Comments on: Language learning and height

By: Xu Yunwei

Xu Yunwei — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 06:51:42 +0000

Dear Ingrid,
Thank you for putting forward this interesting topic. The indirect relationship, as far as Im concerned, between height and Language Learning is more a cultural issue than a physical question, which exists in some part of world not only in CHINA. Leslie T. Chang’s book Factory Girls: From village to city in a changing China maybe refltects the requirement of economic development, but not the whole. As an English teacher, I dont think the language learning has much relationship with height. You may reconsider it with the old Chinese saying which is contradictary and even contrary to the example cited in Changs book: Rong Suo Jiu Shi Jing Hua (it is often used to describe a short man who is successful) .

By: Xiaoxiao Chen

Xiaoxiao Chen — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:58:52 +0000

Thanks to Ingrid for this insightful post and for recommending Changs book. Changs study sounds interesting, but I wonder if height is that closely associated with ones language learning options in China. I assume, for these factory girls, they should have as many options of language learning as possible (as we have numerous language training institutes and schools in China), but their foreign/English language proficiency wouldnt necessarily lead them to some jobs that set a height requirement such as tour guides or hostesses. As far as I know, height hasnt been a requirement for foreign language learning students in China. This may imply, as suggested by Ingrid in the post, the necessity of ethnographic research in different fields (as not all fields deem height as critical) before a conclusion can be made. In addition,Ingrids post reminds us of a social problem, not only in China, that there can be a banal discriminiton against smaller people that we are very often unaware of

By: khan

khan — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:03:43 +0000

Dear Ingrid
When I read the title of the post, I said to my self come on there can never be any link between English fever and height at least because they have no link but soon I realized the social world is far too complex than we think it is. Thanks Ingrid for sharing some thing very new and thought provoking.

Best
Khan

By: Dong-mei

Dong-mei — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 14:33:50 +0000

Dear Ingrid,

Thank you for sharing with us this interesting book.

It is true in some fields especially those that need the person to face the public. After all, China is a country with a large population. If the companies need their employees to be taller and more beautiful so as to represent the image of their company, they will always find people they want. Meanwhile, they will always find reasons to turn down those who are unable to satisfy their requirements.

By: Grace Chu-Lin CHang

Grace Chu-Lin CHang — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 13:07:11 +0000

This post arised some echo in my heart. I would say it is a brutal fact that the height of the social economic background and wealth can have decisive influence in language learning. In the bad times, people with better social economic background have better chance to get enough nutrition and grow taller. Thus, the actual height of a person could also somehow reflect the height of their background. How could a person who studies English really hard in a place where English is a foreign language and no one actually uses it can beat another person who was born in a rich family and was sent to developed western country since little and can speak English as if their mother tongue. The chance is little.

By: Liu Hailin

Liu Hailin — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 04:13:06 +0000

Thank you for your impressive blog. It appeals to me a lot since I am a girl less than 1.6m tall. In China height (girls more than 1.6m, boys more than 1.7m) is an obligatory requirement for some jobs. But I personally think it is not that critical. We have the sayings the little body often harbors a agreat soul When god closes a door, some where he opens a window . The God may endow you other talents when your height is smaller. There are numerous celebrities with smaller height such as Deng Xiaoping, Deng Yaping, Lu Xun, Lei Feng and so on. Height may be a threshold, talent is the thing that matters. Maybe if we conduct a research about the height and the language proficiency, we may have some interesting findings!

By: cba

cba — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:33:42 +0000

Mmm, very interesting. Of course, I immediately think of an extremely diminutive research participant from China, in my own study, who has two degrees plus education in English… and conclude that it is perhaps not height alone, but the intersection of height, gender and class that is at play.

Thanks Ingrid!

By: Dariush Izadi

Dariush Izadi — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 04:30:38 +0000

Dear Ingrid,
Thank you for sharing this thought-provoking post.
This provides solid evidence that in learning a language, language learners and teachers should take all kinds of tiny little things into consideration. Who would have guessed that height someday plays an essential role in language learning?

By: Hongyan

Hongyan — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:29:06 +0000

Dear Ingrid, thanks for sharing this wonderful blog and this wonderful book by Chang!
I remember now that relation of language learning and height has been with us since late 1970s when China resumed the national university entrance examination. When we fill in the university enrolment form, we have to fill in our height information and attach a recent photo (And there is an individual medical examination report from public hospital in our file bag which showed our detailed information as well). If a student wants to be enrolled as an English major, the height is not decisive but important. Under the same condition with the same exam scores, the better-looking and taller one will be enrolled. In the employment market in recent years, the story is the same. Height together with English certificate and other certificates has been a threshold of getting employed. Height, age, gender discrimination is now becoming worse in this country with “no lack of human resource”. It’s a shame!