A Chat on Bilingualism and Biculturalism Streamed from 400 Miles Away

The Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York City held "A Conversation of Bilingualism with François Grosjean" on September 23, 2015

The event was held in New York City at the French Embassy and consisted of a conversation on bilingualism and biculturalism between researcher and specialist, Professor François Grosjean, and Education Attaché at the Cultural Services, Fabrice Jaumont. The conversation was live-streamed for interested parties who were unable to make the trip to NYC. The event was two hours and packed full of answers to frequently asked questions, personal questions, and fascinating research.

Jaumont began the discussion with questions about Dr. Grosjean to acquaint the audience with him. Professor Grosjean was born in France with a French father, but was educated in British schools. He returned to France when he was eighteen but then moved to the United States. He considers himself to be a cultural mosaic of 4 cultures and identifies his nationalities as French and Swiss. Grosjean got into researching bilingualism by being a bilingual and learning about it while witnessing his children going through it. His own family is fully bilingual, with some of his children actually being quint-lingual. He took the time to reassure parents that it is not as impossible as it may seem, since he himself raised his chidlren in both French and English. 

Grosjean and Jaumont at the French Embassy

Professor Grosjean discussed the basic questions whose answers can be found in Grosjean's books, including his most famous book, Life with Two Languages: An Introduction to Bilingualism. Questions included, "do you need to master both languages to be bilingual?" and "do bilinguals have a split personality when using one language versus another?". 

Professor Grosjean described the difference between biculturalism and bilingualism, with the definition of bilingualism being "the regular use of 2 different languages".  This definition takes into account language use and knowledge, the two defining characteristics of bilingualism. He claims to take the matter at a holistic viewpoint as a bilingual speaker and communicator managing life with 2+ languages. His "complementary principle" is when bilinguals use a language in different situations and domains of life with one language or both languages for other things. The "crucial brick" to his research is that bilinguals need to ask themselves, "which should I be speaking and do I need to bring in the other language?". Language choice is hyper complex as are code-switching and borrowing.

Professor Grosjean cleared up the misconception that biculturalism is the same as bilingualism. It implies merging certain aspects of both cultures, and it is not a bad thing. However, he humorously added how sometimes his French use of space overpowers his English "personal bubble" culture and he accidentally sits or stands too close to someone and must readjust mentally to the setting he is in. Grosjean suggests bilinguals find their identity based on others perceptions and on their own needs; in the end they must accept who they are. A focus right now is on young people and helping them to understand and accept biculturalism. 

The next topic was about the roles of parents and schools in encouraging and aiding bilingualism and biculturalism. It is absolutely critical for parents to have a plan for how they plan to raise children bilingual, and there are a range of strategies; one person one language, one language at home and one language outside, and other supports who are not the parents such as other adults, families, or friends. He claims that children are pragmatic and will notice what they need and if they do not need one of the languages then they will revert to monolingualism. Parents must create the need with the help of community groups, friends, other families, etc. to immerse their children in a situation where they need to use that second language. Schools are notorious for killing a first or language a student may have, and they can help by promoting immersion for children to use other languages when home.

The advantages and disadvantages of bilingualism were addressed as well. Some common advantages are cognitive ability, job opportunities, and communication opportunities increase and bilinguals tend to have open minds and perspectives. A main disadvantage was that communication in the weaker language can be difficult when one is tired or stressed.

The conversation consisted of vital and fascinating information for anyone interested in bilingualism and biculturalism. Grosjean's books are available in bookstores and Amazon.

More information and a video of the full conversation can be found by clicking here or by entering into your browser:

www.livestream.com/frenchembassy/Bilingualism-with-Professor-François-Grosjean/videos/100077232

Merci beaucoup à Professor Grosjean 
for the suggestions and edits!

Experiencing Cultures Across the Globe While Seated in a Lecture Hall

Exploring Different Cultures on Campus- Student Success Activities

Wednesday, September 16th Fredonia held a Professional Development Day that included all day Student Success Activities. For most students, this meant no class and a day to relax. But, for some this means helpful workshops to help be successful in higher education and in future careers. Jacob Czelusta and guests from the International Student Services hosted fun presentations about South Korea and Japan, presented by students from those countries. This presentation honed in on Fredonia's Baccalaureate goal of "Connected".

