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

[Vestrit]

I see American tourists around here all the time, and they never even try to speak anything but English. :rolleyes:

:lol:

I don't think there's anything wrong with someone from a globally-identifiable region or state to say that's where he/she comes from rather than the country. I do it all the time when I tell people abroad that I'm from New York. Usually, it's pretty obvious from my accent that I'm American, and the latter follows anyway.

I wouldn't feel offended at all if someone were to tell me they were from London or Shanghai or Moscow.

I go a step further than this. Forget country, state/province or even city, I just say my neighbourhood. If you don't know where Grey Lynn is, then fuck you

[Ixodes]

I go a step further than this. Forget country, state/province or even city, I just say my neighbourhood. If you don't know where Grey Lynn is, then fuck you

Brilliant. I've gone to saying "EASTSIDE, BITCH" whenever anyone asks me where I'm from.

I do have problems making friends, though.

[Lyanna Stark]

It seems to me that it's essentially a matter of persons, as some people feel that once they've learned the most universal language there is, they shouldn't have to make an effort to adapt to other languages. So Americans take heart ! You're no worse than the rest of the world. Give foreigners the opportunity to use English, and they'll be just as bad as you ! ;)

I'll second this. It's far more about the people than the nationality. Americans seem to often get the short end of the stick when it comes to international reputation, which I think is thoroughly unfair and undeserved. Maybe it's because in the holiday resorts I've been to the most irksome nationality has always been the Brits. The loudest, drunkest, most violent and definitely the most tasteless. Narrowly defeating the Swedes, Germans and the Norwegians, I might add. Most Americans I have encountered have, in comparison, been far more mild mannered and less annoying. Plus much easier to understand than a drunken Brit.

The only really annoying Americans I've encountered were in Paris and that was just because they were so LOUD. It sounded like they had some sort of megaphone they spoke through. WTF is up with that? Voice coaching? You could hear them from across a crowded station without missing a single syllable. Beats me.

EDIT: Oh yeah, in general, Americans tend to be less drunk than European tourists. Or maybe drunk Americans sound more European? Perhaps this is a sliding scale: the drunker you are, the more European you get? :P

[Guest Ro_]

The only really annoying Americans I've encountered were in Paris and that was just because they were so LOUD. It sounded like they had some sort of megaphone they spoke through. WTF is up with that? Voice coaching? You could hear them from across a crowded station without missing a single syllable. Beats me.

EDIT: Oh yeah, in general, Americans tend to be less drunk than European tourists. Or maybe drunk Americans sound more European? Perhaps this is a sliding scale: the drunker you are, the more European you get? :P

LOL, I thought I was a quiet person until I went to Europe. And I think Americans just don't have alcohol tolerance like you Euros do. You don't notice the drunk Americans because they are passed out under a table somewhere, snoring loudly. :lol:

[kuroishi]

The only really annoying Americans I've encountered were in Paris and that was just because they were so LOUD. It sounded like they had some sort of megaphone they spoke through. WTF is up with that? Voice coaching? You could hear them from across a crowded station without missing a single syllable. Beats me.

Which is obviously totally stupid, as everyone should know that the only point in speaking loudly in a foreign country is when no one understands a word of the language that you use. That should be another incentive for native English speakers to learn other languages : being able to speak loudly of any subject in public to your friends with close to no chance of anyone understanding you in the rest of the crowd is a powerful and funny tool indeed, that you'd never have a chance to use otherwise (unless you have a very thick accent).

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Jaerv,

Laura and I work dilegently to moderate our Childrens' "Southern" accent. To those who have met me I certainly hope my accent wasn't so strong that it made me difficult to understand.

[Usotsuki]

Cerys, The loudest, drunkest, most violent and definitely the most tasteless... and then, dear reader, I married him. :P

[Lyanna Stark]

Cerys, The loudest, drunkest, most violent and definitely the most tasteless... and then, dear reader, I married him. :P

I never said that description didn't fit me as well. :P

[Jed o' Tarth]

The ones I can't stand are the right-wing jerks who insist that we name "English as the official language of America".

1)"English" isn't 'our' language. It's "English". Hello? Ever heard of England?

