OMG, Really?

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13

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  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    Wow... that's so rude. -.-
  • WickedGarden
    WickedGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    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
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    some people just have no sense whatsoever
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
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    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: 13,129 Member
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    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.
  • CassandraM22
    CassandraM22 Posts: 89
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    She sounds like a troubled old lady. And in my best southern accent...."Bless her heart...." hehehe.
  • CassandraM22
    CassandraM22 Posts: 89
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    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
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    Exactly!
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    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
  • annahuebscher
    annahuebscher Posts: 114
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    Aww. She was feeling left out of the conversation. Also, she's stupid.

    ^ very stupid
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    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
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    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:
  • PapaDunx
    PapaDunx Posts: 243
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    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)
  • PapaDunx
    PapaDunx Posts: 243
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    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
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    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:
  • PapaDunx
    PapaDunx Posts: 243
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    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
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    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.

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