Is it surprising to see Asians that can't speak their "own" language?

[Mermaidman]

Haha, next you're going to tell me that you don't all know karate too.

I was on a flight last month - The flight attendant said to a Chinese man: "I'd better be nice to you because you probably know karate." :biggrin:

 

[shortylickens]

I dont speak Norwegian, why should they be any different?

 

[D1gger]

My wife is second generation Chinese Canadian and hates it when we go into Chinatown shops and they try to speak Chinese to her. She really is embarrassed that she can't speak the language and wishes she had tried harder when she was younger.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Press 1 for Spanish
Press 2 for English

Its going that direction.

 

[IronWing]

Press 1 for Spanish
Press 2 for English

Its going that direction.

The market speaks.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Doesn't surprise me if you're not originally from that country.

I think it is a little silly when people grow up in a country to still consider themselves anything but native of that country (especially after several generations). Asian American, African American, Mexican American, whatever... No, we should all just be Americans. Doesn't matter your ancestry. Nothing wrong with being proud of your heritage, but we're still all Americans. These artificial lines of division are simply hurting us and prolonging various forms of racism.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

A lot of Vietnamese people see me as American born and when I speak Viet they look at me like "wooahhh". My parents taught me both growing up and I'm glad they did. Gonna be hard to make my kids learn it too though.

 

[rh71]

I can speak Cantonese but only if needed (like with older relatives). With cousins, we speak English to each other - we were mostly raised here. With my sons (5yo), I only speak English as speaking Chinese to them feels completely weird. They never use it in their daily life as they only see myself and my wife. She's the same as me as far as proficiency - but again, we speak English everywhere.

I think it's a bit sad they won't really know the language. Grandparents speak it to them but not even that often. They'll understand common things and from context, but they've never spoken it or repeated it. We've got so many other things to worry about everyday that it's not even a thought. Still sad that the language will probably end with me and my brother (who married a white girl so that's not even happening).

 

[Imp]

My wife is second generation Chinese Canadian and hates it when we go into Chinatown shops and they try to speak Chinese to her. She really is embarrassed that she can't speak the language and wishes she had tried harder when she was younger.

That's odd... They always try to speak English to me for some reason -- terrible, broken English.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I probably know a dozen-odd words of German. Is that good enough?

 

[who?]

Why aren't we all speaking Etruscan? Just because it's nobody's native language?

 

[AgentUnknown]

Why don't the damn Jews or pollacks speak their native language? And what is their native language?

 

[SKORPI0]

:hmm:

 

[Michael]

I don't speak Ukrainian, even though I am 1st generation born in Canada. So I am not surprised when I meet other Americans or Canadians that also don't speak their "native" tongues. My native tongues are English and French (grew up in Montreal). I speak both of them well.

I know enough Tagalog, Thai and Mandarin to be a polite tourist. The first two I picked up while living in Singapore and vacationing in Thailand. The third from living in China for 2 years.

Michael

 

[IEC]

ATOT never fails to generalize.

 

[rh71]

Why were they surprised?




I have met Asians that can speak their mother "tongue" and were born in the U.S. Two things I noted.

1. They don't like speaking their mother "tongue"
2. Reason is most likely that they suck at speaking it. I noticed ABAs that speak in an Asian language have a HORRIBLE ACCENT when speaking it. Sort of like how a White person try speaking in an Asian language.

3. There is no consistent urge/need to do so. It's actually making an extra effort to remember to do it. May as well put them into chinese school if you want to try that hard. It's not like we purposely avoid Chinese. That being said, I'd like them to at least understand it. I've told my mom (their grandma) to speak Cantonese exclusively to them - she's 1st generation immigrant here - she still uses English more than half the time without thinking about it. What I know came from speaking to her when I was a child and even then we were mixed.

 

[JTsyo]

Or whites can't speak whiteonese.

The British already complain we don't' speak proper (prouper?) English.

 

[SunnyD]

I'm 1st generation American from two Polish parents. I can understand some Polish, I can speak maybe a handful of words in Polish, but neither with any sort of competency (if you dropped me in Poland I'd be fucked).

I speak English, because it's the native tongue of the country I was raised in.

Is it surprising? Nope.

 

[brainhulk]

am I the only one that read the OP's post with an asian accent?

 

[exdeath]

Nice to see some cultures assimilating and being Americans unlike another one causing so much political grief right now.

 

[CZroe]

One people, one nation... one language?

All I know is that all whites speak English.

Every. Last. One.

 

[torpid]

am I the only one that read the OP's post with an asian accent?

I can't figure out how to read it. I find myself "getting quite shock" at the fact that OP implies that English is his first language.

 

[Bacstar]

I have been mistaken as a Mexican by Mexicans and the same for Native Americans here in Montana.

Yeah...to add, I've also been thought to be Hawaiian. Last trip to Hawaii, a cashier mentioned that I looked Hawaiian but as soon as I opened my mouth...hehehe it was obvious.

 

[exdeath]

One people, one nation... one language?

All I know is that all whites speak English.

Every. Last. One.

chigau, nihongo mo hanaseru

 

[Svnla]

Hummmm, if you were born in the US, would that make you 2nd generation? Because your parents were (1st generation) immigrants?

I can speak over 20 languages....but in curse words...