2) America engulfs 2 continents. Good luck explaining to a man in Brazil why he has to learn English, as well as lady in Quebec.

Besides, most of those idiots don't know proper English when they hear it.

"Talk Brittish to mah keeds". ~Ed

ETA: Someday I'll learn to spell.

[kungtotte]

Laura and I work dilegently to moderate our Childrens' "Southern" accent. To those who have met me I certainly hope my accent wasn't so strong that it made me difficult to understand.

The accent is less problematic than what you say. People who get all up in their regional idioms and whatnot sound pretty much

to the uninitiated. And yeah, that's supposed to sound ridiculous.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Kungtotte,

The accent is less problematic than what you say. People who get all up in their regional idioms and whatnot sound pretty much

to the uninitiated. And yeah, that's supposed to sound ridiculous.

I can't watch your link. It's blocked by my office webfilter. In any event we also work at teaching them proper usage. For example my almost 3 year old responds to the question, "How are you?" with, "I'm doing well."

[Slick Mongoose]

Americans seem to often get the short end of the stick when it comes to international reputation, which I think is thoroughly unfair and undeserved. Maybe it's because in the holiday resorts I've been to the most irksome nationality has always been the Brits. The loudest, drunkest, most violent and definitely the most tasteless.

We're number 1!

We're number 1!

We're number 1!

[williamjm]

back to my argument: talking about foreign languages as some kind of abstract "benefit" is effete stupidity for the majority of people: give us something we can use. people in the areas I mentioned can to some degree or another be sold on Spanish for purely functionalist reasons--trying to make the same argument for the utility of Spanish education for someone living in, say, Maine is a much sillier proposition.

Whenver there's a debate in the news over here about the benefits of non-English (both foreign languages and Gaelic/Welsh) language teaching in schools the pro-language teaching side always claims that studies have shown that being multilingual improves the child's English speaking abilities and also improves their performance in other school subjects as well. I'm not entirely sure how well-established this claim is, but if it holds up then it does provide some justification for language teaching even for people who aren't intending to really use the language (although the benefit is probably too abstract to really motivate people to care about learning another language). Also, I think the most benefit is meant to come when the children beging to be taught the other language when they're just starting school rather than waiting until they are teenagers as usually happens in Britain (and presumably most American schools).

The ones I can't stand are the right-wing jerks who insist that we name "English as the official language of America".

1)"English" isn't 'our' language. It's "English". Hello? Ever heard of England?

I don't really see why a country has to have invented the language to make it their official language, it doesn't mean that they're claiming ownership of it. Plenty of countries already claim English as their official language (as do many countries that aren't Spain or in Arabia claim Spanish or Arabic as one of their official languages), so I don't see why America shouldn't do that as well, although I'm not sure I really see any great benefit in adopting an official language. Incidentally, the UK itself doesn't have an official language.

[Mad Monkey]

1)"English" isn't 'our' language. It's "English". Hello? Ever heard of England?

It definitely helps if your country is named after the language. It's hard for someone in Quebec to claim total supreme overlordship over the entire French language but for someone who was actually born in France that's their birth right. It's kind of like how you're not allowed to speak Arabic outside of Saudi Arabia and the UAE and Israelis are only allowed to speak a strange, Martian-like dialect called Israeli and nothing else. I believe the Security Council recently sanctioned Iran for having so many Persian-speaking people despite their country being called 'Iran'.

[a wooden chair]

Last month I spent November 20-28th in the Netherlands doing the typical tourist schpeel through Amsterdam. I came to four conclusions during my stay:

- Women don't vacation in Amsterdam to get picked up by bald ugly Americans.

- Being rude is the language everyone hates. In my experience it was the Brits, Aussies, and a few Stoner Culture Californians attempting to get everyone to join in for 4:20.

- Some people still find Blackface to be a valid entertainment tool.

- I loved seeing the approval of the locals after butchering the Dutch language. One waitress even complimented me on my efforts! I felt like a child getting a pat on the head and a spare caramel wafer to put over my coffee.. and loved every moment of it.

Suffice to say, I'll be learning more Dutch before I return again so the window-girls don't rip me off.

