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Beware of "secret" languages ;-) | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages |  | |
| Jappy58 Bilingual Super Polyglot Senior Member United States Joined 4635 days ago 200 posts - 413 votes  Speaks: Spanish*, Guarani*, Arabic (Levantine), Arabic (Egyptian), Arabic (Maghribi), Arabic (Written), French, English, Persian, Quechua, Portuguese Studies: Modern Hebrew | Message 161 of 173 02 June 2012 at 11:57pm | IP Logged | ||
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I've had two experiences with Guarani and Quechua.
Once, during a vacation to my hometown in Paraguay, my family decided that it would be interesting to visit Buenos Aires. When we arrived to spend the weekend in the city, we would usually speak in Guarani, sometimes in Spanish. At one point, we were in a market and my sister started speaking (rather loudly) in Guarani, and some of the Argentineans were watching her. She then said, "Why are those people looking at me so crazy," (in Guarani, of course). One of the ladies responded, "We've just never heard Guarani spoken so crazy here in the city." The experience with Quechua was even more surprising, because it occurred here in the United States, where I never expected to encounter someone who spoke Quechua. I was at a mall, and was talking to one of my friends from Ecuador in Quechua over the phone. After I finished, a lady walked up to me and asked, "Are you from Peru or Ecuador?" in Quechua. It wasn't an embarassing experience, but I was nonetheless amazed. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| pesahson Diglot Senior Member Poland Joined 5725 days ago 448 posts - 840 votes Speaks: Polish*, English Studies: French, Portuguese, Norwegian | Message 162 of 173 07 June 2012 at 1:13pm | IP Logged | ||
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I just remembered a case from a couple of years ago that was covered by the media in Poland. A book cover designer was commissioned to do a cover. He used runes and put words written in them to be the main thing on the cover. Unfortunately for him, a kid from elementary school was inspiried by it, started learning about the script and discovered that the words written in runes were swear words and obscenities! :) Edited by pesahson on 07 June 2012 at 1:13pm 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Gorgoll2 Senior Member Brazil veritassword.blogspo Joined 5143 days ago 159 posts - 192 votes Speaks: Portuguese* | Message 163 of 173 17 December 2012 at 11:58am | IP Logged | ||
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I think almost every foreign language may be used so in Brazil... However I wouldn't use
anything on the beach... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| sammymcgoff Groupie United Kingdom Joined 4360 days ago 40 posts - 43 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Polish | Message 164 of 173 06 January 2013 at 12:30pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'd be careful with closely related languages too. I was on a trip to London Dungeons with my high school a few years back. There were some Slovakian tourist queuing on front of us; they were talking amongst themselves and my Polish friend could understand every word they were saying! She never told me what it all meant but it proves that a language may not be as secret as you imagine
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Sumthae Diglot Newbie Poland studyinglanguages.wo Joined 4338 days ago 6 posts - 8 votes Speaks: Polish*, English Studies: Indonesian | Message 165 of 173 09 January 2013 at 1:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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I remember that once in Oslo me and my friend were talking in Polish commenting on our
trip during the bus ride. In front of us was sitting a Polish girl living in Oslo, we got to know that as she joined our discussion. :) We got some insight from her, that was nice. I think we also met Polish girl in one of the eateries. These were nice meetings. I use Polish with my Polish friends. We talk, comment about different things, if we like something or something is bugging us, even a thing from 1 minute ago. Sometimes I'm rude enough to comment on people around um... cause it gets to you, when they comment around you about you, of course thinking you don't know their language. After few months of hearing things like that, you just can have enough and get down to their level. Being the white girl in love with Asian languages, I usually have a problem of understanding/knowing the languages of countries I'm going to. Yes, it’s a problem. Just because I'm white everybody assumes I speak English (sometimes I wish I didn't) and I can't speak their language. The rush in Japanese tourist offices when I just entered - to look for English-speaking person - was funny the first few times. And then, sitting at the table and answering in Japanese to their English... Nice. I don't remember overhearing Japanese talking behind me about me. Indonesians on the other hand... Ugh... I often catch them talking about me, even if I'm around. I came to Indonesia to learn this language. I often am ignored. There comes a new person to a familiar place in which I'm currently in (like boarding house, the place I usually eat etc.) and they are starting talking to the Indonesian person about who I am, what I'm doing in here, etc. Hello, I'm here! I can understand you, and I don't like f... be ignored. You want to know something about me? Ask me. You didn't even try talking to me. Of course, sometimes I also see shop assistants in Indonesia trying to “volunteer” the other person to speak with me in English, even before I’m close enough to talk to them. I say then in Indonesian “I can speak Indonesian.” and the look on their faces is...priceless. Why do Asians think their languages are "secret" is beyond me. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| kanewai Triglot Senior Member United States justpaste.it/kanewai Joined 4886 days ago 1386 posts - 3054 votes Speaks: English*, French, Marshallese Studies: Italian, Spanish | Message 166 of 173 09 January 2013 at 3:44pm | IP Logged | ||
I think some of this in Indonesia is sexism. I remember meeting female travelers who complained that they felt invisible in Indonesia. For men in can be the opposite there; once I said even something as simple as "selamat pagi" I would be the object of non- stop attention. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| kanewai Triglot Senior Member United States justpaste.it/kanewai Joined 4886 days ago 1386 posts - 3054 votes Speaks: English*, French, Marshallese Studies: Italian, Spanish | Message 167 of 173 09 January 2013 at 3:44pm | IP Logged | ||
I think some of this in Indonesia is sexism. I remember meeting female travelers who complained that they felt invisible in Indonesia. For men it can be the opposite there; once I said even something as simple as "selamat pagi" I would be the object of non- stop attention. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| renaissancemedi Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Greece Joined 4355 days ago 941 posts - 1309 votes Speaks: Greek*, Ancient Greek*, EnglishC2 Studies: French, Russian, Turkish, Modern Hebrew | Message 168 of 173 10 January 2013 at 10:00am | IP Logged | ||
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You'd think that greek abroad would be quite safe.
No! I was complaining to my husband once, standing in a queue outside a famous cafe in Paris, in the freezing cold, waiting to get in. At one point the lady waiting behing us explained to us that it's customary in Paris to wait in queues. She was a greek living there. Thank heaven we didn't say anything really rude! On the same trip, we were lost, so I was telling him that all we had to do is either ask the way, or find the @##%#@ river. A lady with an older lady spoke to us giving us directions. Another greek, with her mother, living in Paris... In Italy it was even more weird, because the merchants understand prices, and have so standard phrases in store. They also pick up on body language, so we never know who understood what. They are in the habit of bargaining for prices (just like us), and I can tell you half of the fun was bargaining with merchants that spoke half Italian, half greek... This is not my experience, but it is my favourite. During the war, Greece was occupied by the Germans (among others...). My grandmother was a very beautiful 18year old. She took a small boat to get from one place to another. On the boat there was always a German soldier accompanying, who got your papers as you got on the boat, and gave them back to you as you got off it. Anyway, during one of those voyages, my grandmother was talking to the old and wise captain whom she knew all her life, saying things like: let's throw him overboard, stubid bloody German, etc. The soldier was standing right there, oblivious. The captain was saying to her: don't say anything, let it go. After four hours of this, they finally arrived. As she was getting out of the boat, the soldier gave her the parers smiling, saying to her: here are your papers miss. In perfect greek. Needless to say my grandmother grabbed the papers and dissapeared faster than lightning. Edited by renaissancemedi on 10 January 2013 at 10:01am 3 persons have voted this message useful |
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