I’ve hears stories of some Americans telling other people who are speaking a non-English language “This is America, speak English!” even if the conversation has nothing to do with them. Why do they do this?
They can’t be nosey if they can’t understand you.
We’re British imperialists at the end if the day. We traveled across the seas to a new continent and destroyed it for… So little benefit
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They are ignorant, taught hate, and told incorrectly that English is the official language of the United States, but in reality the United States doesn’t have an official language. In fact before WW1 there where so many German speaking Americans that spme cities had German spelled street names, and German festivals.
I remember smoking outside a pub near Chinatown with a mate something like ten years ago when two Chinese people went by speaking Chinese, and he said “they should be speaking English; this is Britain,” so I asked why, and he couldn’t explain why. Just on a vague principle.
If they’re anything like my mother, they automatically assume anyone speaking in any language other than English within earshot of her is shit-talking her, specifically. The thought that someone might be saying something mean-spirited about her is just too much for her tiny brain to handle. If you think she’s a bitch, she needs to know. It reeks of desperation and the need to be liked by all people at all times while also doing nothing to bridge that gap yourself.
This is a myth as far as I know. I’ve never seen it happen.
I god, obey! Chauvinism, pure chauvinism. Tho … english … is a melting pot of languages. As many other languages were before. So it might as well be the laziness of Americans. Forget where they or their ancestors came from and forget about politeness.
Americans aren’t saying that because they forgot that they were once immigrants. They’re saying it because they remember, and they remember how they themselves immigrated, then scrambled to learn and speak English.
All this talk of xenophobia and racism, which I get are indeed often reasons why people do this, but there’s a certain show of lack of respect for the new home country if there’s not even an effort made. If someone is visiting a country, I get there’s an exception, but if someone moves to a country, it shouldn’t be uncalled for to expect at least a minor effort to learn just enough of the new language to transact/survive. That’s something I see a lot as an American, and it frustrates me- Folks who move here and have been here for years, but can’t learn enough to at least sort of transact. I have so much respect (often more for them than natives) for those who learn even a couple words so I can do my job to help them, but then there are folks who I’ve seen for years that still refuse to learn a single word of English, so we play the mime game trying to figure out what they want. If I move to another country, you bet your ass I’m not going to expect them to speak English, and I’ll do what I can to at least learn some words or phrases so I can interact with the populace around me. I feel like that is one of the most significant forms of respect for a new home country that one can show. Not everyone is as nuanced in their outlook and opinions, and a lot of those folks are indeed racist xenophobic.
still refuse to learn a single word of English
Do they say this out loud?
Still and all, USA has no national language.
English is the national language, I only know this because it was going to be German, but the decided against that. And yes, those are the only words they seem to know in that situation, “no English” so idk how else that is to be interpreted.
Does the USA have an official language?
“No English” can be interpreted many ways. A few examples might be: “It’s really hard to learn, I’ve tried and I just can’t get it!” “I don’t make enough money to take lessons, and I don’t know anyone who will teach me. Will you?” “I’ve learned some English, but I feel nervous speaking to strangers.”
I suppose “I refuse” is possible. I assume people with such an attitude are in the minority (I’m an optimist).
Optimism isn’t always accurate unfortunately. I even try using their language if I know a bit of it and get denied the interaction. So they are essentially refusing to interact with folks not of their own race. So essentially, even though I’m bending over backwards in the ways I can, they’re being the racist individuals in this situation. If you downvote, you’re a moron who needs their head removed, because how else is that supposed to be interpreted?
Based on anecdotal evidence, “I refuse” may be more common than you think. I live in Switzerland, and out of all the expats I know who have been here a long time (20+ years), a large percentage (over half) of them still can’t speak German. At all. Like, they can maybe say “thank you” but that’s about the extent of their vocabulary, and many of them actually seem to be quite proud of the fact that they’ve made absolutely zero attempt to integrate into the local community or culture.
Now, although I’m fully aware that there are a hell of a lot of differences between Switzerland and the US, it still wouldn’t be at all surprising to me if there were large groups of immigrants in the US who similarly resist learning English.
I wouldn’t say it’s a point of pride in the US usually, because it does make life difficult and limited. In the US, a lot of situations simply require English. It means relying on friends and family as translators, so the person can be at their mercy. They also can become very isolated within their immigrant communities while they watch the younger multilingual generations be able to integrate. My impression is that it is usually older people who struggle most learning English that remain in this group. I can’t think of anyone who is even vaguely younger who didn’t make an effort to learn English.
I remember a middle aged Iranian woman who was taking ELL courses at my university. We happen to be at the gym at the same time some nights. I could tell it was a struggle, but she was clearly picking up more of the language.
Because in America we believe strongly in our rights: specifically the right to tell people they don’t have the right to speak any language they want. It’s called freedom man!
They are bigoted and racist.
This is it. The end. Thanks for coming to their Ted Talk.
Thanks for the outro. Ill be performing in more venues in a slice near you.
What gets me is when they complain about Spanish, a European language. Where does English come from, you may ask? Oh right! Europe!
So they’re proud of speaking a language that’s not even 'Merican. Learn Navajo, Comanche, or any of the several native American languages, then we’ll talk.
I like your energy!
Fear… At the bottom of it is always fear
Some people are shit
because racist people are stupid and ignorant
True.
Also, there is a psychological effect of people either feeling excluded from a conversation, or suspicious that they are being secretly insulted when they can’t understand it.
Many people presume that if someone is speaking a different language, they are talking shit. I’ve regretably been one of them, but sometimes you aren’t wrong (RE Chinese people who speak Chinese and the "ABC"s who don’t)
Because anytime someone speaks a foreign language in their presence they must me talking bad about them. After all its what they would do.
