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?
I find the type of people that get angry at those that don’t speak English, usually have not a single interesting thing about them so they use English as an excuse to feel superior. It’s funny because the type to get angry at another language, rarely can speak English better than a 4th grade level.
Exactly! I have a friend who said a similar thing to his daughter, who came to him crying because her friends said she was not American enough because she wasn’t white. My friend said “you’re top of the class, excellent at sports, well spoken, well educated and very friendly and polite. They try to attack you for the sake of doing it, they try to find something bad about you, and they get nothing. So what do they resort to? Skin color!” (and yeah, I know this is about language, but it’s pretty much in line with your comment.)
americans dont seem to understand there is an entire world outside of their country
American here, who has spent about a decade living in various countries around the world.
The biggest problem with my fellow Americans is that we’re raised in an isolated country, which only borders two other countries (Canada and Mexico). And our country is so massive, probably 90% of Americans don’t live anywhere near either country border.
Crossing borders is a big deal too; it’s not like Europe where you can be driving and suddenly see a sign welcoming you to a new country. There are checkpoints, blockades, passports, regular inspections, etc. Especially since 9/11 happened, our borders have become even more locked down. Plus, going anywhere else requires expensive plane tickets to fly over the oceans.
This leads to most Americans having no social interactions with foreigners most of the time. We’re fully ingrained in our own culture bubble and we don’t get a lot of interaction with other cultures, outside of stereotypes through pop culture.
Combine this with the fact that we’re taught from childhood that we’re the “greatest nation on Earth,” and you get an entire culture of entitled, narcissistic jerks who think the American way is the best way.
Our education has been failing for decades now, thanks to politicians on both sides of the aisle realizing that we’re more easily manipulated if we’re less educated. So there’s this race to the bottom, where we’re being fed lies and embellishments about how great America is and how we’re this amazing country that the rest of the world looks up to and admires.
With this entitled world view, it makes Americans scared when foreigners come to our country because we only know of their culture through stereotypes and we fear their culture taking over our “amazing and most perfect country.” Just as we’ve stepped into other countries and spread our own democracy, we’re afraid other nations will attempt to do the same to us.
It doesn’t help that we have an entire political party who maintains their voter base through fear mongering about foreigners taking our jobs, stealing our women, and destroying our “great culture” for their “backwards and corrupt” values. It’s complete lunacy, but to the average American who has no regular contact with the outside world, it seems plausible.
So yeah, a lot of Americans get uncomfortable when foreigners speak their native language around us instead of English. They tend to find it rude at best, and offensive/dangerous at worst. And some of the worst Americans travel abroad and expect everyone to essentially worship the ground they walk on, so they get offended when other people don’t know or speak English. It’s a really messed up world view, but it’s hard to change when we live such isolated lives.
Beats me, I live in Arizona and hearing other people speak Spanish is a daily occurrence. I don’t get even the slightest bit upset by it and I feel like you’d have to be insane to care about such a thing.
So maybe you have it here, some people are insane.
Sorry, as a Greek-American (currently in Greece), I disagree with most of the people here. When you’re part of a new country, you need to be able to do your business with the authorities in the official language. For that, some level of understanding the native language is required. In fact, to get any passport from any country, you need to have a B1-level understanding of that country’s language. So yes, being in a country, you need to know the basics. And if you don’t, then make sure you learn the basics within 6 months, in order to be able to live there without issues. I don’t see that as xenophobia, I see it as common sense.
I moved to Greece from the US this year with my French husband. He doesn’t speak Greek. I can tell you, it has been a nightmare for him doing paperwork, and I need to go with him EVERYWHERE in any government office in order to get setup. It wasn’t pretty in the first few months, he was full of anxiety and he wouldn’t leave the house without me.
Also, I worked in Germany in my youth, for a few months. I couldn’t understand most of what was said (although I could pick up a few words, but certainly couldn’t speak back). It was a nightmare. There were no free programs back then to learn the language, and so I went there without any preparation. Today, I wouldn’t have done it that way. I would first learn the language in some basic form (today there are apps to do that), and then move there.
