Problems Students Face While Studying In America

宋旭梅

Nowadays more and more English major students make up their mind to spend an enormous deal of money on studying abroad.They will encounter stumbling shocks such as language differences，ethnocentrism，prejudice and racialism.

1.Language Obstacle

As English major students，although we have been learning English several years，we cant express ourselves very clearly in very fluent and standardized English.Our native language is Chinese，English is the second language.As a second language，English is hardly used in ones daily life.However，in the daily life，native Americans speak English fluently and use a lot of idioms and proverbs.So vocabulary，syntax，idioms，slang，dialects，and so on，all cause difficulty.While the graduates only learn English in the classroom，they never talk with the real person in English face to face.Language obstacle is a big challenge for the students.

Language obstacle will bring some daily problems to the students studying in America.When a non-native speaker first hears the English phrase，‘Wont you have some tea？ he or she gets the literal meaning of the sentence and answers，‘no， meaning he or she wants some.The American hostess，on the other hand，ignores the double negative because of common usage，and the guest gets no tea.

2.Culture Shock

2.1Ethnocentrism.There are some communicative difficulties happening due to cultural iceberg.For example，ethnocentrism might well be the problem that most directly relates to intercultural communication.Nanda and Warms definition is the notion that ones own culture is superior to any other.It is the idea that other cultures should be measured by the degree to which they live up to our cultural standards.We are ethnocentric when we view other cultures through the narrow lens of our own culture or social position.Ethnocentrism is the belief that your own cultural background，including ways of analyzing problems，values，beliefs，language and verbal and nonverbal communication，is correct.Ethnocentrists believe their culture is the central culture and other cultures are incorrect，defective and quaint.

2.2.Prejudice.Prejudice is another problem because of the cultural difference.What is prejudice？ According to the author，prejudice is the strange attitude the native habitants show foreigners because of different habits and customs.

For example，China and America have different history and culture so that they have different expressive habits.Sometimes it will leads to some prejudice or joking.Just as in China we say “愛屋及乌” by ‘love me，love my bird. But in western world，they prefer to use ‘love me，love my dog. What makes a difference is that they have different understanding of the dog.In China，we consider the dog as the most inferior creature； we use the dog to describe the people who are mean and shameless even without the sense of shame.In contrast，the westerners regard ‘dog as very smart，faithful and responsible animal.Every day，it can assist the host to watch out for the big house and it never bits the host so that he can be called the pet dog rather than very greedy and disgusting animal.This kind of difference and discomfort will make westerners laugh at you.

2.3Racialism.Racialism is belief in the existence and significance of racial differences，but not necessarily that any absolute hierarchy between the races has been demonstrated by a rigorous and comprehensive scientific process.Racialists usually reject some claims of racial superiority，but may explicitly or implicitly subscribe to others，for example，that race has acted in culturally superior or inferior ways，at least in certain instances or periods of history.

As usual，we hold the belief that we are born equal and have the same rights as the other people who come from whatever place.We hold firmly we dont show prejudice to other races.But when we encounter the colored people，we cant help ourselves staring at them.In China，we can confront the situation.When we go to exotic nation，we will be stared at just like an extra-terrestrial people so that we cant endure.

In America，the Chinese students may be confronted with many different kinds of difficulties such as they cant be respected at first.These situations all belong to the racialism.

These are some problems the students will face.If they know these factors before going abroad，it will be helpful for them.