakers of children is to “dumb-down” the language used or to speak “baby-talk” with the language learners. Some research suggests that this altering of normal speech leave learners with an “impoverished stimulus” and may actually interfere with or delay the learners’ language acquisition.


As they acquire their first learned language, individuals are subjected to a colloquial use of their local language, which is commonly referred to as slang. Slang is a nonstandard vocabulary belonging to a particular culture or subculture. It consists of raw and unrefined expressions, many of which are considered taboo, vulgar, and derogatory. In fact, slang terms are more commonly used than standard words when referring to sexual attraction, acts, and relationships (Flexner, 1975). Despite the large number of slang expressions that the average individual knows, and the frequency with which slang expressions are used, the knowledge and use of slang has received little empirical attention. The neglect of slang as a topic for research may be the result of several factors, such as the belief that slang use changes rapidly or that slang is not “standard” language. However, research concerning the knowledge and use of slang is important.


Spack (1997) finds that the educational background that students received in Japan makes it difficult for them to achieve independently even in the areas of their greatest interest in the United States. Asian students have little experience as independent, creative learners. They receive instructions and memorize them; they take in information and give it back. On the other hand, American instruction often asks students to discover how they can use information to their benefit. American students expect that instruction will serve their personal goal, rather than their serving the educational system. They are encouraged to ask questions in class, whereas Asian students consider individual questions self-centered and a waste of the other students’ time. These different expectations for common classroom activities complicate Asians’ adaptation to the American classroom.


Freire and Macedo (1987) state that “literacy and education in general are cultural expressions” (51). Asian students receive their education very differently from most students in the United States. The Asian educational system emphasizes uniformity. Students are not encouraged or expected to question information being presented. Yang’s experiences did not encourage her to express her ideas, especially if they differed from the lecturer’s. Her attitudes toward books and class instruction were expected to be positive. Her purpose for reading was to find the correct answers. She explains this perspective, “Asian people like to trace history back to hundreds and thousands of years ago. American people don’t, and they don’t have that long history to trace to. So American people are very creative and exploratory. Asian people comply with rules and history.” According to Asian culture, books and teachings should not be questioned. Asian people respect knowledge, knowledgeable persons, and teachers and value education highly. They do not challenge their ancestors’ perspectives.


 


IV. Objectives


 


Research Questions


The study intends to investigate the effects of western exposure to Southeast Asian College students’ use of formal English and English slang. Specifically the study intends to answer the following questions:


1.                            What are the nature, effects and usage of local slang in the acquisition of English as a second language?


2.                            What are the characteristics of a college student in the three respondent countries?


3.                            What is the relationship of western exposure to the use of the English language?


4.                            What nation effectively learns the language with consideration of the local slang?


5.                            What are the conglomerate of slang used in Philippines, China, and Japan?


6.                            How significant western exposure is to the acquisition of English as a second language?


Hypotheses
The study intends to test the following null hypothesis:


“Exposure to western culture of Southeast Asian college students significantly affects their use of formal English and English slang.”


 


Theoretical/Conceptual Framework


A foreign accent is marked by differences not only in phonology, but also in timing, rhythm, stress and intonation patterns (Flege, 1995). A number of researchers have studied the factors that affect ESL students’ study in American school settings. Studies by Fu (1995), Johnson (1982), and Spack (1997) shed light on ESL students’ situations and the causes of their difficulties in graduate study. They found that ESL students often have difficulty in their academic subjects because of (a) the influence of cultural and personal prior knowledge, (b) the processes of education that students learned from their native schools, and (c) their linguistic characteristics.


V. Research Methods


 


1. Study Design


Research requires an organized data gathering in order to pinpoint the research philosophies and theories that will be included in the research, the methodology of the research and the instruments of data interpretation. In this study, the Research Process Onion will be utilized so that the findings of the study can be thoroughly established. The inner part of the onion describes the methodology portion whereas the outer part discusses the strategies that can be utilized in interpreting the results of the findings.


The descriptive research method uses observation and surveys. In this method, it is possible that the study would be cheap and quick. It could also suggest unanticipated hypotheses. Nonetheless, it would be very hard to rule out alternative explanations and especially infer causations. Thus, this study will use the descriptive approach.  This descriptive type of research will utilize observations in the study.  To illustrate the descriptive type of research, Creswell (1994) will guide the researcher when he stated: Descriptive method of research is to gather information about the present existing condition.  The purpose of employing this method is to describe the nature of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study and to explore the cause/s of particular phenomena. The researcher opted to use this kind of research considering the desire of the researcher to obtain first hand data from the respondents so as to formulate rational and sound conclusions and recommendations for the study.


