Don't you hate it when bilingual speakers who you know speak English speak a foreign language in a public venue? Now before anyone jumps down my throat and calls me culturally insensitive or ignorant, allow me to explain myself. Imagine you're on a bus or in an elevator. You just finished speaking with a foreign exchange student in English. He proceeds to turn to another foreign exchange student and they begin an extensive dialogue in an arbitrary foreign language. Come on. You were just speaking English to me and now you're speaking a foreign language that I don't speak right in front of me so I can't help but be suspicious that you're talking about me. Regardless of whether you are or not I have every right to suspect that you are or else you could have just continued speaking in English. If you're isolated with other people who speak that language it's a different story because everyone within listening distance understands you. For some reason though, when people do it on a bus or in an elevator it really peeves me off. I just feel disrespected by it. I mean, I understand that you're in an unfamiliar location and sure it's nice to talk in your native tongue but at the same time it's rude. You were just speaking to me in English so don't change it up like you have something to hide. It's kind of like whispering in public. You are only whispering because you have something to hide or you want people to think you have something to hide. A similar situation for me would be if I was having a casual conversation about a new scientific discovery with two physicists, then all of a sudden they start talking about quantum mechanics or particle physics. Part of me feels like they do it because they KNOW it's something you won't understand. Who knows, they might really be in love with the fact that they know something that you don't and by speaking in that foreign language feel better about themselves. Again, I'd like to reiterate that I don't lose sleep about this situation. It's pretty much I walk off the elevator and think to myself, "that was really annoying" and that's the end of it. I might mention it to a friend later, which isn't unlike the other situations I've discussed in this blog. If it doesn't really annoy you then don't worry about it but I'll certainly be on the lookout for the foreign language speaker in the future.
With that being said I'd like to thank my brother for the idea behind this entry. He randomly texted me last week with this idea for the blog. Thanks Jord.
Keep providing me with ideas everyone! The more material I have to chose from the more I can provide you with the best entries, so please continue to comment!
Until next time,
Zac
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I agree with this. However, I feel that if you are on a bus, people should be free to speak however they want regardless of whether you are within listening range. I agree that doing this immediately after speaking with someone in English, like your example, is rude.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely easy for us to say this because our language is essentially the language of the world, and all are expected to speak it in some capacity. Sometimes it's difficult for me to imagine being in their situation.
I can understand both view points. Currently I am studying in China have been in that situation. I've talked to people in Chinese and when that conversation is over I may turn to my roommate or other friends and speak in English. For me its not having to hide something its just that it is much easier and convenient to speak my native language. That can also be because I am not nearly as fluent in Chinese as I am in English. I understand your viewpoint though because I have often felt the same way.
ReplyDeleteGood Stuff though, keep it coming.
Great comments from both of you. Ben it's great to hear from you and what you said is something I definitely considered while writing this entry. The entire convenience thing is probably the reason in most situations, but something about it still makes me feel slightly annoyed and suspicious.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you're saying Talmedge. I get that it's convenient but still, you know you're in a country that doesn't speak the language you're speaking and now I can't even join in on the conversation...what's the point of it? Maybe that makes me sound insensitive, not intentional.
ReplyDeleteIt should be a law that all citizens of America speak American!
ReplyDeleteI don't understand where all this "i don't want to sound insensitive, but..." stuff is coming from. If you were really that concerned with saying insensitive things, you simply wouldn't say them. Otherwise, you know you're saying something insensitive (something I agree with, by the way, but something insensitive nonetheless), so just say it! People will draw their conclusions based on how you sound, not how you want to sound.
ReplyDeleteAs some of you have probably experienced, college move-in day is an extremely nerve-racking day. Upon moving into my dorm, the first two kids that I came in contact with both bilingual. After introducing ourselves, we began to share our interests and whatnot, and this is when my two new friends discovered that they both spoke Spanish as well as English. For the rest of the day they spoke Spanish with eachother, only speaking English when I was involved in conversation (which was infrequent because it is difficult for a non-Spanish speaker to make a relevant comment in a Spanish conversation). I recently told my friend that I felt uncomfortable on move-in day because of this, and he was quick to apologize and state that he did not even realize that he was doing it. My college move-in day experience is the primary reason of why I hate situations like this.
ReplyDeleteI think we owe these foreigners the luxury of lapsing into their native tongue without having to check with each person in the area as to their preferred language. I think we owe them this in exchange for our incessant "say something in [insert language]!!!"
ReplyDeleteAlso, let me point out a major flaw in the line of logic being followed: in every example of why it pisses you off that they aren't speaking english to another person in your presence, you assume the person to whom they are speaking knows english. Consider the following situation which, for all the american knows, is identical to the one mentioned in the blog: persons A, B, and C are in an elevator. Person A speaks english, B is bilingual, and C speaks only spanish.
Notice already how it is impossible for any pair of persons to talk and aviod the situation Zac described. If A and B talk in english, then C thinks A and B are talking about him. Then, when B describes to C that they weren't talking about him, person A now feels that B and C are talking about him.
The simple answer is to not be so self-important and insecure. You think these people have nothing better to do than to talk about you? Get over yourself. And even if they were, why do you care? Are you so offensive [to any sense] that somehow the only thing someone can say about you is negative? If so, you deserve to be talked about. If not, calm down and let them say whatever they want.
I whole-heartedly agree with Shmo's stance in this situation.
ReplyDeleteLast year I was a host for a prospective new student at my college. She was asian and fluent in both english and her native tongue. She was polite enough, however, she frequently received calls from her mother. Answering them in English, they would begin a conversation and then I would hear a comment such as "oh she's fine we're just getting food" and then suddenly would switch to her native tongue. As if this was not enough, the next day at breakfast when we met up with her mother, the mom suggested that i join them for breakfast to continue talking. The girl frantically began speaking in her native language. The mother then thanked me for allowing her daughter to stay and sent me on my way. If that's not enough to make you paranoid about bilingual speakers, i don't know what is.
ReplyDeleteI thin kthe same can be said for any native English speaker fluent in another language traveling to a country in which they speak that language. If we are going condemn others for speaking in a language other than english, a forgeign country has every right to do the same for us if we speak their native language in their nation
ReplyDeleteI am a foreign language speaker.........
ReplyDeleteWith the anonymous post on November 5, 2009 at 8:44 pm; I completely agree with you. I'm glad you brought that point up because it's something I failed to mention in my post. Thanks. And to the anonymous post on November 5 at 8:48 pm; I have nothing against foreign language speakers. Honestly, I admire people who can speak more than one language because it's something I cannot do. I just find it annoying when people who I know can speak English speak in front of me in a language other than English.
ReplyDeleteZac this is alex lol. I work with two chinese girls in my history class and they always talk in chinese and i cant help but wonder if theyre talking about how dirty i am, or how i dont know whats going on in the class. It doesnt help that they giggle while theyre talking either.
ReplyDeleteI found this topic to one of the most interesting. The different perspectives caused me to study the issue a little longer. I agree with the author in that it makes others feel uncomfortable...like many other topics it depends on which side your on. When discussing with another the following opinion was shared...when visiting in a country it is somewhat acceptable to use your native toungue however if you call the new country home it time to buck up and learn to speak the language.
ReplyDeleteThat sucks bro.Everyone should speak english because it is the greatest language of all time.English FTW!
ReplyDelete