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Drawing out another language? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| Tyrion101 Senior Member United States Joined 3912 days ago 153 posts - 174 votes  Speaks: French | Message 1 of 11 12 September 2014 at 5:13am | IP Logged | |||||
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Lets say you know that someone speaks a certain language, or even if you don't know that they do. How would be a polite way of getting the conversation in the direction of the language, and maybe even eventually talking in it? It feels rude to just start spouting someones language or is that the way it's done? Just walk up and say "Hey thought I recognized your accent?"
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| eyðimörk Triglot Senior Member France goo.gl/aT4FY7 Joined 4098 days ago 490 posts - 1158 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French Studies: Breton, Italian | Message 2 of 11 12 September 2014 at 10:45am | IP Logged | |||||
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I'll admit to not being the expert on approaching random people for a chat (mostly I have no practice, due to lacking interest), but I have a fair bit of experience being approached so I'll add this:
Remember that what constitutes a polite way to approach someone is very dependent on who you are approaching. People constantly start talking to me about my accent, or make assumptions about it, and they are always wrong, but I don't mind. In Brittany they think I'm British, in Alsace they thought I was German, etc. As I said, I don't mind people coming up to me or making assumptions about what languages I speak. I didn't mind when people in Alsace spoke German to me, and I don't mind when the veterinarian speaks English to my dog (who obviously doesn't know a word of English). Feel free to make assumptions. However, be aware that I am a person of privilege where I am. I am a white woman in white western Europe with extremely acceptable features (by which I don't at all mean that I'm pretty - I mean that I'm a pale redhead with green eyes, so I have none of the negative stereotypes to battle). When people remark on my accent, it's not threatening. If they are mistaken, I know that I'm being mistaken for someone equally welcome and equally well thought of. I know that it's a kindly meant mistake, it's not racism (all you people look alike to me). I already "belong", so when you see me for a foreigner I don't go to that place where I'm constantly reminded of being an outcast. If you are approaching someone like me, in a place with others like me, you can probably get away with a whole lot. Keep these things in mind and you'll probably find it a little bit easier to know just how sensitive to be. 5 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| rdearman Senior Member United Kingdom rdearman.orgRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5235 days ago 881 posts - 1812 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, French, Mandarin | Message 3 of 11 12 September 2014 at 11:09am | IP Logged | |||||
I'm curious what language your dog actually speaks? And would you say the level is A,B,C or Native? 3 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| rdearman Senior Member United Kingdom rdearman.orgRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5235 days ago 881 posts - 1812 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, French, Mandarin | Message 4 of 11 12 September 2014 at 11:13am | IP Logged | |||||
Personally I've never done this (approaching strangers and speaking in another language) so I can't give much advice. But search YouTube for Moses McCormick he does this sort of thing on a daily basis. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6702 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 5 of 11 12 September 2014 at 12:56pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I think this is called 'levelling up', and it is definitely not one of my strong points. Actually my experience the few times I have tried it in my own country with people who live here is that they prefer avoiding their native language when speaking to people like me. With tourists it may function, but there aren't enough tourists here, and they typically don't come from relevant places. So the only solution is to go on holiday - even that sometimes also can pose problems, like when you refrain from speaking a minority language or dialect because the local people might think you made fun of them.
In the few cases where it has seemed natural I had already spoken to the persons in question in Danish and just casually mentioned my interest in other languages. But that only happens once in a blue moon. Edited by Iversen on 12 September 2014 at 12:57pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Bao Diglot Senior Member Germany tinyurl.com/pe4kqe5 Joined 5765 days ago 2256 posts - 4046 votes Speaks: German*, English Studies: French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin | Message 6 of 11 12 September 2014 at 4:50pm | IP Logged | |||||
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My strategy is:
Foreigner asks me for help. I help. I can tell from their accent where they are from. I ask where they are from, and when they reply I answer in their language: Oh, so you are from ...?! They reply with delight and ask me if I speak their language. And then I run away. But, seriously, I think ... you want something they can give you, namely talking in their language. You don't know if they would enjoy it or find it unpleasant or difficult, because you don't know their situation, you don't know how used they are to talking to learners. So I guess the question is whether talking to you will be interesting for them or if there's anything else you can offer, you can do to make talking to you in their language enjoyable for them. Like, showing that you are interested in them as individuals, just as you are interested in their culture and language. In why they are where you are, whether they like it there. That they speak your language really well, and whether it was difficult for them to learn it? That you are trying to learn their language, and you enjoy it but you are struggling and they speak your language so well! 6 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| eyðimörk Triglot Senior Member France goo.gl/aT4FY7 Joined 4098 days ago 490 posts - 1158 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French Studies: Breton, Italian | Message 7 of 11 12 September 2014 at 5:39pm | IP Logged | |||||
This would've been funnier if I'd accidentally written that my dog doesn't speak a word of English. ;) As it is, I'd say he's A0 speaking and B1 comprehension in Swedish. He "can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered" even when listening to native speakers who aren't speaking to him directly, but I would say he'd struggle with understanding the main points of abstract topics, as B2 demands. I would however add that the Common European Framework is biased against non-human animals. It's a rigged system in which only adult fairly educated humans can win. :p Edited by eyðimörk on 12 September 2014 at 5:40pm 9 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| TerryW Senior Member United States Joined 6356 days ago 370 posts - 783 votes Speaks: English* | Message 8 of 11 21 September 2014 at 3:14pm | IP Logged | |||||
Actually, there was a thread on this topic back in 2008. I remember because I made an "Apso" of myself: Canine Language Issue thread 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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