Harsh Language

A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from a local coordinator. One of our students (let’s call him Tim) from South Korea told another kid that he was “going to kill him.” This other student had lent Tim a pen, and when the student took it back from him, Tim threatened him. This was not the first time that Tim had made such a strong statement. In fact, Tim has a reputation for losing his temper and saying harsh things. My first response was to send him home; a student that has an uncontrollable temper is not prepared for the exchange experience, which requires maturity and self-control, among other traits.

Later that week, I received an email from one of our partners in South Korea. I had written to her because another student (let’s call him James) from South Korea has been staying up very late and oversleeping every morning. The partner had spoken to his mother and translated the conversation for me. According to my partner’s translation, the natural mother, upon hearing the news of her son James, told her “I am going to kill him – I will kick his ass!”

 This led me to think: are Americans more sensitive to threats because of recent violence in schools and a culture of high homicide rates? I don’t know the answer. I haven’t designed a study to test this, but my hunch is that the answer is yes. This is not the first time that one of our boys from South Korea has been in trouble for using threatening language. In fact, this is an issue that we have had with South Korean students every year since I started in 2010. And yet, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), the homicide rate in South Korea is about half of our homicide rate. After researching online, I was not able to find evidence of school shootings in Korea.

 This is not to say that South Korea is immune from violence. To the contrary, violence in South Korea is on the rise. Moreover, two recent school shootings in the U.S were perpetrated by native South Koreans (the Virginia Tech Shooting in 2007 and the Oakland Shooting in 2012). But perhaps South Korean culture does not shun threatening, harsh language because Koreans realize that it rarely leads to action. Threatening language has become part of mainstream discourse. Why else would a mother respond with those appalling words to a seemingly minor issue?

 Cultural differences are mostly celebrated in the Quest International Program. However, every once in while, we learn there are certain habits and cultural tendencies that are incompatible with American culture and society. As educators who are invested in international education, it is our job to edify our exchange students to these incompatibilities. Sometimes they are just not obvious.

 I am not sending Tim home. I spoke to him last week and explained to him that we, Americans, do not tolerate statements like I am going to kill you. When I asked him if threatening language like this is a big deal in South Korea his answer was, not surprisingly, “Not at all. But I have learned that I cannot say that here.” My fingers are crossed that Tim has learned and internalized this very important lesson. Shayna Ferullo

WHAT DID YOU SAY?

Coming to a new country comes with an assortment of new surprises. Students coming from abroad to study in the United States will be getting used to a whole new lifestyle of different foods, different accents from around the country, different fashion trends, and lots of different new slang. To help you fit right in with your new classmates, we have compiled a list of words that you most likely won't have found in your English textbooks...

Campus Lingo

Ace - To do very well, receive the grade of an “A”. Example: “I feel like I aced my math test!” All-Nighter - To put off studying until the night before an exam or deadline. Example: “John pulled an all-nighter to get his paper finished.” B.A. or B.S. - B.A. stands for “Bachelor of Arts” and B.S. stands for “Bachelor of Science”. Both degrees can be earned at four-year colleges. Bounce - To leave. Example: “I have to bounce— I have to go home to study.” Bouncer - Security guard at bar or club. Buzz Kill - When someone or something ruins a special moment. Example: “My mom was a buzz kill and made me stay home to do chores.” Chick - Young attractive woman (the expression may be seen as derogatory). Example: “I have my eye on the chick across the room.” Cramming - Intensive memorization in a short period of time — usually done by a student preparing for a school examination. Example: “I’m always stuck cramming for that professor’s class.” Crash - 1. To sleep. Example: “I crashed on the couch last night.” 2. A common term for a computer fault. Example: “My hard drive crashed and I lost my term paper!” Credits - A unit that gives weighting to the value, level or time requirements of an academic course. Various systems of credits exist: one per course, one per hour/week in class, one per hour/week devoted to the course (including homework), etc. Cut - To purposely miss class. Example: “Joe cut class in order to attend a concert.” Dude - An informal term of address, usually referring to a man or boy. Example: “Hey dude! I haven’t seen you on campus in forever!” Elective - An academic course chosen by the student from a set of options, as opposed to a required course. Final - Exam given to students at the end of a particular academic term, typically a semester, or more traditionally at the end of a complete degree course. Flunk - To fail. Example: “I totally flunked that math exam!” Frat - Short for “fraternity,” referring to all-male or mixed-gender social organization. Freshman - (Alternatives: frosh, newbie, freshie, or fresh-meat) A first-year student in college or university. Have a good one! - Short for “Have a good day/evening.” Homey, Homes or Homeboy - Generally refers to a close friend, usually a male friend who exhibits strong loyalty. Derived from hip-hop and rap music. Example: “Jack and I go way back — he’s my homey.” Hoodie - A sweatshirt with a hood. Example: “May I borrow your hoodie? I’m cold.” Hottie - A very attractive person. Example: “My girlfriend is a real hottie!” Junior - A student in the penultimate (usually third) year in college or university. Jock - A classic American stereotype of an athlete.

Major - A college or university student’s main field of specialization during his or her undergraduate studies. Mid-term - Exam given in the middle of a term or semester to measure students’ progress and comprehension of course material. Minor - Secondary focus of a student’s studies. Nerd - Alternatives: geek or dork A stereo-typical designation, referring to somebody who passionately pursues intellectual knowledge or pastimes, rather than engaging in a social life or other main-stream activities. Example: “Bob is such a nerd, he reads instead of going to parties.” Junior - A student in the penultimate (usually third) year in college or university. Jock - A classic American stereotype of an athlete. Major - A college or university student’s main field of specialization during his or her undergraduate studies. Mid-term - Exam given in the middle of a term or semester to measure students’ progress and comprehension of course material. Minor - Secondary focus of a student’s studies. Nerd - (Alternatives: geek or dork) A stereo-typical designation, referring to somebody who passionately pursues intellectual knowledge or pastimes, rather than engaging in a social life or other main-stream activities. Example: “Bob is such a nerd, he reads instead of going to parties.” Pad - A place to live. Example: “Let’s go back to your pad and study.” Party Animal - Someone who loves fun and parties. Peace or Peace Out - A friendly phrase to say goodbye. Example: “Peace out, guys. I’m going home.” Prof - Short for “professor”. Psyched - To be excited or looking forward to an event. Example: “I’m so psyched to get my pay check!” Quiz - A form of student assessment that often has fewer questions of lesser difficulty and requires less time for completion than a test or exam. Senior - A student in the last (usually fourth) year at a college or university. Sophomore - A student in the second year of study at a college or university. Sorority - A women’s social organization, comparable to a male fraternity. Syllabus - A professor’s outline of the class highlighting assignments, test dates, policies, and textbooks. Term - A division of an academic year, the time during which a college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms, semesters, quarters, or trimesters, depending on the institution. What’s up? or Wassup? - An informal expression meaning “What are you doing?”, “How are you?”, or “What is happening?” Work-study - Programs that allow students to work, often on campus, as part of their financial aid package. 24/7 - All of the time. Derived from the fact that there are 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week. Example: “It seems like I am at my desk 24/7.”

Definitions adapted from Wikipedia®

http://www.internationalstudentguidetotheusa.com/articles/campus-lingo.php