35 messages over 5 pages: 1 2 3 4 5
QiuJP
Triglot
Senior Member
Singapore
Joined 5855 days ago
428 posts - 597 votes 
Speaks: Mandarin*, EnglishC2, French
Studies: Czech, GermanB1, Russian, Japanese
| Message 33 of 35 25 June 2012 at 3:42pm | IP Logged |
strikingstar wrote:
In Africa, I default to Chinese if I don't speak the local (non-
English) language (e.g.
Uganda). In Tanzania and Kenya, Swahili is actually the fastest way to get rid of
hecklers and touts. It instantly sends them the message that you're not some silly
tourist ripe for getting ripped off. I was really proud of myself last week in Nairobi
when I snarled a really curt "Hatuhitaji chochote, usitusumbue" (We don't need
anything,
don't bother us) to a guy who was trying to sell me and my friend a safari package. He
walked away without even glancing back after that exchange.
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This shows that sometimes the native language can also be used to end the conversation.
The choice of a language to end a conversation is highly dependent on the languages
spoken in the region, the culture of the region and peoples' attitude towards foreign
languages.
1 person has voted this message useful
| IronFist
Senior Member
United States
Joined 6437 days ago
663 posts - 941 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Japanese, Korean
| Message 34 of 35 27 June 2012 at 7:41am | IP Logged |
Chung wrote:
Indeed the language that you pick to shake someone off depends on location and your best guess of what the other person doesn't know (e.g. I doubt that you'd use Russian to try to shake off someone whom you suspect to know some Russian for whatever reason or even a closely-related language such as Belorussian or Ukrainian). However I suspect that anyone would figure that out quickly and choose an appropriate language (e.g. you'd have an even higher probability of flustering a random huckster in Singapore using Cornish rather than Portuguese or Russian even though I don't discount your observation on how few people in Singapore know enough of the latter two languages. Conversely I agree that Malay and Tamil wouldn't be great choices given the number of people in the city who know those languages).
However since it's a kind of game with odds, I do know that I'm most likely to fluster some random huckster/scam artist by using a language that is endangered or highly limited geographically and even better highly divergent from higher-profile languages (bonus points if the "international" loanwords are few or obscured so that the other person can't even begin to imagine what you're trying to say). Estonian and Slovak have fulfilled that role quite nicely for me but I'm always interested in making it as hard as possible for the pest by expanding my repertoire, *evil laughter*. A Saamic language could serve me well while globetrotting... |
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Just make up your own language phrases. That way there is a 100% chance the other person won't be able to understand you.
1 person has voted this message useful
| IronFist
Senior Member
United States
Joined 6437 days ago
663 posts - 941 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Japanese, Korean
| Message 35 of 35 27 June 2012 at 7:41am | IP Logged |
Or this :)
And if the other person understands you, they're probably cool enough and you should talk to them, anyway.
1 person has voted this message useful
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