Is it rude to speak spanish in public?
Good night to everyone. Beforehand, I want to apologize for the misspellings I may commit. I'm very learning English, my first language is Spanish and my second one is Italian. About 10 months ago, I moved south Texas. About 70% of people, accordingly to an inform I read, speaks spanish. I'm still a teenager, and when I came here (sophomore year), I didn't speak ANY English at all. Most of my teachers and the administration staff were amazed that by 5 months, I could speak English fluently. However, sometimes I needed (and unusually still need) to say somethings on spanish:P The thing is, I speak spanish in public with my hispanic friends. Some people get mad. The further we travel inside the country, the stronger this problem is. Once a guy and me argued because he told me speaking a language other than english in America is rude since the native language is English. To this, I answered that, first of all, speaking spanish in America, which is a continent and not the U.S by itself is not any rude for most of the countries on the continent speak SPANISH, and that (at least Texas) don't renown any language as its official one. This has happened to me more than just once. I don't know why English speakers get upset if I speak Spanish in public. Aren't they self-confident? I mean, if they think I'm talking shits about them? Do they think they're the centre of the universe so everything I talk is about them? What is your personal opinion?
Speaking Spanish, is it rude to assume in US?
It probably depends on the city/town in Texas, but as far as I know, we Spanish-speaking people are generally friendly towards people who are trying to speak it. Rather than be insulting, it's actually nice to see a person making an effort to speak your native language. Just to be on the safe side, though, I'd say you can test out a small phrase or two before you try speaking a lot more Spanish. (Seeing how a person reacts to a simple "hola, que tal?" pretty much tells you whether they want you to talk to them in Spanish or not.)
Is it rude to speak Spanish in public?
nah its normal but it might make the person next to you feel awkward if they dont know the language. but most people should already be used to this, everyone does it here in the us
Is it rude for my husband and his mother to speak Spanish in front of me?
You wrote, "a 2 hour drive and they spoke every bit of their conversation in Spanish" Yes, THAT is rude, very, VERY rude, and they should be ashamed of themselves for excluding you like that, and you should be VERY angry at your husband for perpetuating an environment where you are made to feel inferior to them. I mean, an occasional phrase or sentence in Spanish is perfectly understandable, but what you describe is actually part of a conspiracy on their part to make you feel inferior and to demean you, so, I would suggest that you put your foot down NOW and avoid all contact with his mother. Yes, it will provoke arguments, but trust me, these people are out to break you, so stand up for yourself NOW, before it's too late. Good luck!... :-D
If you know your friend only speaks English, is it rude to speak another language in front of him?
It would depend on the situation. Obviously, it would be rude if you babble away while you friend just stands there and not understand anything. Nor is it nice to comment on your friend to a 3rd person with your native language. However, it is efficient if you communicate to others in your native language to solve a problem. Most people with international travel experience don’t mind that one mind. Oh, and it would be nice if you let the other person knows what’s going on.
Is it rude of my boyfriend to speak Spanish in front of me, when the conversation was initiated in English?
My boyfriend and I both speak English, but he is also fluent in Spanish. When we are out in public, say paying a bill, or ordering food, the server or cashier will speak to us in English, and he will then assume they speak Spanish, based on appearance due to the fact that they have no accents and speak perfectly fine English, and then the whole conversation will then be in Spanish. I was just wondering if anyone else found this to be rude? My boyfriend gets really offended when I bring it up, but I just feel left out of the conversation when I really don t think it s necessary. I know some Spanish, but he speaks a completely different dialect than what I know. When we re visiting his parents (who also speak both languages) he will speak Spanish to them, and his mom will usually tell him to speak in English because its rude when I m around haha. So am I just being stupid? Or is he being insensitive and/or rude? Just so you guys know, I completely love that he speaks another language, I just honestly feel so left out and awkward. I just wanted some other opinions.
Is it rude to speak Portuguese to Spanish people assuming they will understand me?
