Environment Affects Languages
In Suresh Canagarajah’s “Achieving Community,” he shares an experience that a worker who appeared to be a Tamil refused to speak with him in Tamil in Toronto. In my experience, Chinese in foreign country usually distinguish and recognize each other by overhearing others speaking Chinese. Most Chinese are willing to speak Chinese in front of others because in this way they can find their community. However, I had similar experience as Canagarajah’s.
Last week, I ran into one of my senior friend in UCSB at a festival launch party. I greeted her in Chinese, but she answered to me in English. We were both surprised to meet each other in that activity, and she asked me how did I know about that event. I became speechless for a short time because I didn’t know whether I should continue using Chinese to talk with her. Then I answered her in English. We talked in English for several minutes, and I felt like she had already blended in the Native American community. At last, she finally spoke a sentence to me in Chinese; she said “Zhe Li Zhen Shi Tai Ta Ma Ji Le”(This place is so crowded.) After that day, we chatted on Wechat, and she told me she is getting used to speak English here. She is different from most of Chinese international students who often gather with other Chinese, she spends most of her time with native English speakers. The environment around her has big influence on her language speaking habit.
My neighbor is an ABC (American Born Chinese). I remember her parents spoke to her in Chinese when they were helping her move in to the dorm on the first day of the last quarter. She understands Chinese and maybe she can speak a little, but I’ve never heard one after that. Although she appears as a Chinese, she grew up in America and she spend time with those native students instead of Chinese.
Environment is a very crucial factor that affects people’s language. Even if I can speak English, I speak Chinese more frequently because it is more practical and useful for me who usually spend time with other Chinese.
