OMG, Really?

2

Replies

  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    Native Language? So...the people who lived here for 30,000 years before anyone speaking English showed up, they aren't native? Ignorance abounds!
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    Aww. She was feeling left out of the conversation. Also, she's stupid.

    I love you.

    Edit: Jules loves you too;-)
  • skcornett
    skcornett Posts: 169 Member
    Furthermore, they're bilingual, which is probably much more than that woman can say.

    That woman is bilingual...she speaks English and ignorance.
  • HurricaneElaine
    HurricaneElaine Posts: 984 Member
    And that is a personal freedom you are allowed. However, to patronize an establishment voluntarily and then sit in the establishment complaining loudly is rather absurd. It's like people that go out to eat, sit and loudly tell the entire room how horrid the food is and then lick their plate clean. No one told her she had to stay at that particular store. She had the freedom to leave at any time and give her money to an english speaking person. Instead she went the sit and make and *kitten* of myself route.

    Now I am one of those people that gets rather perturbed when asked to push one for english. I don't think tax dollars should pay for ESL classes in public schools when they can barely stay afloat as is. And the number one thing that irritates is how the federal government and most of society in this country think there are only two languages, english and spanglish. Have you ever heard "push two for Korean"? When is the last time you saw a sign in Russian?

    I work in medical billing, and I've had to wade through automated phone messages - press one for English, press two for Spanish, press three for Portuguese, press four for Korean, press five for Khmer, press six for Arabic, etcetera...
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    wow, I guess it happens everywhere....people take life too serious. The woman actually said she would pray for them when she got home, lol :noway:

    Lol wow, she is fitting every stereotype I have for Americans.
  • I am not a native English speaker, and I'm married to another immigrant as well. There is this misconception among some people that those who come to the U.S. don't want to and don't try to learn English. If they only knew how much those people try and wish they could. How many of them study and study. It isn't easy for everyone to learn another language. That lady needs to walk a mile in someone else's shoes.

    English is one if the most difficult languages to learn! Then add geographic locations and it is even harder to comprehend. I hate small minded people!
  • gvheintz
    gvheintz Posts: 138 Member
    Perhaps for you as a witness it would have been embarrassing or upsetting. When you speak other languages in a place where it isn't often spoken, you learn to deal with people and their attitudes over language. I learned French in a minority setting. One day I was giving tours of the parliament buildings in Ottawa. In two consecutive tours, I had tourists correct my pronunciation of "lys" (as is fleur de lys). The funny thing is I had switched between pronunciations between the two tours.

    I've had people tell me I speak French like it is a native language. (And I know my weaknesses in French and readily admit I am not a native speaker.) I had one lady ream into me one night when I was working directory assistance. She asked me, "What language do you think you are speaking, because it is not French."

    One day in the Bonny Doon Safeway in Edmonton, I was having a conversation with another French speaker. I was told to go back to my own country. Ummmm ... at the end of the day you learn to let situations like that run off you like water off a ducks back.
  • what gets me is that when ive visited other countries i havent a damn clue what they are saying.. most of them speak ,at the very least, broken english and many places offer an english version of something.. even for the bathrooms ... im extremely thankful for that ..its a shame she had to behave like that and teach an innocent child that type of mentality.. our country was based on embracing anyone to come be an american citizen.. we offer opportunity here like no other country in the world. i love different heritages and different cultural experiences --- all right here in the usa.
  • ARDuBaie
    ARDuBaie Posts: 378 Member
    Let it be known that English is not the first language I learned. My mother spoke French and German and my father was Scottish and had a very heavy Scottish accent. People in the U.S. are way too emotional about others speaking English. I slip into French and German easily and, when angry, my English has a heavy Scottish accent. Normally, I have a mild Scottish accent. Well, I have had people comment negatively about the accent and the way that I slip back and forth into French and German. I think that they are jealous, really. I do think that the Scottish accent was hurting me professionally (I am a teacher), so I actually paid over $2,000 to have a professional help me get rid of it.

    Really, people, I could care less if the person doing my nails is speaking Korean, Vietnamese, etc. People who get upset about those things have small minds and boring lives.

    I was once in a shop and a similar situation occurred. The owner was Greek and his mother worked there, so they spoke Greek back and forth. Well, when a customer complained about them not speaking English, I spoke up about how most of our relatives probably didn't speak English very well when they came to the U.S. and that the person needed to back off.

