Comments on: Is bilingualism impolite?

By: ROSE GARRY

ROSE GARRY — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 06:17:00 +0000

I am multilingual. I speak two of the more than 800 languages in Papua New Guinea including English and the lingua Franca Tok Pisin. When explaining a concept in English to tertiary students (who are bilingual or multilingual speakers) and realizing they are not understanding, I code switch. They are also encouraged to code switch as it is allowed in our Language Policy.
I had an experience similar to the one explained in the article. I am always happy when I am involved in the conversations of the other language I could speak. However, when NS code switch, I keep speaking in the language until they join in. This is in cases when I know they are all from this language speaking province. However, when with people from other language speaking background, it is common we speak the Lingua Franca-Tok Pisin.

By: Margaret Nahmias

Margaret Nahmias — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 22:05:00 +0000

I have often felt this way with speaking Spanish in publlic in the US.

By: Aaa

Aaa — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 12:48:34 +0000

It really depends on what’s happening in the room/group, in my opinion.
I’m bilingual (english-german), and will switch to german for speaking with folk who are more comfortable in german. However, if there are 4 of us, and 3 of us are speaking german, I see it as rude (we still do it, especially if making a joke at a friend’s expense, but that normally gets translated to them afterwards).

I know the situation from both sides: my father and his side of the family all speak yoruba, and they ignore non-speakers in the room (that’s led to hours-long chats, with me just silently sitting bored); my flatmates last year were almost all french.
If it’s a language you’re trying to learn (french. I’m getting to understand it a bit) it’s ahgain anothed case, in my opinion. I know for a fact that the only reason I can actually understand any french is because I listen in and learn.

In essence, it depends on the size of group, and whether or not anyone is being excluded. If there are 20 other wnglish speakers, but my conversation partner speaks german, I have no problem chattering away in german. Unless they speak with what I find to be a terrible accent or dialect 😀

By: “Speak English or Die!” | Language on the Move

“Speak English or Die!” | Language on the Move — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 06:26:14 +0000

[…] Does my insistence on distinguishing linguistic, sexist and racist prejudice matter? At one level, it doesn’t because bigotry usually comes as a package. However, at another level, the distinction I am making is highly important: the injunction to “speak English” is ubiquitous in Australian society and expressing intolerance against linguistic diversity in this way is not usually seen as problematic. On the contrary, telling someone to speak English may even be seen as an expression of good manners. […]

By: SueD

SueD — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 12:40:47 +0000

An interesting observation regarding ESL classes:

When students at very low level of English proficiency request bilingual support, course providers would come up with the excuse that having first language support would hinder progress in the second language. ” You get enough of your first language at home – you are here to learn English”. The true reason would be the high cost of providing bilingual support to a variety of first language groups.

But where a critical mass of students becomes available to make money from ( eg the Chinese), the same providers would bend over backwards to source bilingual teachers!

This is how sound educational practice loses to economic rationalism! Looks like some dollar notes are more valuable than others.

By: Is bilingualism impolite? | Language on the Move | exportcomms

Is bilingualism impolite? | Language on the Move | exportcomms — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:29:20 +0000

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By: Rioliza

Rioliza — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:20:53 +0000

Hi Hanna,

I find your article interesting. I am from the Philippines. I have a daughter who has been trained since infancy to speak English. Yes, she can speak English very well and has quite a hard time understanding our local language. However, I don’t find it impolite if she answers in English to a question asked in native language. I am cooking up a study for my PhD and I am very keen to research related to this area. Kudos!

By: Angela Turzynski-Azimi

Angela Turzynski-Azimi — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:15:37 +0000

In reply to shiva.

Hello Shiva
I found your views very interesting. I have noticed that when I am in the company of Persians and I am the only non-Persian speaking person present they almost invariably speak English to one another. I am not sure why but I feel quite uncomfortable and even embarrassed that my presence makes them feel that they have to do this. As for feeling “bored”, I am perfectly happy to enjoy the poetic rhythms of the language without necessarily understanding more than a few words!
Angela