 


2. Subjects / respondents


 


-          inclusion / exclusion


A greater understanding of the effect of local slang in the use of English among Asians is a fundamental thrust of this paper. The study shall be acquiring information from professors and instructors of language. Moreover, the study will only be limited to the use of local slang in three countries, China, the Philippines, and Japan. Similarly, only those educational institutions that operate in the said countries shall be considered in the survey. This way the findings as well as the conclusion of this research could be considered as competent to formulate recommendations for the language acquisition of Non-English speaking  Asians.


The study intends to investigate the effect of local slang in the use of English among college students of China, Philippines and Japan. For this study, primary research and secondary research will be used. Primary research will be conducted using anonymous questionnaires that will be sent to selected professors and instructors in China, Philippines, and Japan. The questionnaires will be used to collect quantitative data and the interviews will be used to provide qualitative insights into the data collected.


The data will be analyzed and compiled for the correlation of the hypothesis. The data will then be presented by means of graphical representations and illustration and the difference would be highlighted. A negative correlation between the variables would suggest that the hypothesis is null, that is, Exposure to western culture of Southeast Asian college students significantly affects their use of formal English and English slang.


 


-          Sampling


The study will employ a combination of cluster and random sampling in order to collect all the data needed in the study. The population will include college students in Japan, China and Philippines numbering thirty (30) per country.


 


-          Recruitment plans


The study will be sending correspondence to specific English acquisition classes through individual instructors in the said countries. Correspondence among the instructors will be through electronic mail while constant follow-ups regarding the result of the survey shall be undertaken.


 


-          Methods of study groups


The research described in this document is partly based on quantitative research methods. This permits a flexible and iterative approach. During data gathering the choice and design of methods are constantly modified, based on ongoing analysis. This allows investigation of important new issues and questions as they arise, and allows the investigators to drop unproductive areas of research from the original research plan.


This study also employs qualitative research method, since this research intends to find and build theories that would explain the relationship of one variable with another variable through qualitative elements in research. These qualitative elements does not have standard measures, rather they are behavior, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs.


Furthermore, as we define the qualitative research it is multimethod in focus, involving an interpretative, naturalistic approach to its subject matter. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. Accordingly, qualitative researchers deploy a wide range of interconnected methods, hoping always to get a better fix on the subject matter at hand.


 


3. Data collection


 


-          Measure / instruments


The researcher shall use a combination of cluster and random sampling. First, a self-administered questionnaire, containing 18 to 20 questions and to be filled out by the students with information regarding their slang use shall be formulated.  Ideally, the respondents will grade each statement in the survey-questionnaire using a Likert scale, with a five-response scale wherein respondents will be given five response choices.


 


The equivalent weights for the answers will be:


Range                                                            Interpretation


      4.50 – 5.00                                                    Strongly Agree


3.50 – 4.00                                                    Agree


2.50 – 3.49                                                    Uncertain


1.50 – 2.49                                                    Disagree         


0.00 – 1.49                                                    Strongly Disagree


 


4. Intervention


 


For validation purposes, the researcher will initially submit a sample of the set of survey questionnaires and after approval; the survey will be conducted to five respondents.  After the questions were answered, the researcher will ask the respondents for any suggestions or any necessary corrections to ensure further improvement and validity of the instrument.  The researcher will again examine the content of the interview questions to find out the reliability of the instrument.  The researchers will exclude irrelevant questions and will change words that would be deemed difficult by the respondents, to much simpler terms.


 


-          Procedures


The researcher will exclude the five respondents who will be initially used for the validation of the instrument.  The researcher will also tally, score and tabulate all the responses in the provided interview questions. Moreover, the interview shall be using a structured interview. It shall consist of a list of specific questions and the interviewer does not deviate from the list or inject any extra remarks into the interview process. The interviewer may encourage the interviewee to clarify vague statements or to further elaborate on brief comments. Otherwise, the interviewer attempts to be objective and tries not to influence the interviewer’s statements. The interviewer does not share his/her own beliefs and opinions. The structured interview is mostly a “question and answer” session.


 


5. Statistical considerations


 


-          Sample size


The respondents shall compose of college students in the countries of China, Japan, and Philippines with 30 respondents every country, totaling ninety (90) respondents.


 


-          Data analysis


When all the survey questionnaire will have been collected, the researcher will use statistics to analyse all the data.


