Are You Living in a Language Bubble?
“Students who only hang out with their language peers do
not have the same opportunity to practice speaking English”
P
eople think that in most international schools, students are constantly surrounded by pupils of other
nationalities. In most cases, the opposite is true. Students of corresponding nationalities cluster into
monocultural herds. It is uncommon, but possible, however, that this sort of group may open up to wel-
come more nationalities.
When I first came to this school, I established a relationship with a group of Korean students in my grade.
Eventually, I noticed there was just one other non-Korean person in our group of ten or more. Once I had re-
alized this, I was distinctly taken aback. It was clear that students indeed stay with their own national group
at school.
Is this a good or bad thing?
The importance of this question is entirely and utterly up to the individual. Some students fear losing their
mother tongue if they don’t practice speaking with their language peers. To the contrary, students who
only hang out with their language peers do not have the same opportunity to practice speaking English in
an international setting. It seems counterproductive to go to an English language school and not practice
English while in social situations on campus. This is especially concerning since most students here do not
speak English at home.
SLAS students should be compassionate global citizens. We cannot and should not police speech in social
situations on campus, however, all of us would be doing each other a favor by socializing in English - the
common language of the school.
If you feel like you might be in a foreign language bubble, try opening up to other people so that everyone
could share their international experience together.
by Kei Taichi