It's likely to be an exercise in frustration if you speak Portuguese to native speakers of Spanish and assume that they will understand.According to pretty much all the anecdotal evidence I have ever heard or read, the mutual intelligibility of Portuguese and Spanish is very lopsided:Portuguese speakers can often understand spoken Spanish wellSpanish speakers frequently have a great deal of difficulty understanding spoken Portuguese.Typically, this asymmetry is attributed to the complexity of Portuguese phonology: Portuguese has many more contrastive sounds (phonemes) than Spanish and more complex interactions among them, which makes it difficult for Spanish speakers to interpret. There are many cognate pairs between the two languages where the Spanish word retains more of the ancestral Latin root, while the Portuguese word is "clipped" or shortened. For example, Spanish sólo vs. Portuguese só ("only") or Spanish santo vs. Portuguese são /ˈsãw/ ("Saint").You may want to read some of the interesting answers to this question: "Why do Portuguese speakers understand Spanish better than Spanish speakers understand Portuguese? I am a native Brazilian, and have experienced this many times, from both sides."This Wikipedia article has a lot of interesting information too: Comparison of Portuguese and Spanish
Is it rude to speak Spanish to staff in a Mexican restaurant?
I wouldn't think it's rude. But first off, I'm not American or caucasian. I lived in America for a little less than a year, and fell in love with Mexican food at this really friendly restaurant I frequented - Cuzamil in Pittsburgh, PA. The owner and the staff loved it when I tried to speak to them in their language, even very basic salutations like 'Hola. Como esta?', 'Gracias', 'Adios', and 'Agua, por favor' to ask for water. And a few other sentences that were definitely in broken Spanish. Frankly, it only delighted them that I attempted to converse in Spanish.
Do you think it's rude when Hispanic people speak spanish in public?
My friends and i were talking about this earlier in school, ok so my friend rides a bus to a tech school from high school everyday, and the bus driver is Hispanic, and this Hispanic girl sits in front of him speaking Spanish with bus driver, and he gets mad whenever they speak speak Spanish in front of him, he says that This is the united states are main language is English and it should stay this way. i am a little irritated EVEN IN MY ENGLISH CLASS they even speak Spanish!! its so rude to me whenever they speak spanish in a damn English class. we had groups today and we were moving around and my teacher puts me with this Hispanic girl and she barely knew english, she gave me a angry look like she didnt want to talk to me, but i didnt do anything i was just asking her about the study questions? but she decided not to anwser me and gave me a bad look, i think shes racist against americans i dont know... well have you had this experience before?, if so tell, when and where and this happened.
Why do some Hispanics refuse to speak Spanish in public?
Assuming you’re referring to Hispanic immigrants, I’d speculate that because much like Italians, Greeks and Germans before them, immigrants in the US (irrespective of their native tongue) are constantly being told to learn and speak English. Those who speak English well (especially without a trace of a foreign accent) get better treatment over those who don’t. This is hardly a new phenomenon.Also, for immigrants who have been in the US for a long time, speaking English on the street comes easier since much of their daily interactions at work and in school are in that language.On the other hand, the Hispanics you’re referring to may be second or third generation US born, in which case, English is their first language and it’s non-sensical that they would be expected to speak in Spanish in public or in private.The people you hear ‘proudly’ speaking in Mandarin or Farsi may well be immigrants unable to speak English fluently. Obviously, they will communicate in their native language whenever possible. Go to any city in SoCal with large populations of Asians and Persians and you’ll be hard pressed to find younger generations speaking in their parents’ language.Another scenario might involve insensitive strangers approaching individuals with a Spanish accent and trying to use them as their personal translators or language partners just because it’s convenient for them. In that case, I do not blame them for refusing to speak in Spanish or any language other than English. After all, why should they feel obligated to indulge a complete stranger motivated by his or her own personal curiosity or gain? Let’s be honest, there’s nothing in it for the Spanish speaker.Personally, I think people ought to be free to speak according to their preference whether that’s English or their native language without being judged for it.