    This brings to mind the quote about how evil will exist as long as good people do not stand up against it. My mother always said that if you don't stand up for what you believe in, then you really don't believe in it, now do you.
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    Yes it's mildly aggravating when you can't speak a language someone's conversing in, but so long as when they're conversing with you they can speak your language enough for you both to understand each other... who cares? As Americans we live in a country built on immigrants from all over the world. Hell, where I live some people have their own version of French. Honestly I'd rather see these people keep their heritage alive even if just in language than to accept them and then say "you're no longer [insert race here], you're American and will speak the main tongue here, English." If we're going to adopt that braindead logic, what stops other countries from doing the same and banishing all other languages?

    Some people get way too "patriotic" if you ask me. I hope her granddaughter grows up with more sense than her grandmother.
  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member
    Aww. She was feeling left out of the conversation. Also, she's stupid.

    Yes. Yes she was.

    I hate hate HATE that so much. My family is Vietnamese and many of them don't speak English well. It's not that they DON'T speak and understand English. It's that they are embarrassed. For example, my stepfather's niece and nephew (in their late teens/early 20s) just came to the US recently. I assumed they didn't speak English because... well, they only spoke in Vietnamese the entire time I was there. They would smile and nod while my children happily talked up a storm about everything under the sun with them (my children are 3 and 6). While my children were laying down watching a movie, the oldest of the 2 was sitting with them. I walked around the corner and could hear him talking to my 6 year old. He was repeating what my son was saying (pointing to the stuffed animal and saying "bear", pointing to the characters on the tv and naming what animal they were). When I walked in and told my kids it was time to go to sleep, he said "Good night. See you tomorrow." He could speak English and he could actually speak clearly enough for me and my children to understand. He was embarrassed to hold a full conversation.
  • PunkyG210
    PunkyG210 Posts: 94 Member
    I'm a nurse. I have alot of patients that supposedly speak no English. I do speak limited Portuguese...mostly medical things that I've picked up over the years. You'd be surprised how often these patients who speak no English get pissed at a nurse who can't speak fluent Portuguese...then lo and behold....they suddenly know at least one word in English...and for some reason that word is always "*kitten*". And then, suddenly they can speak some English and tell you what they want. Granted some of them speak limited English and I don't know if it's embarassing for them to try to speak English but "*kitten*", geez I guess we all know the bad words in a different language. And by the way, I'm not talking about people who have just come here from Portugal, I'm talking about people who have been here for 50 years and raised families here. It really irritates me that they have the nerve to call their caretaker a *kitten* because she doesn't speak the language of the country that they came from. That's just my opinion.
  • rextcat
    rextcat Posts: 1,408 Member
    I'd have suggested that b*tch learn to speak Cherokee.
    i would have gone with onondaga:bigsmile:


    edited to add most of the "girls" that work at the nail shop i love(and 2xs' a year get to go to) speak fluently at least 3 laguages, their native one thia/ tagala and english, which(if you cant tell from my spelling) is better than me
  • tennisbabe94
    tennisbabe94 Posts: 444 Member
    Wow... that's so rude. -.-
  • WickedGarden
    WickedGarden Posts: 944 Member
    I think when someone immigrates to the US, they are very self conscious about their broken English, and don't like speaking in it, because many Americans will berate that person by mocking their broken English accent.

    I grew up learning my family's native language as well as English. When I got to school, the kids made fun of me and mocked me in a broken English accent. I shocked them when I spoke clear and fluent English. The teasing continued, and I basically quit speaking anything but English, I was embarrassed to be different and just wanted to be accepted. It was hard since I was the only other kid in my entire elementary school of a different color, the other kid was African American.

    Many people come to the US because their family is poor, there is so much opportunity here, all they want is to make a better life for themselves and family. I would like to see that lady get dumped off in a foreign country, and watch her try to fend for herself, and make a living over there, without speaking ANY English.
  • djsupreme6
    djsupreme6 Posts: 1,210 Member
    some people just have no sense whatsoever
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
    This is North America, everyone should be speaking one of the man native languages common among the Apache, Sioux, Cherokee, Crow, or others. English is a foreign language here.
  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 13,748 Member
    I watched the Quebec video and wow... That kind of crap is bizarre and unfortunate. The majority of people from Quebec are good folks but every village has it's wacko.
  • She sounds like a troubled old lady. And in my best southern accent...."Bless her heart...." hehehe.
  • I'd have suggested that b*tch learn to speak Cherokee.