The statistical formulae to be used in the survey questionnaire will be the following:


1.     Percentage – to determine the magnitude of the responses to the questionnaire.


            n


% = ——– x 100        ;           n – number of responses


            N                                 N – total number of respondents


 


2.     Weighted Mean


 


            f1x1 + f2x2  + f3x3 + f4x4  + f5x5


x= ———————————————  ;


                        xt


 


where:            f – weight given to each response


                        x – number of responses


            xt – total number of responses


The researcher will be assisted by the SPSS in coming up with the statistical analysis for this study.


 



VI. Expected Output


 


The dissertation shall be divided into five chapters in order to provide clarity and coherence on the discussion of the effects of the exposure of Western culture to the use of the people of China, Japan and the Philippines. The first part of the dissertation will be discussing the problem uncovered by the researcher and provide ample background on the topic. The chapter shall constitute an introduction to the whole dissertation, the hypothesis, and the statement of the problem in order to present the basis of the study. Moreover, the chapter shall also have a discussion on the scope of its study as well as the significance of the study to society in general and specific effects on the use of English by Asians.


The second chapter shall be discussing the relevance of the study in the existing literature. It shall provide studies on Western and Asian methods of using English as well as those concerned with language acquisition. After the presentation of the existing related literature, the researcher shall provide a synthesis of the whole chapter in relation to the study.


The third part of the study shall be discussing the methods and procedures used in the study. The chapter shall comprise of the presentation of the utilized techniques for data collection and research methodology. Similarly, it shall also contain a discussion on the used techniques in data analysis as well as the tools used to acquire the said data.


The fourth chapter shall be an analysis on the tabulated data. After the said tabulation, the data are statistically treated in order to uncover the relationship of the variable involved in the study. With the said data, the chapter seeks to address the statement of the problem noted in the first chapter.


The last chapter shall comprise of three sections, the summary of the findings, the conclusions of the study, and the recommendations. With the three portions, the chapter shall be able to address the verification of the hypothesis stated in the initial chapters of the study.


Another output expected from this study is a dictionary of slang that is used by the respective countries involved in this study.


 



 

 


Project time plan

 


TASK


MONTH

 


1st


2nd


3rd


4th


5th


6th


7th


8th


9th


Select topic


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Undertake preliminary literature search


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 




  • Define research questions




  • Write-up aims and objectives




 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Select appropriate methodology and locate sources of information. Confirm access.


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Write-up Dissertation Plan


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Undertake and write-up draft critical literature review.


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Secondary and Primary Data Detailed




  • Sources




  • Consulted




 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Research Findings:




  • Analyzed




  • Evaluated




  • Written-up




 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Discussion:




  • Research findings evaluated and discussed in relation to the literature review




 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Methodology written-up


(including limitations and constraints)


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Main body of the report written-up and checked for logical structure


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 




  • Conclusions drawn




  • Recommendations made




 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Introduction and Executive Summary written-up


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Final format and indexing


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Print


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


References


Bennett, C.I. (1986). Comprehensive multicultural education: Theory and practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.


Castaneda, A., & Gray, T. (1974). Bicognitive processes in multicultural education. Education Leadership, 32, 203-207.


Cohen, R.A. (1969)., Conceptual styles, culture conflict, and nonverbal tests of intelligence. American Anthropologist, 71, 826-828.


Creswell, J.W. (1994) Research design. Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.


Flege, J. E. (1995). Second language speech learning. In W. Strange (Ed.), Speech perception and linguistic experience. Timonium, MD: York.


Flexner, S. B. (1975). Preface to the dictionary of American slang. In H. Wentworth & S. B. Flexner (Eds.), Dictionary of American slang. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell.


Freire, P., and D. Macedo. 1987. Literacy: Reading the word and the world. South Hadley, MA: Bergin and Garvey.


Fu, D. L. 1995. “My trouble is my English.” Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.


Hernandez, H. (1989). Multicultural education: A teacher’s guide to content and process. Columbus: Merrill.


Johnson, P. 1982. Effects on reading comprehension of building background knowledge. TESOL Quarterly 16(4): 503-16.


Madhere, S. (1989). Models of intelligence and the African American intellect. Journal of Negro Education, 58, 189-202.


O’Grady, William, Michael Dobrovolsky and Mark Aronoff. (1989) Contemporary Linguistics. New York: St. Martin’s Press.


Pyles, Thomas and John Algeo. (1993) The Origins and Development of the English Language, 4th ed. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace and Company.


Shade, B.J. (1993). Cognitive strategies as determinants of school achievement. Psychology in the schools, 20, 488-493.


Spack, R. 1997. The acquisition of academic literacy in a second language. Written Communication 14(1): 3-62.


 


 


 



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