How much do you really hold it against Americans that only speak English?

[Datepalm]

Whenever an american tells me they're from state X I usually fail to resist the urge to get a politely blank look and tentatively say "oh...is that one of the square ones?"

[Guest Ro_]

Whenever an american tells me they're from state X I usually fail to resist the urge to get a politely blank look and tentatively say "oh...is that one of the square ones?"

*giggle*

datepalm, how does language work in Israel? There are Jews from all over the world but is communication made easier by knowing Hebrew? Sorry if that sounds stupid, but I just realized Israel is sort of like the States in having people come in from all over the world and wondered if communicating is easier with with a shared language that doesn't depend on borders. Or does it?

Sorry, I am tired and my brain is leaking.

[S John]

Whenever an american tells me they're from state X I usually fail to resist the urge to get a politely blank look and tentatively say "oh...is that one of the square ones?"

I was born in the most irregularly shaped state in the nation, thank you very much.

[kungtotte]

And yeah, you should learn the language of the country you are going to live in, however a great many of our ancestors didn't learn English once they got here. Shit, in some towns here in Minnesota, the older folks *still* don't speak English, but use German/Swedish/Dutch.

Can't blame them for wanting to speak the language of glory and heroes :smoking:

[Datepalm]

I was born in the most irregularly shaped state in the nation, thank you very much.

Er...Maryland? Florida?

Ro - Jews most places don't really learn hebrew anymore, except maybe a bit in 'sunday school' or if they had like a really traditional jewish religeous education, which hasn't really been common since like ww1. People just learn Hebrew - anyone who immigrates to Israel gets enrolled in a really intensive Hebrew course (called an Ulpan, a term which was apparently adopted by a fictional country attached to England that comes up surprisingly often for not existing) Hebrew isn't particulalry hard, and they've had alot of experience teaching it. I think it's still only the first langauge of about half the population and theres lots of accents, but everyone muddles by.

[El-ahrairah]

I think most Americans are downright afraid of 'foreign languages'. A huge cry of the bigot crowd is that all immigrants should learn English, or even not be allowed to legally immigrate until they speak English...

Americans should be better about learning languages. Its a national embarrassment.

I wish I knew a foreign language (am trying to study German), and agree it's embarrassing how few Americans do. But that said I strongly support making English the official language, and requiring competency in it.

[Mad Monkey]

It might be easier to learn another language if we started teaching it prior to high school.

[Lord of Oop North]

I love how we Canadians are getting off scott-free in this thread. Most of us only pretend to speak French, you know.

[Lord of Oop North]

am i a douchebag?

Yes. Some of those states are more populous and bigger in area than many countries. Why does being a 'state' make them less worthy of mention? Some are very different in culture. What if I someone said they were from Quebec? Would you begrudge them for being specific, and not simply saying "Canada"?

And hey, thanks for stereotyping. Many of us would actually like to specifically know where you come from, rather than being told "France" or "Germany". Don't assume that we are culturally ignorant, and turn yourself into a snob.

[sologdin]

making English the official language

probably not necessary. the constitution and statutes of the US are published officially in english, so, therefore, english is already the de facto official language. i can't see the value of having a special statute that makes the declaration de jure, except as a means to minimize the value of non-official languages, which, to me, appears to be motivated by no state interest at all, but rather by xenophobic animus.

[Isis]

Yes. Some of those states are more populous and bigger in area than many countries. Why does being a 'state' make them less worthy of mention? Some are very different in culture. What if I someone said they were from Quebec? Would you begrudge them for being specific, and not simply saying "Canada"?

I think this post is a bit harsh tbh. I don't really see that the size of your hypothetical country makes it any more important than my hypothetical country.

I think it makes sense for people to reply with the country they are from in the first instance, instead if getting more specific and assuming that the other person will know where that state/whatever is. If I wanted to know where, specifically in that country, you were from then my next question would be, 'Oh really, whereabouts in X are you from?' Surely we can take more than one question to learn where a person is from? Or, maybe this issue can be avoided by just saying, 'I'm from Quebec, Canada' or 'I'm from 'whatever state' in the US'.

[Mad Monkey]

which, to me, appears to be motivated by no state interest at all, but rather by xenophobic animus.

That's the main reason behind most immigration laws. Everywhere. We actually used to be more direct about it though. It's hard to get more bluntly racist than actually titling your anti-Chinese law the "Chinese Exclusion Act".

[MercenaryChef]

Yes. Some of those states are more populous and bigger in area than many countries. Why does being a 'state' make them less worthy of mention? Some are very different in culture. What if I someone said they were from Quebec? Would you begrudge them for being specific, and not simply saying "Canada"?

And hey, thanks for stereotyping. Many of us would actually like to specifically know where you come from, rather than being told "France" or "Germany". Don't assume that we are culturally ignorant, and turn yourself into a snob.

i totally agree, lad!

as an american there are a lot of cultural differences amongst us based on what state and region you may be from. there is nothing pretentious or arrogant about stating you are from one particular state. when i meet someone from mexico i ask what state they are from, because i know they are not all the same. the food, the people and culture vary. it is no different here.

and with that i proudly state: 'i am from oregon!'

