Speaking English in public

[AltimaGTR]

I never really thought about it, but I recently found out from my friends/cousins in Taiwan. They think that ABC's that speak English loudly in public do it just because they think they're the sh!t. In reality, I've never thought of myself speaking English just to show off, but ever since, I have started to lower my voice when speaking it in public. My question is, do ABC's speaking English in non-English speaking countries come off to you as being arrogant? :confused:

[hooligan]

i speak english in taiwan because my mandarin sucks.

[mr. x]

hmm interesting topic, i mean all i ever hear about is how canto speakers are hella loud but im sure its a cultural thing

im generally soft voiced so i speak sorta quietly, and i spose there are a lot of abcs who really get into it, but yeah its like saying all americans in general are loud, can u really say it?

and when im in taiwan the only person i have to talk to is my older bro so its not like theres anything we can get loud about

i guess u need like at least 3 people to get rowdy (in general)

[AliBabaIncorporated]

maybe this should be moved to history/traditions/diaspora?

Anyway, in my opinion this view is pretty retarded. I wouldn't think a white guy speaking fluent Mandarin was trying to show off if I heard him speaking it in the US. Especially not if the guy's body language and style of dress looked like he didn't grow up in the US. I would think he was showing off if he was speaking shitty, heavily accented Mandarin, same as I think Chinese people are showing off and get pissed when they speak loud and imperfect English to me in public, but that's another thing.

It's not that hard, even for a non-native speaker of a language, to tell the difference between someone speaking it fluently, and someone speaking it with obvious difficulty, especially if they've studied the language like, say, all of Taiwan has with English. And it's really not that hard to pick out ABCs in Taiwan and tell that they're not locals.

Basically it's another example of the twisted attitudes towards English in Asia: it's seen primarily as a status symbol, only secondarily as an actual way to communicate with people and derive enjoyment from making friends, watching TV shows or reading books in the language, etc. There's hardly a similar reaction to Japanese people or Chinese-Japanese being arrogant cuz they speak Japanese in public. Malaysian Chinese speaking BM in public actually get looked down on.

[Ron]

in thailand i speak english w/ some abt's (am. born thais) and everyones okay wit it.

that's probably cuz thailand is a tourist country so a lot of languages are gonna be spoken anyway.

i do remember at a hmong/lao flea market in mpls, mn i had to keep my mouth shut except when buying stuff so they don't think i'm a stuckup

[Seamus]

I speak softly but carry a big stick.

[AngryABCGirl]

From my experience, people just keep kinda fascinated and curious for a little bit, and then lose interest. They're a little more suprised by my Mandarin in Taiwan since I've obviously not a local and don't expect it from me.

[Emperor_Mike]

I speak English and Cantonese without the need to lower or raise my voice. Doesn't matter what people think. Unless you're in France. The French are really snotty when you either speak English or converse in bad French. The Germans are more forgiving when I slaughter their language.

[mr. x]

I speak English and Cantonese without the need to lower or raise my voice. Doesn't matter what people think. Unless you're in France. The French are really snotty when you either speak English or converse in bad French. The Germans are more forgiving when I slaughter their language.
really? cuz avril lavigne said in customs she tried bad german and the guy gave her a weird look and said "germans are so serious" :rolleyes:

like converse in bad french with other bad french speakers or bad french to good french?

and what if your speaking a non-imperialist language like say spanish or italian?

[ZiJing]

I speak softly but carry a big stick.

please dont tell me you keep that big stick in your pants...please.

but on a more serious note, in china, i usually speak cantonese. but i have also noticed that when in cantonese company(family, friends) i speak canto too, even in america. I've also noticed that i hardly ever speak mandarin, beit with friends, family, and in almost any place.

[Seamus]

please dont tell me you keep that big stick in your pants...please.

I'd carry it elsewhere if I could, but it's rather large, so I carry it inside my pants. Sometimes, if it's convenient, I'll take it out and put it in my backpack.

[mr. x]

I'd carry it elsewhere if I could, but it's rather large, so I carry it inside my pants. Sometimes, if it's convenient, I'll take it out and put it in my backpack.

:eek: Rasputin!

[ZiJing]

but his eyes aren't...rasputiny enough

[rakovlam]

Cantonese people raise their voices in public because well... they're Cantonese. I get everyone's attention in the mall or school if I'm on the cell talking to my family. The language is 90% exclamatory. Ah! Ma?! Ha?! Wa! La! Exactly. So if they're Cantonese, it's natural.

[Emperor_Mike]

really? cuz avril lavigne said in customs she tried bad german and the guy gave her a weird look and said "germans are so serious" :rolleyes:

like converse in bad french with other bad french speakers or bad french to good french?

and what if your speaking a non-imperialist language like say spanish or italian?

I'm not sure. The Germans I've met were pleasant enough and didn't cast me a stink eye for getting "die" and "der" mixed up. Maybe it's just the people in Leipzig. I should learn Spanish and Italian. Might be fun.

