a case study: introduction at English corner

According to a foreign teacher, she expressed her puzzle after attending English corner for several times.
She complained, “Every time when I went to English corner, many Chinese students 1）asked me the similar questions again
and again, such as What’s your name? Where are you from? And strangely enough, they seem not to concern what I answered.
Besides, 2）they tend to always presume I am coming from the US, which hurts me in my deep heart for I am a Canadian.”

对1）的分析提示：
English-speaking countries’ custom about introduction
Chinese cultural connotation for introduction
Western countries’ high priority on privacy vs. China’s lack of consciousness on privacy

对2）的分析提示：
Chauvinism and cultural imperialism
Chinese collectivism and ideas of ancestral home (祖籍，籍贯)

请跨文化交际课程的同学们阅读并思考分析。大家可以在后面跟帖写下自己的判断，中英文都可以。也可以互相交流。

For the above questions, i have three pieces of opinions:
1. Many students who attended the English Corner just want to improve their English level, that probably means their English may not be so good. So sometimes they didn't know how to express themselves and kept asking the simple questions which were more familiar to them.
2. The foreign teacher always went to the English corner, but for many students, it may be their first time to attend such activity, so it's common of our Chinese to ask these questions, we think it's a proper way.

( continued )
3. It's a common sense that America is the most developed country in the world. So in many people's eyes, they seem to only know America. It's not a strange thing. Assuming that twenties years ago, how many foreigners were there who knew there was a country named China in the world? If a Chinese made a great contribution in other countries, they first thought he was a Japanese! In this sense, we should or we will all be proud of our country.
Ps. Why the length of post is limited? Can the administrator make a change?

In my opinion,First of all,I think it is a comfort to say that there are many students going to the English corner.This phenomenon can reflect that they have the will to improve their English and they want to make friends with people who can communicate with each other in English.
Secondly,In our country,we don't have a nice environment to practice our English,and the English we learned is "paper English",which means that we can just write English well,but can't speak English weill.When we meet foreigners,we all want to talk with them using English,but at last we failed to do it,Why?We don't have the confidence to express our opinion well.So when we go to the English corner,though we want to using better English,but we don't have the confidence to make it.So we always ask easy questions to learn English.
Lastly in our mind,we always think who comes to the English corner is American or English,because we all know English is common divided in to American English and local English.So we always make wrong with the person who speaks English.
I hope by our efforts,we can make a better environment to improve our English.

It can be understood that as a western foreigner, the teacher did not adapt to Chinese students’ repeat questions about her personal information. I think, the teacher is not uncomfortable for the question, but the “repeating again and again”.
It makes her think that students do not take care on her, they just want to learn how to speak English well, but ignore what is the real “communication”, which need take heart.

For the above questions ,I think there are the following causes:
1,Many students'oral English is "poor",though they have been learn English for many years ,they didn't practice their oral English well.Actually,we don't know how to communicate with foreigners politely and to express our thoughts;
2,Most Chinese students think it's ok to ask the foreign teacher whether he/she comes from America. They didn't realize the foreign teacher repulsive the question they asked.I think they can realize the foreign custom and culture gradually, that's why we encourage students to take part in the English corner.

For the above questions, obviously，I think that it's our Chinese students' faults.Thanks to the 9-year compulsory education,most of us have got a thinking frame,when we are conducting some issues ,it's very easy for us to be stuck in them.for example, when a foreigner asks us "how are you", a plenty of us would like to answer " I'm fine, thank you, and you?"what's a crazy thing! they don't know that just a "good" is totally enough.
But the foreign teacher should realize that she is living in China now.Our mother language is mandarin,not English. so she should get over it.

On a personal note,I contend that there is always the deepest level of casue of the foriegn teacher's puzzle and complians.It is our cultural diversity.At an age when a baby starts to recognize and learn everything around him, difference is exist.Of course,also there are some obvious deficencies in Chinese students' think and behave.However,if we can assume that people in Asia,who have clear cultural differences from Americans,think the same way as in the US,we also make the same assumpations our own neighbors.We have to recognize and respect our cultural differences,so as to prevent any possible misunderstanding.

From my point of view,there are some reason for the topic:
The first,Chinese would like to ask someone's ancestral home or name that can get the relationship closer and make the climate more relaxing.So Chinese student would like to ask the qustiones more times.Or maybe Chinese student want you learn more about the foreign nation which can bring more topics when communicate.but on the hand, the western don't like that;
The second,American is most developed country which have produced many affects to us.

First,the main reason I think is that our Chinese students may be shy and have little courage to ask others' basic information,the society today universally pay little attention to privacy about others.So these questions can ease the atmosphere and make each other more comfortable to chat.
Second,maybe in our conscious the foreigeners are most from US for America is the only Superpower in the world,they master the most advanced technology.U.S. drama is also popular among our students.

After reading this case, I have some opinions. For the first question, it is no doubt that there exists some difference between chinese and English-speaking countries when they introduce themselves. According to some movies like The Pursuit Of Happyness, Chris make an introduction like ' I'm Chris Gardner. I met my father for the first time when I was 28 years old. And I made up my mind as a young kid...This is part of my life story'.It is easy to find that they have a different way to do the self-introduction. On the other hand, many chinese people will introduce their name, age, gender, occupation first, just like a template. In western countries, people would think this kind of self-introduction is boring and perfunctory.  So, maybe that's why the teacher is puzzled.
And, the consciousness on privacy is another difference between chinese culture and foreign culture. When chinese have a gathering, the questions they care most is the salary other people get,  others' occupation and besides these female will ask the weight and height of others. However, all these are rude to foreigners. They consider these as privacy. They never ask these questions at a party even family gathering.
Different countries have different culture，we can not change but learn and adapt it.

Analysis on question 1:  It seems that the foreign teacher's puzzle is reasonable because culture distinctions play a critical role in communication among  individuals from different countries .In addition, we college students just don't have a good command of fluent expression skills when talking to foreigners face to face  ,perhaps we can talk in these elementary phrases such ' what is your name' just like the foreign teacher described.It is common that we can not catch up with foreign teacher because we have relatively  poor listening comprehension .However, a point that we chinese lack of consciousness on privacy should be revealed  ,while some English-speaking countries have high priority on privacy , so as to the foreign teacher , students’ repeated questions such as  'what is your salary ' and so on .
2.We may always think that foreigners who speak English must be from America of England ,  
the factors lead to these phenomenon may be variable.Chauvinism and cultural imperialism should be mentioned as to this condition ,  chauvinism may be caused by the fact that America is a strong developed countries  , so we just acknowledge that people who speak English is American . Cultural imperialism also owe to this reason. While there is a need to change our attitudes about cultural imperialism.

written by 吴文 （Terrywen) 2130509

I think that there is no fault in communication. In china,we prefer to ask something about privacy, maybe western country people think that is too rude,but in chinese eyes, that is the way to show the passion that they want to know you more. But we still need to pay attention to the way how to communicate with foreigner more properly ,that make us all feel comfort.

I think we just stand our Chinese people's perspective to introduce ourselves to the foreigner and the foreigners know little knowledge about Chinese culture,so it confuses the foreigners. The western people always have a strong sense of national pride,so it is hurt to them to be regarded as the other people of one country.However,as for a Chinese,what we heard most about western countries is US,facing a foreigner,our first reaction is "are you American?"