[Jaerv]

Bavarians are weird, that's a fact, and somehow the German image outside of Germany has a very strong Bavarian flavour. Obviously we are more than a little embarassed by that.

The image of Germany in the world is strongly influenced by Bavarian culture because people like Bavarian culture.

What do you northerners have to offer except the Stechschritt and other perversions of Prussian militarism, arrogance, and bad food?

[Jon AS]

The image of Germany in the world is strongly influenced by Bavarian culture because people like Bavarian culture.

What do you northerners have to offer except the Stechschritt and other perversions of Prussian militarism, arrogance, and bad food?

I'll have you know that I'm from the Rhine valley, which has a long and proud tradition of making fun of Prussian militarism! Of course the downside is that people take said tradition way too seriously.

Bavaria on the other hand is a haven for conspiracy nut monarchists who talk funny. There, beat that!:P

[Aemon Stark]

I'll second this. It's far more about the people than the nationality. Americans seem to often get the short end of the stick when it comes to international reputation, which I think is thoroughly unfair and undeserved. Maybe it's because in the holiday resorts I've been to the most irksome nationality has always been the Brits. The loudest, drunkest, most violent and definitely the most tasteless. Narrowly defeating the Swedes, Germans and the Norwegians, I might add. Most Americans I have encountered have, in comparison, been far more mild mannered and less annoying. Plus much easier to understand than a drunken Brit.

QFT. I remember in Rome seeing a major police presence in certain tourist areas at night, and hearing it attributed to problems caused by British visitors... which I've only seen on a small scale.

The only really annoying Americans I've encountered were in Paris and that was just because they were so LOUD. It sounded like they had some sort of megaphone they spoke through. WTF is up with that? Voice coaching? You could hear them from across a crowded station without missing a single syllable. Beats me.

That's the major difference I notice in the States. Loud talkers, bigger portions, strange exotic chain restaurants unheard of north of the border!

EDIT: Oh yeah, in general, Americans tend to be less drunk than European tourists. Or maybe drunk Americans sound more European? Perhaps this is a sliding scale: the drunker you are, the more European you get? :P

Canadians tend to fall somewhere in between. I've found lately that people from Ontario (BC too?) don't seem to drink that much, at least not like Maritimers, and Nova Scotians especially. *ALL* socializing tends to incorporate alcohol in some fashion, and, well, I'd wager that things get almost as out of control here as they do in the UK.

ETA: I have a hard time imagining what northern German cuisine is like if it's "bad" compared to the fermented, starchy, or sausage-based food I've experienced in Munich (and Austria too).

[Jon AS]

ETA: I have a hard time imagining what northern German cuisine is like if it's "bad" compared to the fermented, starchy, or sausage-based food I've experienced in Munich (and Austria too).

Oh, I forgot to address that. Mostly because I have a hard time associating various foods with specific regions except for some very basic stuff. I.e. Spätzle are from the southwest, fish and seafood are traditional dishes in the coastal areas etc. But are pancakes, potato pancakes or home fries representative of any particular region?

Oh, of course Himmel un Ääd is from the Rhine valley. And it is delicious.

And yes, German cuisine is very fond of potatoes, they are much more important than sauerkraut or sausages.

[Mlle. Zabzie]

I have to say, some of the most sublime food I have ever had was in Austria. Really.

I sadly do have an "ugly American" story from my last trip abroad. We were in Rome, and for a lark, we decided to take a guided tour of the Colisseum (knowing full well that there isn't much to it, really, having been there before). Our tour guide was an adorable Italian student-type who had a fantastic schpiel about how Romans approached gladitorial games, their cultural significance, etc. etc. It was really quite good. That said, we weren't moving that fast - you know, because there isn't a lot TO SEE. Anyhow, this really obnoxious woman (from her accent, from New Jersey, New York, or Connecticut - personally, I'm going with NJ or Long Island), pipes up and says "excuse me, who else here wants to go ahead and get on with it and see something interesting - I'd like to get my moneys worth" or something like that. An Aussie in the back shouted her down (told her that if she wasn't interested, she could leave the tour), but my husband and I were SO mortified.