Language stereotypes (Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages) Language Learning Forum

Language stereotypes
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Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages

118 messages over 15 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ... 3 ... 14 15 Next >>

Asiafeverr
Diglot
Senior Member
Hong Kong
Joined 6342 days ago
346 posts - 431 votes

1 sounds
Speaks: French*, English
Studies: Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, German

Message 17 of 118

26 January 2009 at 2:45pm | IP Logged

Klingon: Computer geek with virtually no social life who goes to Star Trek conventions
to debate about episodes.
1 person has voted this message useful

dolly
Senior Member
United States
Joined 5790 days ago
191 posts - 376 votes

Speaks: English*
Studies: Latin

Message 18 of 118

26 January 2009 at 3:54pm | IP Logged

I cringe every time I see German defined by the Nazis. Because we saw angry Hitler speeches in history class and umpteen thousand WW2 documentaries on cable, and movies, and novels. It's a cottage industry in America.

If a language is defined by something, let it be defined by books. Germany produced many of the greatest theologians in Christianity. Karl Rahner was the quintessential German intellectual: deep, ponderous, prodigious, meticulous, thorough.

Does anyone seriously believe that the German language makes one violent?

Or that the French language makes one romantic and effete? They've never seen French police break up a protest. I saw news footage of a moving wall of cops with riot shields slam into a crowd, WHAM, and they pulled out their clubs and hammered them down, while Natalie Renoux (the anchorperson) talks on and on... but not about the cops. That part was normal.

Cultures are complex things.

Edited by dollymangatears on 26 January 2009 at 3:56pm
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Kenney90
Newbie
United Kingdom
Joined 5872 days ago
24 posts - 39 votes

Message 19 of 118

26 January 2009 at 4:40pm | IP Logged

Bulgarian: Likes to squat when going to the bathroom.
Spanish: People just trying to pass a class.
Japanese: Weeaboo, anime loser.
French: Like to think of themselves as cultured and superior.
German: Into the sciences, and has a good sense of humor.
Russian: Wants to see communism return, or just really likes the cold.
Mongolian: Obviously looking to pillage the nearest village.
Swedish: Into blond chicks.
Finnish: Black metal fanatic.
Arabic: A terrorist or turbo-patriot.
Chinese: Loves Chinese food.
Latin: Parents made them take it.
Italian: Loves food, and/or wants to pick up girls.
Greek: OPA!
Thai: Wants to visit Bangkok for you know what ;).
Korean: Starcraft geek.
1 person has voted this message useful

gogglehead
Triglot
Senior Member
Argentina
Joined 6075 days ago
248 posts - 320 votes

Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese
Studies: Russian, Italian

Message 20 of 118

26 January 2009 at 5:36pm | IP Logged

Kenney90 wrote:

I love it when a truly great mind shares "knowledge"...
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aliebe
Diglot
Pro Member
United States
Joined 5835 days ago
59 posts - 63 votes

Speaks: English*, German
Studies: French, Spanish
Personal Language Map

Message 21 of 118

26 January 2009 at 8:26pm | IP Logged

I think it is funny that everyone goes on about Japanese being the language of furries and anime 'losers.' When I was in Junior high around 15 years ago, everyone was all over Japanese for business. My my, how times change.
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Juan M.
Senior Member
Colombia
Joined 5899 days ago
460 posts - 597 votes

Message 22 of 118

26 January 2009 at 8:47pm | IP Logged

Ok, I'll play. :-)

French: a language of wines and restaurants, manners, pretentiousness and treachery. Sounds ridiculously affected and snobbish to the ears of this native Spanish speaker. Also the language of a distinguished and brilliant literary, philosophical and scholarly tradition.

German: a language of transcendent philosophy and life-breathing music. Substantive thought. Earthly, warm and honest.

Russian: a tortured psychology that reveals the inner recesses of the human soul - world's greatest literature. Unmatched capacity for suffering.

Italian: joy of living, overflowing creativity, beauty and culture.

Spanish: pride and vulgarity.

Chinese: civilization, past and future.

Japanese: intricacy and uniqueness.

Arabic: past glory and present misery.

Quote:

Feel free to add any others to the list.

Sanskrit: the secret of the universe.

Hebrew: heroism and stoicism.

Persian: beauty and sensibility in unfathomable synthesis with terrible cruelty.

Latin: a language of bloody despots in life and great thinkers in death.

Greek: the language which gave birth to the possibility of progress in this world.

Edited by JuanM on 26 January 2009 at 9:35pm
5 persons have voted this message useful

zarathustra
Groupie
Canada
Joined 5806 days ago
57 posts - 59 votes

Speaks: English*
Studies: German, Russian

Message 23 of 118

26 January 2009 at 11:29pm | IP Logged

Quote:

French: a language of wines and restaurants, manners, pretentiousness and treachery. Sounds ridiculously affected and snobbish to the ears of this native Spanish speaker. Also the language of a distinguished and brilliant literary, philosophical and scholarly tradition.

German: a language of transcendent philosophy and life-breathing music. Substantive thought. Earthly, warm and honest.

Russian: a tortured psychology that reveals the inner recesses of the human soul - world's greatest literature. Unmatched capacity for suffering.

Italian: joy of living, overflowing creativity, beauty and culture.

Don't think I could have said it better myself.
1 person has voted this message useful

qklilx
Moderator
United States
Joined 6186 days ago
459 posts - 477 votes

Speaks: English*
Studies: Korean
Personal Language Map

Message 24 of 118

27 January 2009 at 3:42am | IP Logged

Hollow wrote:

haha weeaboo

qklilx, I have that exact same stereotype about Korean learners

I'm happy to say that dramas from any country fail to keep my attention for longer than a few minutes (except for maybe Oz), and I think Rain is overrated. :P

Jiwon wrote:

Quite obviously, Korea has a lack of Arabic speakers and teachers(I highly doubt most universities have degrees in Middle Eastern Studies even), and therefore NO Korean high school opted to teach Arabic to their students. What this meant in terms of university examinations was that there would be VERY few people taking university exams, and since you are graded by the percentiles, there is a better chance of getting a higher grade if you do Arabic and get a mediocre mark, than doing Mandarin and competing against millions. Hence, some students actually started learning Arabic on their own in private classes just to pass the exam (even then, all you can say is "Asalam aleykum")

So should I learn Arabic in case I wind up living in Korea? What do Koreans think of Mongolian learners?

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