Chapter 15
Instructor’s Manual
This chapter covers:
A brief history of formal policies that target Asian populations
American knowledge of Asia and American perceptions of Asians and Asian Americans
Stereotypes of Asians and Asian accents, including a discussion of the perpetual
foreigner syndrome and the model minority stereotype
A discussion of mockery of Asian accents
A discussion of Rosie O’Donnell’s use of an ethnic slur on The View and her non-
apology in response to public criticism of her remarks.
University students’ reaction to teaching assistants with Asian accents
Sample answers to the questions from the text and the website
From the textbook
1. Consider the series of court rulings beginning in 1883 that led to the shutdown of all
immigration from China for about sixty years. Look also at the related rulings that made it
illegal to grant Asians naturalized citizenship. In that broader context, read the story of Bhagat
Singh Thind, who came to the U.S. in 1917. What were the long-range repercussions of the
Supreme Court decision that sent him back to Punjab? In linguistic terms, how factual was the
Court’s definition of Indo-European? The website: http://goo.gl/UhEvv
2. Look closely at Table 15.2 adapted from the Derwing et al (2002) experiment. What
conclusions can you draw from these figures? How do the three control groups compare to each
other? Consider differences between the first and second groups, and then compare them to the
third group. On this evidence alone, what measures seemed to be most effective in alleviating
communication stumbling blocks? Argue for or against the proposition that all first year college
students should be required to participate in an orientation session that addresses
communication issues such as these.
3. In 2005, a student of Asian heritage applied to Princeton. He had an excellent academic
history and hit all the usual marks for admission, but he was not admitted. He enrolled at Yale,
and shortly thereafter filed a lawsuit against Princeton for discrimination on the basis of
national origin. In the following spring, a column appeared in The Daily Princetonian, the
campus newspaper. A short excerpt:
“Hi Princeton! Remember me? I so good at math and science. Perfect 2400 SAT score.
Ring Bells? Just in case, let me refresh your memories. I the super smart Asian.
Princeton the super dumb college, not accept me.”
What is the purpose of writing this in what is supposed to be the plaintiff’s own language? What
underlying beliefs and ideologies might be informing it?
4. How aware were you, before reading this chapter, of how offensive “ching-chong” is as an
ethnic slur. How did you react to this information? If you felt any irritation, can you get to the
bottom of that, and figure out where it comes from? If you are Asian, what are your experiences
with this term? Have you ever talked to non-Asians about the impact this term has? Why or why
not?
5. If you are Asian and you are willing to volunteer to answer questions, please let your
instructor know. It would be especially helpful if you were willing to talk to the other students
about the various viewpoints in this chapter, and whether you agree or disagree with
conclusions drawn.
Sample answer: Questions and answers will vary.
6. To test your own knowledge of Asia, try the quiz you’ll find here:
http://www.mccollam.com/fun/geoquiz/asiaquiz.html
Sample answer: Individual experiences will vary.
From the website
Audio
1. Listen to the samples of the accents mentioned in Chapter 15 and revisit the discussion of how
university students react to teaching assistants with L2 accents. Have you ever heard fellow
students complaining about a teaching assistant with any of these accents? Others? Why do you
think some accents get complained about more than others?
Video
1. Compare and contrast this clip to Rosie O’Donnell’s use of fake Chinese on The View
discussed in Chapter 15. What do the similarities and differences indicate about the language
ideologies behind the use of fake Chinese for both media personalities?
Suggested activities and discussion questions
1. Revisit the case of the Filipino security guards who were fired because of a single complaint
about an employee’s accent and consider this quote from page 287:
The Filipino security guards won their lawsuit, but a question was never raised: how was
it that an anonymous official could bring about the removal of five men with solid work
histories, solely on the basis of an unsubstantiated claim of an irritating and distracting
accent? If the guards in question had been Italian or Norwegian speakers, would the
same progression of events be imaginable?
2. Ask your students if they have ever heard someone mock an Asian language or an Asian
accent in real life. What was the context and what message did the speaker intend to convey with
his or her mockery? What does this reveal about language ideologies and language attitudes?
3. Ask your students what they think about the stereotype of Asian Americans as the “model
minority” and any other “positive” stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans. Do they think
“positive” stereotypes are good or bad? Or both? Why do they feel the way they do?