Students got a chance to see into the culture of each place, with an emphasis on the differences in population, housing, food, education, and culture in general. The differences between the three countries; United States, South Korea, and Japan, were extremely interesting!

Hello Kitty Bento

Some notable differences between the three countries were in food, education, and population.
Attendees learned that South Korea has a large admiration for side dishes; a typical meal is not made up of one large entree with some sides, but many, many sides and tons of variety! Japan, on the other hand is famous for, of course, sushi and bento, which in recent years has become a decoration contest!




Education systems are dissimilar as well. In South Korea, students begin taking a foreign language in elementary school, which is 6 years, and continue taking the language throughout middle school, 3 years, and high school, 3 years. The students have a lot of pressure put on them about grades, and some cannot sleep due to needing time to study.

Apartments in Seoul, South Korea

As for population, South Korea and Japan are very much urbanized and densely populated. In South Korea, 92% of the population live in 17% of the territory. South Korea is smaller than New York City yet has almost 2.5 times as many people! Needless to say, the city buildings that look like business buildings at first, are actually apartments to house the surplus of people. Parking is all underground to save room for more buildings.
In Japan, there is a population of 127.3 million people, with 13.35 million people just in the city of Tokyo; about 1/10 of the population! The presenter, Yuki, stated the city is small and crowded.

Some  social/cultural aspects that are unique to South Korea include the honor code; respect is shown to elders through communication and it is immensely important. Also, drinking with one's boss is a casual, common custom which is interesting since the workplace is intensely hierarchical.

Yuki, from Japan, took a moment to describe her "culture shock" after coming to the U.S. She explained that Americans love of hugging and saying "I love you" was hard for her to understand and very opposite from the culture she grew up in, in Japan. Also, she was surprised to learn about "tipping" at restaurants; a custom the Japanese do not do.

Test your global cultural knowledge!
Did you know that tae-kwon-do is a martial art form from South Korea?

Did you know Honda, Nissan, Toyota, SONY, and Nintendo are companies from Japan?

Did you know at 4:00 PM every Wednesday in the Global Connections Lounge of the William's Center there is free coffee and social hour with international students?! Stop by and meet some of the awesome students from all over the globe we have studying right here in Fredonia, NY!

Study Abroad 101 Workshop With the Office of International Education

The fall semester has begun and the Office of International Education has begun hosting workshops to educate students on the SUNY Study Abroad System! 

SUNY Study Abroad Website
http://www.suny.edu/studyabroad/ 

The goal of the Study Abroad 101 workshop was to acquaint students with the process of researching and applying to study abroad using the SUNY Abroad website. The SUNY system has over 600 study abroad/student exchange programs ranging in price, location, and length to accommodate one's desires in a program.

The workshop began with students introducing themselves, stating their name, major, and a location where they are interested in studying. Each attendee also received a "Study Abroad 11 Worksheet" they could fill in throughout the presentation. The worksheet had sections for academic goals, personal goals, and professional goals, as well as a space to write the important factors for a desirable program. Attendees found out at the end of the presentation that the worksheet they filled out would help them write great application letters; stating their goals for the program! There were also several questions that, once filled out, were a great reference for students considering studying abroad ,such as answers to FAQ's and steps to applying. 

The workshop was a pleasantly brief half hour, packed with helpful information for prospective study abroad students. Financial situations are always a popular topic with study abroad, and workshops for the Gilman Scholarship for studying abroad were announced and can be found on the OIE's website. 

The Office of International Education is located in LoGrasso Hall and the door is always open for students from all majors inquiring about study abroad opportunities and more information!

There will be one more Study Abroad 101 workshop on September 17th at 3:00 PM in the Global Connections Lounge in the William's Center. There will also be a presentation about Study Abroad experiences on Professional Development Day for Student Success Activities on September 16th at 2:00 PM in McEwen 202.