• Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    Include anglo Canadians in there too!

    Complaining about bilingual (english + french) positions in the public service is a favorite hobby of anglo public servants, as if the french ones didn’t need to learn a second language to get the job… Heck, it’s not rare to see/hear one argue that french Canadians should just start speaking english and stop bothering them about their “unique culture”…

    But hey, it’s not racism… Or so they say 🤷

  • Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 year ago

    My 3 favorite experiences with language as an American:

    (1) My Jamaican coworker who I couldn’t understand for the life of me and my Ukrainian coworker who my Jamaican couldn’t understand at all, the Ukrainian coworker understood the Jamaican coworker just fine though and I understood my Ukrainian coworker just fine. Basically it turns into a fun game of telephone whenever we need to talk.

    (2) My former coworker from Haiti who no one but the hiring manager and I could understand, the best part about this is that I didn’t know he had an accent. I just didn’t hear it somehow. He was a great guy, he went back home a few years ago when his mother passed. Got stuck due to the pandemic and never came back to the company. I hope he’s doing well.

    (3) My former coworker from Guatemala insisting English wasn’t my first language as to him it sounded like English was my second language at best. I’ve been working on it since then. I still suck at it.

  • GreenTeaRedFlag [any]@hexbear.net
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    1 year ago

    damn, bro. It’s almost like America is bigger than all of Europe and shares one language, and it’s hard to become fluent in a language when there’s no one to speak it with. If you are asian or european you can hop in the car or on a train to practice your french or vietnamese, but unless you’re practicing Spanish or some specific language kept in your area(Polish in Chicago, Pennsylvania Dutch, German in some parts of Wisconsin) you have no way to practice.

    • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      Not only this, but I’ve met one German speaker irl since german class about 15yr ago. Many times “bilingual” in europe means “X and English,” do German people oft go 15 years without meeting another English speaker? Seems like there’d be one on every corner.

  • andresil@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Americans have trouble with any accent that isn’t the blandest, nails on chalkboard accent.

    Once had one ask me if I was speaking English when I spoke to him (for context I am Irish, the north bit)

    • pjhenry1216@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Bland and nails on chalkboard? That’s like the opposite of bland. Not great, but definitely not bland. Bland is blunt and flat. Nails on chalkboard is shrill, sharp, and grating. I just don’t understand how you can believe both at the same time.

    • notfutomes [they/them]@hexbear.net
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      1 year ago

      I mean if you never leave the US (easy to do, it’s gigantic and travel is expensive/people are poor), it’s kinda understandable that you’d struggle with accents because you rarely hear any, let alone other languages. I know americans that have trouble with english accents lmao

  • Roundcat@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    面白いね。メキシコがアメリカの近くにあるのに、アメリカの大分がスペイン語を全然はなせないねw!私もスペイン語が習いたいけど、日本語もうPainintheassだよ!

    • Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      There are few reasons to visit Mexico for most Americans, even those on the border. If you don’t understand that, then you’re ignorant of how things typically work here. I live there (in a border city), feel free to ask me questions.

      This said, I agree that japanese is a pain in the ass to learn. Still, I’m really enjoying the process of it. I’m done with Hiragana, and I’m learning Katakana now. So, I’m a the level of a child, basically… But that’s okay. We all have to start somewhere, and judging strangers is kind of considered an asshole move here in America.

      Good luck with your learnings.

    • el_bhm@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Oh look, it’s the same old reposted garbage comment that I have seen on Reddit hundreds of times.

  • Melllvar@startrek.website
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    1 year ago

    I’ll never understand this attitude that Europeans have towards Americans. I thought we were friends.