[Errant Bard]

Yes. Some of those states are more populous and bigger in area than many countries. Why does being a 'state' make them less worthy of mention? Some are very different in culture.

So why are you thinking he's an asshole for mentioning his länder? Because it's too small and not in North America? Where do you draw the line? At the point where it's ok to say "Quebec" but not "Hessen"? They have roughly the same population, you know.

Personally, when I ask a question like that, I'm asking for the country, defined by its government who decides of the foreign policy. It defines the culture of the interlocutor well enough for a first pass, and further details may be meaningless to me. Not that they are unwelcome, but if my interlocutor gives more details, it's only polite to respond in kind.

And hey, thanks for stereotyping. Many of us would actually like to specifically know where you come from, rather than being told "France" or "Germany". Don't assume that we are culturally ignorant, and turn yourself into a snob.

It's contextual, wouldn't it be weird to expect, upon meeting a stranger who happens to speak a near "universal" language, your question "Where are you from?" to be answered by only the name of a subdivision of his country?

I mean, you think a first answer like "I'm from Heilongjiang" is really what is wanted in the majority of cases?

[S John]

Er...Maryland? Florida?

The glorious Mountain State, of course!

Forgot about Maryland though, they've got a pretty wierd shape too.

as an american there are a lot of cultural differences amongst us based on what state and region you may be from. there is nothing pretentious or arrogant about stating you are from one particular state. when i meet someone from mexico i ask what state they are from, because i know they are not all the same. the food, the people and culture vary. it is no different here.

and with that i proudly state: 'i am from oregon!'

Very true. For example, the cultural experience of a an upbringing in a New England state is quite a bit different from an upbrining in Texas. Plenty of cultural similarities between the two, but enough differences that making the distinction is sensible.

[kiko]

Yes. Some of those states are more populous and bigger in area than many countries. Why does being a 'state' make them less worthy of mention? Some are very different in culture. What if I someone said they were from Quebec? Would you begrudge them for being specific, and not simply saying "Canada"?

And hey, thanks for stereotyping. Many of us would actually like to specifically know where you come from, rather than being told "France" or "Germany". Don't assume that we are culturally ignorant, and turn yourself into a snob.

To be fair. The same is true for Hesse, or most of the other German states. Most of them were actual independend (more or less) until as late as 1957. It is a bit odd that people assume that the others know or even want to know the internal workings of their home country. It's completely harmless, and Americans do it all the time, so its only natural for them. But it does sound as if they not only expect the others to speak their language, but also the knowledge about the inner structure of their country. Has a slight taste of cultur imperialism. Nothing wrong with 'I'm from Florida, USA' though.

I think I just invented a rule. Introduce yourself like you would write a location on an envelope. This secures safe delivery without confusion.

I wish I knew a foreign language (am trying to study German), and agree it's embarrassing how few Americans do. But that said I strongly support making English the official language, and requiring competency in it.

I approve. Learning the language of Marx and Friedrich Ebert is a worthy task

[zollo]

I don't hold that against Americans (or other nationalities) at all. It is their loss, not mine.

[Lord of Oop North]

So why are you thinking he's an asshole for mentioning his länder? Because it's too small and not in North America? Where do you draw the line? At the point where it's ok to say "Quebec" but not "Hessen"? They have roughly the same population, you know.

It's completely harmless, and Americans do it all the time, so its only natural for them. But it does sound as if they not only expect the others to speak their language, but also the knowledge about the inner structure of their country. Has a slight taste of cultur imperialism.

First of all, I do not think he is an asshole for mentioning it. I was just making a point. Why is his or her state not worthy of mention? Simply because it is not the national government of his country? Who the hell really cares? To become offended when someone mentions that they are from "Texas" is nitpicky to the point of absurdity. To chalk it up to american cultural imperialism is also ridiculous. What happens if you meet someone from Scotland, or Northern Ireland? Would you get pissed off when they don't say that they are from the United Kingdom?

Seriously, if you guys are getting offended at something like this - then I struggle to understand how you make it through this cruel and offensive life.

[Mad Monkey]

Seriously, if you guys are getting offended at something like this - then I struggle to understand how you make it through this cruel and offensive life.

It depends. If this is the only thing that bugs you, and you're okay with, say, ethnic cleansing in Darfur then I guess it's a pretty good trade-off emotionally.

[BlueRose]

what always strikes me as kind of very wierd with "da 'merikans" is that if you ask them where they are from they don't say "the usa" or "teh us" or alike, but ALWAYS "from california" or "from texas" (or whatever fits) like all the world just needs to know all the states of the usa (i mean, many do, but anyways)...

so now i just downright answer alike and say "i am from hessen" (always earns me a very puzzled look)

am i a douchebag?

This actually annoyed me at the first Worldcon I attended. American badges said 'city, state' while anyone's badges from another country said 'city, country'. I found some other Canadians at a party and we all wrote our provinces on the badges. It wasnt really offensive, just struck me as odd that the USA had states while the rest of the world only got countries. We have provinces too!