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Best reactions to learning a language? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| Tedmac278 Triglot Newbie United States Joined 4089 days ago 23 posts - 38 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish Studies: Estonian | Message 9 of 33 08 October 2013 at 2:24pm | IP Logged | ||
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Well I'm in Germany at the moment and usually I just go about my day without people commenting on my
German because they just assume that I speak it and I don't struggle with day to day stuff. I actually kinda like that. And I find in Germany no one will switch to English outside of an airport or tourist destination unless you ask. (Obviously I never do). The best reactions are when I am with friends here and they introduce me to new people as their Ami friend. As we start chatting they consistently seem blown away by my German even though I feel I'm just at basic fluency. That being said, I find that projecting overall confidence is very important and effective for keeping the conversation in TL. For Spanish, most of my time has been spent in Argentina where not too many people speak English well. I assume it's obvious I'm either a "Norte Americano o Europeo", but strangers generally don't comment on my spanish. Although the most positive reactions I get are from taxi drivers. I usually chat them up and they are always curious about where I'm from and why I'm there. The reactions of new friends I meet usually are positive, but not over the top. The best reactions I get in Argentina are when I use their slang and speak with their accent, which actually I can't help anyway since I've spent so much time there. Haha 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| bela_lugosi Hexaglot Senior Member Finland Joined 6243 days ago 272 posts - 376 votes  Speaks: English, Finnish*, Italian, Spanish, German, Swedish Studies: Russian, Estonian, Smi, Latin | Message 10 of 33 08 October 2013 at 5:06pm | IP Logged | ||
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Undoubtedly the most hilarious reaction I got was in Nepal when my local friend taught me a couple of handy phrases in Nepali. A beggar approached me with his hand streched out in hope of a coin or two miraculously falling onto it. His jaw dropped and he just stared at me with his mouth open when I told him in Nepali: "Ma sa nga paiza tsaina" (I haven't got any money.) :D
I've got nearly blond hair, so people usually don't expect me to speak Romance languages. Their reactions vary from disbelief to excitement when they realise that I'm fluent in Italian and Spanish. Italian speakers tend to be the most friendly and encouraging. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Fuenf_Katzen Diglot Senior Member United States notjustajd.wordpress Joined 4158 days ago 337 posts - 476 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Polish, Ukrainian, Afrikaans | Message 11 of 33 08 October 2013 at 6:36pm | IP Logged | ||
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It's a bit fun to recall some of these experiences!
French- Spent a few weeks in Paris with my high school class. They had minimal patience for my attempt at French--due to maybe my lack of the language, the annoyance of being around teenagers or maybe both? I don't know! I did find that those out in the countryside were a little more patient. German- So I have to admit, the "switch to English" hasn't happened in the country because unfortunately I've never been there. The infamous switch in the US normally would happen because I would insist on doing it. That's stopped and now when I speak German with German speakers, there's really minimal comment on my level. I think my teacher is the only one who has commented on it. That's just how I like it! Polish- This one is a little funny. I ordered in Polish at a local Polish deli and again, there really wasn't much of a reaction. Recently though, I started attending a Ukrainian Orthodox church, where about half of the people there are from Ukraine. Somebody assumed I was Ukrainian (the dark hair maybe? I have no idea, because I really have no Ukrainian in me at all!) So he started speaking to me in Ukrainian and without thinking about it I answered in Polish. After an initial shock and my explaining why I answered in Polish, the conversation actually was able to continue. At least at this place, the Ukrainian population seemed very willing to listen to my bad Polish if it meant they would be able to continue in Ukrainian. I really didn't think I should have been able to communicate as well as I did (and this certainly has made me interested in actually learning proper Ukrainian!) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Henkkles Triglot Senior Member Finland Joined 4042 days ago 544 posts - 1141 votes Speaks: Finnish*, English, Swedish Studies: Russian | Message 12 of 33 08 October 2013 at 9:07pm | IP Logged | ||
As someone who has been compared to "Silas from Da Vinci Code" I think that might be a Spanish motivation booster, but not currently. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4496 days ago 5310 posts - 9399 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish | Message 13 of 33 08 October 2013 at 9:31pm | IP Logged | ||
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A hostel owner in Novosibirsk:
Это фантастика. With eyes as big as saucepans, upon hearing my Russian (and then my Hebrew afterwards.) 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
 jeff_lindqvist Diglot Moderator SwedenRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6698 days ago 4250 posts - 5710 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Irish, French Personal Language Map | Message 14 of 33 08 October 2013 at 10:56pm | IP Logged | ||
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A visitor at the library:
-Wow, he speaks better Chinese than you! (said the Chinese wife to her Swedish husband) 5 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| PeteP Newbie United States Joined 4826 days ago 27 posts - 48 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Romanian | Message 15 of 33 08 October 2013 at 10:57pm | IP Logged | ||
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Cape Breton: Exchanged greetings with a shopkeeper in Gaelic. Immediately the family
was called in from the back room to see the outsider speaking their language. Lots of invitations to activities around town. Moldova: Told shopkeeper (in Romanian)I wish to purchase some envelopes. Shopkeeper calls to backroom (in Romanian)"Viorica, there are Germans here". I'm American but when I spoke Romanian they must have assumed I couldn't be. I felt it was a complement to be mistaken for a European. :-) 5 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| eyðimörk Triglot Senior Member France goo.gl/aT4FY7 Joined 3888 days ago 490 posts - 1158 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French Studies: Breton, Italian | Message 16 of 33 09 October 2013 at 9:40am | IP Logged | ||
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I haven't spoken Breton to any locals yet, since I only started studying a month ago and I haven't run into any of my Breton-speaking acquaintances since, but even just saying that "one day, some day, I'd like to learn Breton" has gotten a fair bit of positive response and words of encouragement: Someone knows someone who knows an Englishwoman who reportedly speaks Breton almost like a native, so of course I could learn Breton too, and there are classes these days... We'll see how they feel when I butcher the language and mess up my lenition, or when I first run into one of these people who think Breton shouldn't be learned at all except a very dated Breton learned from your parents.
I've also only gotten positive response from French people, really, but they don't fall over themselves gushing about how wonderful it is that you speak French (actually, some of them do when they originally thought that they would have to try to speak English with you). I wouldn't say that I speak Arabic, but I knew a little and have forgotten most of it, but when I was working in Jordan I always got an incredibly positive response to what little Arabic I spoke. I even got a free ring and a free taxi ride, just for speaking a little Arabic. But, they were gushing with compliments all around, for the way I tied my veil, my choice of earrings, or my strength (doing physical labour on a daily basis with locals leads to funny very local stereotypes about foreigners). 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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