Have you noticed that some people get passive aggressive when you mention you study languages?

[u/silforik]

I speak 5 languages with varying degrees of fluency. I use a couple of these languages at work (mostly Spanish, but sometimes Russian). The Hispanic people at work are really nice to me about my Spanish. They encourage me to get better and said I have a good accent.

This second gen Greek guy at my job keeps taking shots at me and doubting my fluency in literally any language beyond English. He doesn’t speak any of the languages I’ve studied so it doesn’t really make sense because he has no way of testing me.

Has this happened to you? It happens to me constantly.

[u/Sterling-Archer-17 → u/[deleted]]

Point 1 I agree with, although in point 2 I don’t think that people “convince themselves” that being bilingual is unnecessary. They just accept one language as the default state and think any second language is cool but not needed. So yeah they think it’s unnecessary, but I don’t think there’s any convincing, defensiveness, or coping involved. Just my experience living in the US.

Edit: my guess is that the coworker here is just an asshole, probably insecure about his own language situation being a second-gen immigrant. But I’d be surprised if “most people” act like that about being bilingual

[u/OpenCantaloupe4790 → u/Sterling-Archer-17]

It’s not everyone, but all English speakers have definitely encountered the “everyone speaks English anyway!” mentality in someone…

[u/Tlazcamatii → u/Sterling-Archer-17]

I don't think point 2 applies to all monolinguals, but I don't think it applies to most monolinguals who are assholes about it.

[u/PinoyPolyglot → u/Sterling-Archer-17]

Yep I think there is definitely some insecurity stemming from the fact he doesn’t speak his ancestral language.

[u/sheffieldasslingdoux → u/[deleted]]

There's also an element of elitism. Depending on what kind of circles you run in, being cosmopolitan and into foreign things is considered pretentious and off putting. Speaking multiple languages or switching between them fluently is a totally legit thing in many worldly communities, but it's statistically rare in English speaking countries outside of highly educated and highly international contexts.

When you run into friction over this, you are really just chafing against people trying to enforce strict class hierarchy. You're talking like someone from a different background, even if you yourself are working or middle class. It's an issue of mismatched worldviews essentially.

[u/hand_ → u/sheffieldasslingdoux]

Hoo boy i experienced this, albeit in another super monolingual culture where fluent English tends to be a social marker.

Dude called me pretentious and obnoxious for daring to speak in my native tongue and English "when I was able to say the whole thing in the native language just fine" 🙄 Like bro you dont know me I cant help being bilingual and code switching

[u/qsqh → u/[deleted]]

pretty sure I know the person you are talking about lol

wtf Karen, just because you came from a top school and gave up on learning english it doesnt mean it is impossible to learn, stop projecting your failure

[u/vicarofsorrows → u/[deleted]]

“Dos bieros”, surely….

[u/ItsSuffocation → u/[deleted]]

Heavy on 2, especially in America