By: Britta Schneider

Britta Schneider — Mon, 21 May 2012 08:36:43 +0000

I really enjoyed this post and the comments – thanks!
What I wanted to add is that I think one should make a difference here between private and public spaces, as it is one thing to exclude individual people from communication and something different if the use of a language symbolises ‘otherness’ in public or semi-public space and is for this reason perceived to be impolite. I have also thought that it might be interesting to do cross-national comparative research into ideologies of individual language choice in public spaces, as it seems that different cultural contexts treat the use of non-dominant language differently e.g. on playgrounds, in public transport, on the streets, etc. In the data I collected in Sydney, for example, there were several people telling me that they only used English as soon as they left their home, even if another (European prestige) language was their common first language, as in their environment, it was perceived to be highly impolite and also almost like a political symbol of the unwillingness to respect ‘Australia’ (whatever it means). Yet, in Germany, this depends very much of the language that is used, where English, unsurprisingly, meets with positive attitudes, and Turkish not so much… So the socio-political discourses of contexts have a deep influence on this, obviously, and the political and historical ideologies that are interwoven with language ideologies may give us a deeper insight into the reasons for the ‘politeness’ trouble.

By: shiva

shiva — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:30:39 +0000

In reply to shiva.

(part 3/3) 🙂
Thinking about which language to choose in a specific context, my very recent experience comes to mind. In the Japanese-on-The-Move launch, some confusing moments happened to me –whether to greet/speak in Persian to Persian friends or the common language “English”! At times, this ambivalence caused me to greet back/speak very short in Persian and then apologise for switching into English while justifying the use of a lingua franca in that context (with a sense of humour though, to redress my bewilderment). Ruminating on this, I find this reason: I don’t want them “to feel excluded”. So, instead of using “politeness/impoliteness/rudeness” of using a specific language, I would like to think about its fairness/unfairness in some contexts.
Best,
Shiva

By: shiva

shiva — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:26:58 +0000

In reply to shiva.

(part 2)
Persian is the official language; however, there are many people whose home languages are different, say Turkish or Kurdish. It is alleged that when they come together, no matter who else from what background would be there, they start speaking in their own languages to each other. I believe, however, this is not always the case; although I have experienced the unpleasant sense of “being left out” in some situations.
Recently, I have noticed that many Persians in Sydney when they come together in a multilingual gathering –no matter who is around- occasionally use Persian. This is contrary to my previous assumptions about Persians –whom I thought would stick to a common language in a gathering. Although not being told directly, I assume one reason could be their avoidance of being –or being judged by other Persians as –gharbzadeh or ‘Westernized’ in a negative sense. (…continued)

By: shiva

shiva — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:23:59 +0000

Fascinating post! Thanks Hanna!
Sorry for being so verbose! I had to divide my post into parts (the spaces count though! 😉
I’m not sure if we can generalise and say all Germans, Persians or whatever, believe in the appropriateness/inappropriateness of using one’s own language when other non-speakers of that language are present. In part, I believe, it can be subject to personal attitudes and morals. A friend of mine in Sydney, a Persian man, has a French girlfriend. Sometimes, she is the only non-Persian speaker in our gatherings where, at times, speaking Persian seems unavoidable. In these situations, I always try to translate what’s going on for her to avoid her feeling “excluded”. In one of the occasions, in response to my concern about her getting annoyed or bored, my friend (her boyfriend) noted that I shouldn’t have been worried as she was used to that kind of situation. He noted that they (she and her family) had used to do the same (i.e. speaking in French) when he’d been staying with them in France. This is not only limited to intercultural communication, but can also happen within a country, like Iran, with diverse people speaking a variety of dialects and languages. (…continued)

By: Ingrid Piller

Ingrid Piller — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:12:08 +0000

In reply to Angela Turzynski-Azimi. I'm sure you're right ;-) and there's also a graffiti-ed version floating around the net, e.g. http://www.lolbrary.com/post/15321/be-polite/

By: Angela Turzynski-Azimi

Angela Turzynski-Azimi — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:44:26 +0000

In reply to Louis Irving. Or perhaps the top of the sign has been blown down. It should read, "Life is Too Short to Sit Up and Be Polite."

By: Louis Irving

Louis Irving — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:58:00 +0000

With the greatest respect, the sign should read “Please Be Polite”.

By: Zandra Häfelin

Zandra Häfelin — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:52:39 +0000

I enjoyed reading this article. Intercultural communication is more than speaking a target language. ‘Good manners’ might also mean different things depending on the cultural background of the dialog partners. I have found myself feeling as Hanna did, when someone used a language that I was not expecting, for instance, if I have started the conversation in a different common language. Intercultural communication is more complex than communicating in a monolingual and monocultural context and it is certainly a fascinating topic. Thank you for sharing your experience Hanna.