[mr. x]

I'm not sure. The Germans I've met were pleasant enough and didn't cast me a stink eye for getting "die" and "der" mixed up. Maybe it's just the people in Leipzig. I should learn Spanish and Italian. Might be fun.
just curious, do europeans ever mistake u for a chinese fob? i mean especially if say you chop their language like german they might be thinking "zis fellow iz ein chinenlander" or something

i mean i doubt if they would go "oh i bet he's a chinese who grew up in canada and subsequently moved to london" :rolleyes:

[Emperor_Mike]

just curious, do europeans ever mistake u for a chinese fob? i mean especially if say you chop their language like german they might be thinking "zis fellow iz ein chinenlander" or something

i mean i doubt if they would go "oh i bet he's a chinese who grew up in canada and subsequently moved to london" :rolleyes:

Oh, god all the time in Durham. They see an East Asian student walk by and nine out of ten times they probably assume that I speak bad English and harbour other East Asian stereotypes. Even my native UK (ethnically Chinese) friend gets that. Last month this waitress asked for my order in a deliberately slow manner on the account that I missed her on the first go. Pikey bitch thought I was too daft to understand her and I didn't like that patronising tone she used. I now wish that I had given her a big "fuck you" and spit in her face. Making assumptions...I fucking hate fuckwads who *assume* because they're too stupid to realise that the world is much broader than their sorry minds can fathom.

But yeah, big city folk are better.

[mr. x]

Oh, god all the time in Durham. They see an East Asian student walk by and nine out of ten times they probably assume that I speak bad English and harbour other East Asian stereotypes. Even my native UK (ethnically Chinese) friend gets that. Last month this waitress asked for my order in a deliberately slow manner on the account that I missed her on the first go. Pikey bitch thought I was too daft to understand her and I didn't like that patronising tone she used. I now wish that I had given her a big "fuck you" and spit in her face. Making assumptions...I fucking hate fuckwads who *assume* because they're too stupid to realise that the world is much broader than their sorry minds can fathom.

But yeah, big city folk are better.

wow......u sound like u had to blow that steam off :rolleyes:

ive never seen that side of u, honestly i dont think ive ever heard u talk about discrimination in england

when u speak well do they go "oh my what big words you know!" kinda treatment?

[kimpossible]

I kinda wonder if I'm under a similar scrutiny for showing off or being obvious in public. I'm tired of being a grown woman with a toddler's speaking ability in Mandarin so we've switched to using it more between the two of us. We don't do this solely in public, but we don't stop doing it just because we're out in public. Course I'm not screaming but I'm sure I look Asiaphilic anyhow.

Oh well. Shit happens. Thicker skin and all I suppose.

[Emperor_Mike]

wow......u sound like u had to blow that steam off :rolleyes:

ive never seen that side of u, honestly i dont think ive ever heard u talk about discrimination in england

when u speak well do they go "oh my what big words you know!" kinda treatment?

Discrimination is a disease that afflicts every corner of the world. Apparently, Europe is the current epicentre of growing racial/discrimination problems. Jews, Muslims and South/East Asians have become targets even in big cities like Belfast, London, Paris, and Berlin. It's a sad state of affairs and it irks me to no end. You really can't help but want to kidnap these racists and gut them alive.

No, I don't get the "big words" treatment. The big word thing only comes into play when I put my thoughts in writing. I do get the "you've got a posh accent" sort of thing though. Different accents in different parts of England, I guess.

[SunWuKong]

I do get the "you've got a posh accent" sort of thing though.


they compliment you on your accent? what kind of accent do you have?

[Emperor_Mike]

they compliment you on your accent? what kind of accent do you have?

Well, it's not actually a compliment. I think most people meant it in some derogatory way. I'm not sure what kind of accent I have actually. Probably close to this:

http://alt-usage-english.org/archive/01e04d.mp3

As opposed to something like this:

http://alt-usage-english.org/archive/arth_cs8.mp3

[mr. x]

Well, it's not actually a compliment. I think most people meant it in some derogatory way. I'm not sure what kind of accent I have actually. Probably close to this:

http://alt-usage-english.org/archive/01e04d.mp3

As opposed to something like this:

http://alt-usage-english.org/archive/arth_cs8.mp3
huh? but the second one sounds a lil middle classish, almost irish or something

not that im an expert

[Emperor_Mike]

huh? but the second one sounds a lil middle classish, almost irish or something

not that im an expert

Neither am I. I'm not even sure what I sound like. When you have an accent you're usually the last to know of it. :wink: But I've been told Londoner and I don't know what to make of that.

[mr. x]

Neither am I. I'm not even sure what I sound like. When you have an accent you're usually the last to know of it. :wink: But I've been told Londoner and I don't know what to make of that.
and as an american we tend to think everyone else is the one with the accent, i mean i wonder what it sounds like as an english person

[nonamerasian]

I haven't thought of them having one accent at all.

Some are just harsh to the ears, others sound great, and there are those inbetween.