My friend Tommy Blackly wants to have a word with him.
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We may curse our bad luck that it's sounds like its; who's sounds like whose; they're sounds like their (and there); and you're sounds like your. But if we are grown-ups who have been through full-time education, we have no excuse for muddling them up.
I have absolutely no problem with people speaking their native languages. Hell, I don't even care if they can speak English as long as they're paying their fair share of taxes to the Government of Canada.
This is what I put on Reddit concerning this (I am too lazy to type it again)
Quote:
My family is Ukrainian, and my generation was the first that English was my mother tongue (my family immigrated in 1910). My grandfather and great uncles told me stories of being beaten in school if they spoke Ukrainian and not English.
My mom and I did not speak Ukrainian, and so my Great Uncle had a rule in his house that if anyone there did not speak Ukrainian, then no one did, as he said, "you never know if someone is speaking badly about you."
We also have this issue at work, with people speaking foreign languages at work, for the sole purpose of speaking negatively about coworkers right in front of them.
I can see the idea of where this writer was coming from. But he absolutely did act in a reasonable way.
My sons school has also dealt with the issue of Canadian Born children starting, whose parents refuse to speak English in the home (they know it, it's been confirmed), and these kids are at a huge disadvantage when they start school.
I agree this dude needs to chill the FATA Out. And obviously 3 old guys sitting having coffee everyday doesn't bug anyone (In fact I used to work at Westbrook Mall in College about 13 years ago, so I used to see lots of stuff there).
But, there are some people who do use thier foreign language in impolite ways, I think we can all agree on that
Odd question are there some cultures where talking louder is more appropriate - I know at the fitness centre there are some gentlemen from South-East Asia who go to the gym at roughly the same time and have a sauna at the same time - and boy they are loud, even in having a conversation with each other. I actually have noticed this in a few different people who had immigrated from south-east Asia, so I could never figure out if it was a cultural thing or if it is a figment of my imagination.
This is what I put on Reddit concerning this (I am too lazy to type it again)
I agree this dude needs to chill the FATA Out. And obviously 3 old guys sitting having coffee everyday doesn't bug anyone (In fact I used to work at Westbrook Mall in College about 13 years ago, so I used to see lots of stuff there).
But, there are some people who do use thier foreign language in impolite ways, I think we can all agree on that
I don't agree that speaking another language primarily at home when you're a little kid is a disadvantage at all. In fact, I see it as an advantage because you're going to be able to speak another language fluently. English, whether you like it or not, will eventually become the primary language if you go to school in Canada. That's just how it goes. Young kids pick it up really quick. I was speaking fluently by the time grade 1 was over.
Besides, do you really want your parents teaching you crappy English before you start school? I knew some guy that was born here that has a Chinese accent speaking English, but yet also has an English accent speaking Chinese. Why? Because his parents kept speaking crappy English to him. That messed him up for life.
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People throw the word "racist" around like nothing these days. Please tell me, how was he being racist?
Well you're right, perhaps it's not racist per say, but the idea that foreign languages are inferior and should not be spoken and that everyone in Canada needs to speak the offical language is completely disrespecting the cultural mosaic this country actually is. It comes across as someone bitter that other people are not following the conventional Caucasian / English "Canada" that may have been prevalent in previous generations.
Barry Whiteley comes across to me as the kind of guy who wants a 1950's-esque Canada, harping back to the "good ol' days" when English was spoken by all the good citizens while waiting for the bus at the corner.
This country no longer exists in such an antiquated fantasy. And that's a good thing. Diversity should be embraced.
I don't agree that speaking another language primarily at home when you're a little kid is a disadvantage at all. In fact, I see it as an advantage because you're going to be able to speak another language fluently. English, whether you like it or not, will eventually become the primary language if you go to school in Canada. That's just how it goes. Young kids pick it up really quick. I was speaking fluently by the time grade 1 was over.
Besides, do you really want your parents teaching you crappy English before you start school? I knew some guy that was born here that has a Chinese accent speaking English, but yet also has an English accent speaking Chinese. Why? Because his parents kept speaking crappy English to him. That messed him up for life.
Well the kids from my songs school had a hard time learning the language, and it was very hard on the teachers. Not to mention, it also makes it difficult for the child to socially interact with other students
Well the kids from my songs school had a hard time learning the language, and it was very hard on the teachers. Not to mention, it also makes it difficult for the child to socially interact with other students
Yah, but that's usually just temporary. It's preschool / kindergarten. It's not like it's university. English is picked up pretty quick, especially with all the exposure on TV as well.
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Well the kids from my songs school had a hard time learning the language, and it was very hard on the teachers. Not to mention, it also makes it difficult for the child to socially interact with other students
If I remember correctly, knowing certain languages actually makes it easier to speak proper English or improve your English.
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Odd question are there some cultures where talking louder is more appropriate - I know at the fitness centre there are some gentlemen from South-East Asia who go to the gym at roughly the same time and have a sauna at the same time - and boy they are loud, even in having a conversation with each other. I actually have noticed this in a few different people who had immigrated from south-east Asia, so I could never figure out if it was a cultural thing or if it is a figment of my imagination.
Absolutely. Chinese is one of them, and Shanghainese is even more magnified. When you don't know what someone is saying it often sounds like an argument with raised voices compared to a typical English conversation. I've often thought that my wife and her mother were having a fight when they've been speaking Shanghainese on the phone, but in reality they're just talking about the most mundane things.
A lot of foreigners are bothered by this in China, but that's just the way a lot of people speak here. Funnily enough, when multilingual people switch from Shanghainese to Mandarin they seem to get a bit quieter, then when switching from Mandarin to English become quieter still. It's interesting.
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Absolutely. Chinese is one of them, and Shanghainese is even more magnified. When you don't know what someone is saying it often sounds like an argument with raised voices compared to a typical English conversation. I've often thought that my wife and her mother were having a fight when they've been speaking Shanghainese on the phone, but in reality they're just talking about the most mundane things.
A lot of foreigners are bothered by this in China, but that's just the way a lot of people speak here. Funnily enough, when multilingual people switch from Shanghainese to Mandarin they seem to get a bit quieter, then when switching from Mandarin to English become quieter still. It's interesting.
I love languages. I am not particularly gifted in learning them, but it's still kind of a hobby of mine. I learned Croatian as a child, but was brought up speaking mostly English, but then as an adult, re-learned Croatian and am still trying to expand on it. It's similar enough to Serbian, Bulgarian and Macedonian that I can understand varying degrees of those languages. Slovenian, less so... but I digress.
One thing my wife pointed out to me that I never noticed was that when a lot south Slavic people learn English, there is often a sarcastic tone when speaking. It has to do with the way certain syllables are stressed and the "question" and "answer" tones being slightly different in our native language. When people learn languages, they often overlook those differences. Add to that, the way the language works just sounds more blunt when you translate to English. I have seen first hand how this causes friction and misunderstandings in translations.
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