[Bas]

?

[Bas]

it seems rampant reading the assumptions of most americans here, still with everything they know showing such complacency with their language and country.

[max_power29]

I'll call the WHAAAAAmbulance.

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Bas', 'i')t seems rampant reading the assumptions of most americans here, still with everything they know showing such complacency with their language and country.

[wisconsin_cur]

My only problem is with those dutch speakers.

Why don't they all just convert to proper German or English?

How many germanic languages does the world need anyway?

[bl00k]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('wisconsin_cur', 'M')y only problem is with those dutch speakers.

Why don't they all just convert to proper German or English?

How many germanic languages does the world need anyway?

[idomar]

Being bilingual, in this world, is the norm. monolingualism, as most Brits and Americans are, is abnormal.

What is it that makes people think that they are more intelligent than someone else by knowing less than them? It can't be English or American English surely, that is what makes native English speakers great.

or is it like Tanada wrote "Ignorance + Arrogance= False Beliefs."

[Bas]

I wasn't so much referring to this playing a role within the West, though it no doubt does, but was thinking about how it plays a role in the way we think about the Chinese or Arabs, with their English usually being far from perfect.

I guess it doesn't really run rampant here among Americans as I said before, actually it's probably much less an "issue" here than it is in the general population and for that matter, I believe it's also applies to my own country and other European countries, heck, I probably have similar faulty subconscious assumptions myself.

Either way, I'd like to explore this issue a little further, and we probably should include cultural differences in this too, as we in the West like to think we're so much more superior in that way vs pretty much any other culture, and treat those cultures accordingly (and always have).

[Revi]

Some of us are trilingual at least... I don't know how people can get by with only one language.

[virgincrude]

Bas, this is actually a far deeper subject than you'd think. Language IS culture for most people, and speaking any language as a non-native speaker is filled with the obstacles and pit falls inherent in the misunderstanding, ignorance or mis-use of that second (third or fourth) culture.

English, for example, is taken to be the most straightforward of tools for communication and explanation. It's a rather blunt instrument however, when it comes to matters of the heart or spirit where even German is believed by native speakers to be superior (German poets for example.) French is assumed (both by speakers and the Anglo community) to be 'the language of love', but what about the Dom Tom (Domain de Ultramere) french speakers, of African descent, whose culture can't be described as 'French'?

The assumption that non-native speakers (of English, or German, or whatever,) are less intelligent comes from the usage of language. The request an English person may make upon entering a room: "Could we close the window, d'you think?" let's say, is deemed ridiculous by a native German speaker, for example, who would simply say; "let's close the window: it's cold" at which an English person would become uppity about his arrogance! The USE of the English famous politeness (could we?, do you think? to avoid appearing overbearing) means the non-native speaker assumes the English speaker is weak, and at worst, stupid.

Speaking several languages from early childhood is not only good for general intelligence levels, it's good for emotional development, and general communication skills all round.

[Plantagenet]

The dialects of the minority Frisian language are endangered in the Netherlands and northern Europe. Surely more could be done to protect these important cultural treasures, as the Brits have done with Welsh and with the almost extinct Devon language.

from Wikipedia:

Status
Saterland and North Frisian are officially recognised and protected as minority languages in Germany, and West Frisian is one of the two official languages in the Netherlands, together with Dutch. Saterland Frisian and most dialects of North Frisian are seriously endangered.

[Bas]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', 'T')he dialects of the minority Frisian language are endangered in the Netherlands and northern Europe. Surely more could be done to protect these important cultural treasures, as the Brits have done with Welsh and with the almost extinct Devon language.

from Wikipedia:

Status
Saterland and North Frisian are officially recognised and protected as minority languages in Germany, and West Frisian is one of the two official languages in the Netherlands, together with Dutch. Saterland Frisian and most dialects of North Frisian are seriously endangered.

[Plantagenet]

HA! Thats a good story, Bas.

There are stereotyped reactions to "accents" in the U.S. The British accent is considered very cool and a sign of intelligence....political commenters in the US with British accents are very common.

But its movies where the stereotypes come out. The popularity of "James Bond" movies comes in part from the "Britishness" of Bond. Israelis heroes (as in Exodus) and Arab heroes (the Arabs in Lawrence of Arabia) usually have British accents.

French accents are taken as a sign the person is a foppish dork. Movies with French characters almost always portray them badly.

German accents usually mean the character is an evil "Eurotrash" killer
or has a secret cell of Neo-Nazis somewhere in his past.

[wisconsin_cur]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('virgincrude', 'B')as, this is actually a far deeper subject than you'd think. Language IS culture for most people, and speaking any language as a non-native speaker is filled with the obstacles and pit falls inherent in the misunderstanding, ignorance or mis-use of that second (third or fourth) culture.

English, for example, is taken to be the most straightforward of tools for communication and explanation. It's a rather blunt instrument however, when it comes to matters of the heart or spirit where even German is believed by native speakers to be superior (German poets for example.) French is assumed (both by speakers and the Anglo community) to be 'the language of love', but what about the Dom Tom (Domain de Ultramere) french speakers, of African descent, whose culture can't be described as 'French'?

...

Speaking several languages from early childhood is not only good for general intelligence levels, it's good for emotional development, and general communication skills all round.

[TheDude]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('virgincrude', 'E')nglish, for example, is taken to be the most straightforward of tools for communication and explanation. It's a rather blunt instrument however, when it comes to matters of the heart or spirit where even German is believed by native speakers to be superior (German poets for example.)

[virgincrude]

See? language=culture, you say something people take to be belittling (i.e English not as poetic as French or whatever) and they get upset. You've hurt them to the core.

Only those fluent in several, or at least two, distinct languages/cultures (say Anglo-saxon and Farsi) could have an insight, rather than a gut reaction to what's taken as a criticism on their favourite language.

People's relationship to their native tongue is anything but objective, there's a reason it's called 'Mother tongue'.

Rather than use personal bias, it would be interesting if 'inter-cultural communication' were included in the national curriculum since that's what almost all of us are engaged in every day.