    OMG, I almost died laughing. To see the look on that ladies face if someone said that to her would have been EPIC.
  • claudiacarmel
    claudiacarmel Posts: 39 Member
    Exactly!
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    I was at college one day and something like this happened except I knew the person name. I just randomly started saying his name while talking my language. So I would like

    "app kaisay hain aur yaa batoon batoon main Jason ka naame boldetay hain"

    (Hey how are you and while talking lets say Jason's name randomly)

    Used to PIIIIISSSSSS him off. He's go off about speaking english while in America blah blah blah and we'd just continue and talk. I currently speak 4 languages so I had plenty of opportunities to irritate him
  • Aww. She was feeling left out of the conversation. Also, she's stupid.

    ^ very stupid
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
    The lady sounds really rude. I don't see why she had such a problem with the nail techs speaking their native language in THEIR place of business...especially since they did speak English with customers.

    I find language to be a really fascinating topic. When I was in graduate school for education, I learned in one of my classes that it takes at least 5 to 7 years to become academically proficient in a second language. I do believe that when you move to a new country you should learn at least survival language of that country (no matter what country it is), but I think most people don't realize how difficult it is, especially for adults, to learn a second language. I experienced this firsthand when trying to pick up Spanish so that I could communicate more directly with some of the families I worked with in one of my teaching jobs. I studied formally and informally for several years...I can speak about as well as a 4 year old ;) And I was horribly embarrassed when I tried to speak to native Spanish speakers. They were very nice to me and didn't make fun of me at all but I can see why people stick to their native language when they can...

    The funny thing is, the norm in most European countries seems to be knowing/speaking at least 2 or 3 languages. At least it was when I was younger, I don't know about now. I remember an exchange student when I was in high school--she had grown up in France but was born to Dutch parents. So she spoke French, Dutch, German. AND she spoke nearly flawless English. It was quite amazing...and she said it was typical of her classmates to speak 2, 3 or 4 languages. I also babysat for a family who had a German mom and French dad, and their children spoke German, French AND English.
  • SurfinBird1981
    SurfinBird1981 Posts: 517 Member
    wow, I guess it happens everywhere....people take life too serious. The woman actually said she would pray for them when she got home, lol :noway:

    Lol wow, she is fitting every stereotype I have for Americans.

    :laugh:
  • English, and I mean AMERICAN English, is the most difficult language to learn. It's a proven fact.

    That lady needs to bite her tongue. Literally.

    I teach English, and Im glad I didnt have to learn it!

    btw, all forms of English are equally difficult.

    Im British and British English changes every 50/60 miles up the road. (As does the accent)
  • wow, I guess it happens everywhere....people take life too serious. The woman actually said she would pray for them when she got home, lol :noway:

    Lol wow, she is fitting every stereotype I have for Americans.

    You HAVE to be British .. lmao!!!

    :flowerforyou:
  • Midnight_Sunshine
    Midnight_Sunshine Posts: 369 Member
    wow, I guess it happens everywhere....people take life too serious. The woman actually said she would pray for them when she got home, lol :noway:

    No it doesn't. We don't do this kind of **** in Canada.

    Except not the part of Canada I have lived in. Who knows about those weirdos on the East Coast :laugh:
  • The funny thing is, the norm in most European countries seems to be knowing/speaking at least 2 or 3 languages.
    Except if you are British ... LMAO!!! We are useless at it
    At least it was when I was younger, I don't know about now. I remember an exchange student when I was in high school--she had grown up in France but was born to Dutch parents. So she spoke French, Dutch, German. AND she spoke nearly flawless English. It was quite amazing...and she said it was typical of her classmates to speak 2, 3 or 4 languages. I also babysat for a family who had a German mom and French dad, and their children spoke German, French AND English.

    My daughter is Dutch and she will speak Dutch natively, English naturally plus German easily. Then because she can, she'll probably going to break her dear old papa's heart and learn French too ... lol
  • jazee11
    jazee11 Posts: 321
    Hate is taught, that lady is misinformed.

    I never mind going into my nail salon and the girls talking with one another in their native language. I would rather not understand the gossip of the previous nights debacle or the trash talk about a lame customer like that lady. I am more offended when I can understand the language. I just turn on the chair massage and get lost in my magazines.