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Practicing TL locally/leveling up | ||
Tags: Conversation | Speaking | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| yantai_scot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4597 days ago 157 posts - 214 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 1 of 21 06 May 2014 at 1:22pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'm curious about your own experiences of 'accessing' local communities of TL speakers
in order to practice your speaking/ learn more about their cultures. Moses McCormack's 'Level Up' videos come to mind but only as an example rather than for specific examination. Conversation groups are designed for such a purpose but what about speaking to people in shops or say at a bus stop? I saw one of Moses videos yesterday where he's in an American shop in an area with lots of African immigrants and, on ascertaining a man is originally from Ghana, starts talking to him in Twi. The guy understands him fine but answers everything in English and seems to be avoiding answering him back in the other language. On the other hand, a video showing Tim Doner shows the Russian and Arabic speakers looking genuinely pleased to hear him speaking their languages and chat with him. I've been able to use my Mandarin a few times in the past to speak in Chinese or in a mix of Chinese and English in London's China Town. Much to the horror of my German born friend... Not a problem with the relatively recent immigrants. It's all business. I hear Polish almost daily in my home town but generally, they all speak at least basic, mostly good to great English and the kids who've been here only a few years switch to perfect Scots accented English accordingly. Polish isn't on my immediate agenda but I do wonder if I did learn it, if I'd be able to use it or find they'd switch to English or plain think I was nuts/annoying? Same with Punjabi or Urdu. So, tourists and overseas travel tourists aside, how easily have you found it to 'jump in' linguistically? I realise that this might vary according to your home country/sub groups of a 'culture', your gender, age etc. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4502 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 2 of 21 06 May 2014 at 4:17pm | IP Logged | ||
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I once conversed on the Rotterdam-the Hague
metro. In Russian. While inebriated. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6392 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 3 of 21 06 May 2014 at 4:58pm | IP Logged | ||
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I think it depends as much on the speaker as on the language. Those who reply in English may well be heritage "speakers" who don't actually speak the language all that well. Perhaps they've had exposure as children or teenagers but ended up "forgetting" a language or never spoke it in the first place.
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| Localist Diglot Newbie Canada Joined 4374 days ago 6 posts - 16 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Portuguese | Message 4 of 21 06 May 2014 at 7:30pm | IP Logged | ||
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Unfortunately, I live in a small town where the only possibilities of speaking to foreigners would be with the Chinese/Saudi Arabian students here on foreign exchange. As I don't go to the university and these languages are not on my current "hit list", I haven't really gotten the chance to speak with anyone locally.
That does remind me, about a two weeks ago I was at the grocery store next to a group of what appeared to be computer programmers that were installing equipment, and one nudged me on the arm and said "Look, it's your brother!", as he pointed to another person with red hair. This usually bothers me, but I made a light joke and being as I'm semi addicted to languages I peered at his name tag, "Ignacio". I asked him where he was from (I generally dislike doing this, some people tend to take offense) and he told me Cuba, and without a moments hesitation I said "¿Que bola ceree?". This led to a 10 minute conversation and I instantly picked up on his accento habanero because I had recently spent 6 weeks in Cuba. All in all, that was the only time I've met a Spanish speaker here and the best day of the last month! Edit: 1st post in over 2 years, one may define me as more of a viewer. Edited by Localist on 06 May 2014 at 7:31pm 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6498 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 21 06 May 2014 at 10:24pm | IP Logged | ||
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I don't count on speaking any foreign language here in Denmark. It is a rare case that I need to speak English, and with other languages it happens maybe once a month if I'm lucky. For instance I was reading a Portuguese magazine in the bus when a girl came up to me and asked whether I was Portuguese. No, I said, and it was impossible not to see her disappointment - she looked like a punctured rubber ball which was loosing its air, and that expression didn't invite to more conversation. I have spoken to people at my job in other languages a couple of times, but it took almost twenty years before somebody discovered that I speak a little bit of Spanish (and that was only because an employee from Latin America had brought his wife along to a reception). I have sometimes bought pizzas in Italian if I can hear that the people who sell them are Italian, and mostly I get a pizza, but no reaction. In one case in Hamburg I could even feel that the waiter was irritated because he didn't expect me to speak his language - he clearly expected me to speak German like everybody else. And because of such reactions it is not something I try to do very often.
So I have simply stopped looking for opportunities, except when I'm on holiday. Edited by Iversen on 06 May 2014 at 11:12pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Gemuse Senior Member Germany Joined 3877 days ago 818 posts - 1189 votes Speaks: English Studies: German | Message 6 of 21 06 May 2014 at 11:23pm | IP Logged | ||
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A lot also depends on who and where you are. If Iverson came up to on the street and
speaking to me in my L1, I would be very uncomfortable and feel of place. However, if he came to my residence, and spoke in L1, I would be fine. For people with multiple languages, we often switch modes depending on where and with whom we are. If we are in L2 mode, and unexpectedly encounter L1, it can be a bit disconcerting. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
 DavidStyles Octoglot Pro Member United Kingdom Joined 3736 days ago 82 posts - 179 votes Speaks: English*, German, Italian, Spanish, Latin, French, Portuguese, Norwegian Studies: Mandarin, Russian, Swedish, Danish, Serbian, Arabic (Egyptian) Personal Language Map | Message 7 of 21 07 May 2014 at 12:28am | IP Logged | ||
I attended a conference in Goslar (small town a little way out from Hanover) and dined with some (mostly German) friends in an Italian restaurant. The Italian proprietor seemed very pleased to engage in Italian conversation. So it can at least happen in Germany :) And I was glad of it, as this was four years ago and my German was passable but somewhat weaker then, so it was a pleasant break for me to switch to Italian. But yes, what you describe certainly is of course discouraging when it does occur. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| yantai_scot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4597 days ago 157 posts - 214 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 8 of 21 07 May 2014 at 9:55am | IP Logged | ||
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Thank you! It's really interesting to read your anecdotes. I'd love to read more if
anyone has them. Localist- Well done for asking, and it payed off. Iverson- I deflated along with the poor girl as you described her :) So, am I right in thinking that the moral of the story is that you politely, tentatively dangle the bait of an interaction should the opportunity arise but not to expect anything? And to consider that the person you're approaching may react negatively (for a variety of reasons) so to judge the situation and person before getting too overexcited and blustering in? This, of course, is all rather hypothetical at the moment. I'm lying in wait for my first German tourist of the year to help with directions. It's embarrassed me in the past to use English. This year, it's in Deutsch! Forgiving tourist permitting... 1 person has voted this message useful |
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