USA does not have an official language.
Legally, yes. But you’re going to have a bad time if you don’t speak at least some English.
A friend of mine moved to LA from Germany to work for his German company. German was an option for the test at the DMV. He said the test was gibberish so he turned it in for an English test.
No, and I do not agree with the above poster, but we’re aided in that most of our forms are in both English and Spanish, the two most common native tongues of people who live here.
Do you expect a couple of foreigners visiting America together to speak English to each other while they are in the US?
Homie, stop making shit up. Noone is giving grief to tourists for not speaking the native language of the country they are visiting.
Do you expect two people from the same country who moved to the US and live in the US to speak English to each other?
We’re talking about people living there, not tourists.
Do you expect two people from the same country who moved to the US and live in the US to speak English to each other?
To each other, of course not. But to others, yes.
I love hearing other languages in the US. It reminds me of the lofty ideals that were taught to me as a child. The Great Melting Pot, Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses, E Pluribus Unum and all that.
I hate that there is a significant portion of the population here that violently believes that English is the only language here.
I do not give 2 shits about people speaking foreign languages out in the ether for the most part. Having said that, there are 2 instances I can think of that grind my gears.
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You order an Uber, and the guy who’s driving is on the phone with someone, and is speaking another language with them the whole time. This is more just for the fact that this is shitty customer service for someone who works on tips to an extent. For whatever reason, this seems to only be an issue with foreign speaking people. My guess is maybe they’re talking to family back home? I certainly don’t tip those people who are doing it, but I don’t care enough to call them out on it either.
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As a poker player, they have rules about speaking English only at the table. This prevents collusion. I will absolutely call people out for English only at the table especially when there is a live hand going on.
For the first point really no matter what language they are using on the phone it’s bad service regardless. There already have been enough studies that says talking on a phone do still distract you from driving and makes it more dangerous.
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Probably because most Americans can’t speak any other language… because our education system is awful… because those in power prefer a stupid populace because they’re easier to control.
I took 5 years of spanish and I dont speak it. It has nothing to do with the schools, its that I dont need to learn any other languages. Literally I have traveled all around the world and have never needed to know anything but english. I get its annoying to other countries, but is just the reality.
Some people are shit
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.
Those who say this are usually frustrated by the increasing number of misunderstandings/miscommunications due to increasing English illiteracy. Its become more difficult to communicate to those around you.
It’s utterly unacceptable behaviour but I believe the issue lies deeper than simple “racism”. I also sometimes find it frustrating from the sheer volume of people that can’t speak English, from coworkers, customers, fellow students, etc. I don’t even live near the border, where the problem is much worse.
You got voted down, but this is absolutely real. I speak multiple languages, but none with the nuance and clarity of context as I do English. I communicate with folks all across the world that are all English speakers, however, the variance in comprehension is so drastic that at times we’re really not using the same language, even if we’re using some of the same words.
If you emigrate to a country, it’s a reasonable expectation that you’ll learn the language. The United States doesn’t technically have an official language, English is just de facto, but from a practical standpoint it’s absolutely occupying that role, and will in perpetuity.
I can absolutely agree with the premise that being frustrated with language barriers isn’t racism, it’s an actual real and realized impediment to understanding.
Language barriers are a real impediment to understanding. But these people we’re talking about are angry because of xenophobia, don’t get it twisted.
Well, ya see, it’s cuz America=/=the World.
But those Americans think the opposite.
Uh, if there’s a “rest of the world” why haven’t I seen it?
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!
Fear… At the bottom of it is always fear
They can’t be nosey if they can’t understand you.
A different perspective - my grandparents grew up speaking French. Then the state passed a law saying only English in schools when they were young children. They would get hit on the hands with rulers for speaking French.
This was of course passed down to my parents and myself. But my mom still bitches about kids where I currently live being in school and unable to speak English because they’re new immigrants.
She doesn’t see the hypocrisy and it’s sad.
