As an immigrant, my first time in the US was significantly limited due to the language barrier. English is my second language, and I have to admit that if there is one problem I have encountered in my life, is fitting within the American lifestyle, especially as far as the language barrier is concerned. According to the grounded theory approach to understanding social concepts, language barrier brings forth negative cognitive and emotional responses and denies one the ability to communicate effectively. Language is not only linked to one's cultural and social background, but also on a person's identity (Pot, Keijzer & De Bot, 2018). Kendall (2012) explains that “Language is a set of symbols that expresses ideas and enables people to think and communicate with one another.” It is one's self-identity and enables one to tell their stories, share their feelings, convey messages, and express emotions. The social identity theory argues that language as a tool of communication fosters relations and sustains one's identity and ideals (Pot et al., 2018). My first year in the institution was greatly hampered due to the language barrier and, mostly, the inability to express and understand others.
Language is more than just a tool for communication; it is a strong influencer within social circles. I must admit that the inability to express myself denied me the opportunity to make good friends, connect with others, and go beyond my limited social network. I only had one friend who I shared with my social background and except for the few moments we had away from class, and the two of us connected very little with others. I consider socialization an important aspect of embracing multiculturalism . According to the social identity theory and major social theorists the inability to identify with others may have very adverse impacts. At the same time, ones’ ethnic background plays a critical role in promoting and building on better understanding on social concepts such as gender role , gender bias , socialization , and the structural concept of society and an individual’s secularization .
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
However, the majority of my classmates were very understanding except for a few who mocked and jeered at me. It took me nearly three weeks to adjust to the challenges of my limited world. I must admit that it was one of the most difficult and challenging periods of my life.
Language Barrier
Firstly, I was considered illiterate, and many associated my inability to communicate in English as a pointer to my "retarded" social standards. I experienced a lot of embarrassment, fear, and anxiety when faced with a new student who wanted to know my name. Of course, I could state my names, but anything besides that was completely strange to my ears. I was always afraid to answer any question about my name, my course, my class, or even my teachers. My cognitive response was confusing and very embarrassing.
Other students’ attitudes and approach towards my predicament greatly derailed my English learning ability. My coping behavior was very low, and I developed a negative attitude towards anyone who tried to connect with me. My expectation level was also very low, and I tried my level best to get busy and confine myself to personal engagements. It took me nearly six weeks before I could successfully adjust to my environment and face my language challenge to the point of accepting to learn the language. My roommate volunteered to help me through, and it took me very few days to comprehend the basics.
Not only did this progress boost my ego, but it also made me realize that I was not the only one faced with a socio-cultural problems. My ascribed status confined me to a very unique social setting. However, I mastered my communication abilities, and this played a crucial role in expanding my social and cultural awareness. I could always joke in class how limited my world was despite having a population of over 50 students around me all day. The English language is more than a Western-style, it is an entire cultural concept, and it comes with many appreciations of the English's ways of life socially and culturally.
John’s Shock
My close friend and classmate nicknamed John had a different problem that could well be noticed on his confused and shocked lifestyle in the institution. He was not only withdrawn but also felt isolated from the rest strangely. He was always irritated and acknowledged that he missed his home. On many occasions, he criticized many of the local's ways of life, their formal approach to issues, and their explicit cut expressions. He slept a lot and on many occasions missed classes and spent much of his time reading about the Asian lifestyles-his home. My sharing with him exposed a great deal of anxiety, fear, and misfit and always felt disconnected away from others. He acknowledged that many a time, he had negative attitude towards others. From my understanding, I attributed John’s social predicament to his gender socialization earlier in life. It is important to emphasize that despite his initial joy and happiness of studying and living in America, John's mood changed to a lot of frustrations and social misfits.
John's case is all about culture shock unlike my case that was more of a social misfit. John felt out of control and far away from his home. Kendall (2012) enlightens that “ culture shock is the disorientation that people feel when they encounter cultures radically different from their own and believe they cannot depend on their own taken-for-granted assumptions about life .” His emotions ranged from total breakdown to depression and fear. His new conditions, surroundings, and unfamiliar environments made him feel lonely and greatly longed to get back home. According to acculturation model balancing between two different cultures may bring forth mixed uncomfortable feelings and adapting to the new culture may prove very challenging (Ivins, Copenhaver & Koclanes, 2017). Although our situations were near similar, John's social coping ability was greatly hindered by his strong emotions and inability to accept his new environment. My case could easily be analyzed and understood from the grounded theory approach. In contrast, John's culture shock could be followed through the acculturation model that highlights how two mixed cultures could result in uncomfortable feelings.
While my social situation was mild, my interviewee was severe, and this was evident in his inability to control his behavior, not conform to his new environment. He was a prisoner to his emotions, deeply held back, and unable to counter the situation. However, we all shared a typical social misfit that not only confused us but also exposed us to awkward and embarrassing situations with our class’s social network.
References
Ivins, T., Copenhaver, K., & Koclanes, A. (2017). Adult transitional theory and transfer shock in higher education: practices from the literature. Reference Services Review .
Kendall, D. (2012). Sociology in our times . Cengage Learning.
Lam, L. Y. V. (2017). Life being an International Student in the United States: Acculturation, Culture Shock, and Identity Transformation.
Pot, A., Keijzer, M., & De Bot, K. (2018). The language barrier in migrant aging. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism , 1-19.
