Speaking a second language in the US
By shikafresca
@shikafresca (9)
United States
December 5, 2008 11:32pm CST
How do you feel about the people who are bilingual, trilingual, etc...?
Would you feel offended if they spoke their native language instead of speaking English in the US?
How would you feel if your co-workers were speaking in a different language? Is English as the official language for the US?
I think everyone should speak the language they're want, as long as they feel comfortable and do not offend anyone.
4 responses
@Muteki (114)
• Japan
9 Jul 10
I think learning second or third languages actualy improves your own language since you tend to think more about the syntax of a spoken language.
For the US and UK, English is not only the official but universal language for everyone. There are times when people from ethnic groups need to know when and where to refrain from using their native tongue. None speakers may find it rude.
I live in a biligual home and try to mix languages evenly amonsts family and friends.
@Comagirl (146)
• Spain
20 Jul 10
Definitely! Learning a new language helps you understand your native tongue from a different perspective. As you learned your first language without rules and structures as an infant, you can only understand the structure once you examine it from the 'outside' as it were, in the context of parallels with a new language
@Lore2009 (7378)
• United States
22 Feb 11
I am bilingual here in the US and I hate it when people talk to me in the other language in front of people who cannot speak the language... I think it's so rude. But I don't necessarily feel offended when people are talking in another language in front of me.. but I will stare because I am curious and I'd like to see if I can pick up a few words since I have a lot of interest in linguistics.
@seeker48 (25)
• United States
2 Jun 09
Language is a means of ' getting your message across to others'. Whether it be l spoken language, sign language, body language, programming language, or other than that, it is a means of communicating/expression. Therefore, I wouldn't be offended if someone had to use, let's say sign language when talking with her sister, at our table while gathering for a Sunday luncheon given by a friend. Or 2 of my co-workers, who happened to be of Spanish decent, decided to explain the details of a marketing presentation to a new team member on the job, even though the main office is located in NYC. After all , USA is a 'melting pot' of so many different tongues, customs and cultures, which make it unique! Yes, English is considered not only the official language of the US, but it is also the official universal language of choice. People who tend to speak 2 or more languages fluently have an advantage that others don't have ........they may be able to reach a broader network of people, global network socially and economically. Did you know that many psychologists consider bilingual or multilingual people to have superior intelligence?
