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Getting people not to speak English | ||
Tags: Language Banditry | Convincing native speakers | Immersion | Swedish | Learning Technique/Method | Accent | English | German | French | Spanish | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| JonB Diglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6265 days ago 209 posts - 220 votes  Speaks: English*, German Studies: Italian, Dutch, Greek | Message 97 of 169 30 September 2007 at 11:08am | IP Logged | |||||
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I agree with many of the above comments. I think it is very patronizing when French or German people (for example) really INSIST on speaking English - even if you are in their country and it is clear that you can speak the local language very well!
Okay, sometimes people honestly think they are being helpful - but in these cases they will be willing to switch back to the local language as soon as it becomes clear that this is preferred! But the sad fact is, there are some people who are simply rude; they can speak English well and they are going to be toasted alive before they will let a foreigner speak their language! It can be a real problem for a native speaker of English who wants to practice and make progress (as I know all too well from my time living in Germany!) I'm not really convinced by the suggestions that one should pretend to be a Russian who understands no English! Things like accent and appearance will generally give lie to that. (And anyway, what happens if - by some chance - they do speak Russian!?) I think it's better to be direct: clearly tell the person that you are a learner and that you would like to practice speaking the language. Point out that you are - after all - in his/her country! If the person stubbornly persists in speaking English, then remind him/her of what you have just said. If he/she still persists in speaking English after this, then (if you can) just walk away and avoid that person in future. If this is not an option, then you just have to enter into a 'battle of wills'. Just go on (and on, AND ON) reminding the person that you don't want to speak English! I know this is sometimes easier said than done, but it worked for me! 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| labouillie Diglot Groupie United States Joined 6316 days ago 91 posts - 97 votes Speaks: Haitian Creole, English* Studies: French, Spanish | Message 98 of 169 06 October 2007 at 6:28pm | IP Logged | |||||
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If people insist on speaking English to you, then maybe you should respond in an English dialect they would be unfamiliar with. In my case, I would just start speaking Ebonics or some heavy Southern Gullah. And if I really wanted to mess with them, I would just start making stuff up and sounding like that dude from Pootie Tang. If they want to keep playing that game, I'll play it all day long until they give up and go back to speaking their language. I see a lot of people here complaining that their accent is a dead giveaway that they're from the British Isles. Well, you have to use that to your advantage and speak your local dialect. English dialects can be incomprehensible at times, even for other native English speakers. If you get a few blank stares from the people you speak with, you'll know that your job is done. They'll switch back in no time.
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| Kegel Diglot Groupie Germany Joined 6439 days ago 67 posts - 70 votes Speaks: German*, English Studies: Arabic (Written) | Message 99 of 169 07 October 2007 at 3:47pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Responding in an unfamiliar English dialect is obviously no way to go for me.
In the learning guide on this site there's the hint that you should congratulate people on their English, if they insist on speaking English to you because they might want to show they can speak it. I'm in Norway right now and most people speak English very well, and I am quite sure they know they speak it well. So it would seem rather silly to me, if I told them they spoke English well (especially because they speak it probably better than I do). It's not easy to get people to keep speaking Norwegian though. I guess people just want to be helpful and speak English right away when they notice somebody is not Norwegian. It's sometimes really weird when I've led a conversation in Norwegian with somebody, but a few minutes later they speak English with me again. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| JokePro Groupie United States animalsites.com Joined 6400 days ago 58 posts - 60 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 100 of 169 30 October 2007 at 1:12pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I recently returned from a trip to China. It was a guided tour, but I still had several opportunities to speak Mandarin. Oddly enough, people often responded in English. It made for some bizarre-sounding conversations, with an American speaking Chinese and a Chinese person speaking English. However, I understand exactly why this happens. Just as I was wanting to practice using Chinese, they were wanting to practice using English. It really is that simple.
Sure I would like to have had more experience listening, but I think it is very rude and self-centered to deprive someone the opportunity to practice speaking a foreign language. There are plenty of places I can listen to native speakers, but opportunities to practice speaking with a native speaker are not as common. All too often, people are focused soley on their own desires. I want to learn Mandarin, but does that mean I should completely disregard someone else's desire to learn English? 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| JokePro Groupie United States animalsites.com Joined 6400 days ago 58 posts - 60 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 101 of 169 30 October 2007 at 1:20pm | IP Logged | |||||
What about helping them by providing an opportunity to let them practice? Why is my desire to learn a foreign language more important than theirs? 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Martien Heptaglot Senior Member Netherlands martienvanwanrooij.n Joined 7105 days ago 134 posts - 148 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German, Spanish, Turkish, Italian, French Studies: Portuguese, Serbo-Croatian, Latin, Swedish, Arabic (Written) | Message 102 of 169 30 October 2007 at 1:33pm | IP Logged | |||||
No problem if there remain enough opportunities to practice, e.g. with people who don't speak English at all. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| JokePro Groupie United States animalsites.com Joined 6400 days ago 58 posts - 60 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 103 of 169 30 October 2007 at 2:01pm | IP Logged | |||||
Practicing with someone that doesn't speak English at all doesn't provide any meaningful feedback. When I spoke Mandarin to native speakers, I was excited that they actually understood what I said. Thank you Dr. Pimsleur! However, I think they were even more excited to hear me speaking their language. Still, that excitement didn't prevent them from often responding in English. Everyone assured me that they could understand me just fine, but they were also seeking some sort of validation that they could be understood by a native speaker. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6703 days ago 9078 posts - 16473 votes Speaks: Danish*, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Romanian, Catalan Studies: Afrikaans, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Latin, Irish, Lowland Scots, Indonesian, Polish, Croatian Personal Language Map | Message 104 of 169 30 October 2007 at 2:52pm | IP Logged | |||||
I understand this reasoning, and if somebody in a country during one of my travels open and honestly tells me that he wants to practice his English I just might switch to English to help him or her (or them). If people clearly just are trying to be helpful I also answer in English once to show them that I understand what they said, but then I revert to the local language. Professional people in hotels and restaurants can train their English on lots of other travellers, so they normally don't need my assistance. However in Chile I once checked into a small hotel in a small town where the owner's wife was an American who just longed to speak in her native language, and in such a case there is no doubt: we spoke in English from I came until I left. In another case in Cape Verde my (female) landlord had stayed in France for a long time, so we spoke of course French all the time - I could try out my Portuguese on all the other Capeverdians. Sometimes you have absolutely no reason to yield. People in for instance Scandinavia have lots of opportunities to speak English with foreigners, so for those of you who visit us: if you really want to try to speak one of our languages, then you're welcome to do so. You DON'T have to speak English just to help somebody practice because in all likelihood you need the practice more than the person you are speaking to does. Stay firm - they don't have the right to waste your time. One problem in some countries is the following: I have a couple of times met people who "just wanted to practice their English", and who then later wanted money for "guiding me around". In one case I had clearly stated at the onset that I didn't need a guide so he got nothing, and I warded another off with the remark that he owed me money for a lesson in English. Please note: I do not say that everybody who wants to practice his English is a crook, but it is a well-known scam and you have to be prepared for it. I have never had the same problem in a country where I could speak the local language, - which does unfortunately not include China. And I have also walked around in towns speaking English with people who didn't expect money, but really just wanted to speak. But you have to be prepared for both kinds. Edited by Iversen on 31 October 2007 at 3:24am 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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