ANSWERS: 39
  • not at all .. i love it :)
  • No, the world is just a great big melting pot, besides, if I dont know what they are saying, it's hard to get offended, lol. + :o)
  • It depends on the situation.
  • Not really no, unless there is a group of people i am involved in and they start speaking in their native tongue then i would feel offended, but i do think if they are in "my" country for a long period of time then they should at least try and master basic english
  • Not at all. "My country" is Canada, and we are very accepting of all cultures and languages. I think it makes thinks more interesting.
  • No. My country's main language is Spanish but we also have many other native dialects. We also have many foreigners visiting or living here. Plus there are Radio stations, Cable programming, etc. in other languages.
  • Nope. Especially since I'm still trying to learn the local language, myself. LOL!
  • No. There is no reason why people can't learn a few languages. And a lot of people's ancestors in America didn't speak english as a native language.
  • No way! I don't care what language people speak.
  • I'm not offended at all. BUT, it does pique my curiousity and I would LOVE to know what they're saying! :)
  • Not at all! I do think immigrants should try to learn at least conversational english.. But I totally get speaking in your own language, for comfort alone!
  • No. My anscestors didn't speak english and niether did native americans. English itself is a foriegn language.
  • I don't get offended. More than ever there's a global mix in nearly every country. Speak what you like. That said, I do get irritated when I can't effectively communicate with a person in customer service because he or she doesn't speak English. If I'm in Home Depot, you should be able to tell me where I can find drywall screws.
  • Not really offended, just annoyed. In the area I live in, there are alot of Mexican immigrants. For some reason they like to hire them for drive thrus at fast food alot, or phone jobs. That would be great except that most barely speak English up here. If you move to a country, or area where a certain language is prominent, learn the damn language. I wouldn't move down to Mexico and insist on speaking English the whole time! How can they come here, not have to learn the language? Where I live is not a Spanish speaking area, and has never been in the past. The language here has been English for hundreds of years. Learn it or move somewhere that spanish is more prevalent.
  • No i do not, would you be offended if you went to their country speaking English,no we all need to just learn how to get alone.
  • No, although I do wonder if they could be calling me names in another language
  • Those kind of things are so insignificant in the larger scheme of things. I don't care what language other people speak. Just as long as they speak english to me.
  • No way! I speak English in other countries and really who cares?! I was on a bus in london once and there was a group of spanish boys about my age (13) on some sort of school trip. The bus was really crowded and a man came down from the back of the bus and started shouting at the boys who were speaking in spanish (duh!) He said 'I dont think you should speak another language when your here' and 'Its unrespectful' etc... I thought it was stupid! The boys got worried and talked more quietly after that! - After the man got off the whole bus started talking about how stupid it was!
  • No... I try to figure out the language, and hope that at least one of them can speak English well enough to check out or talk to whomever they need to talk to. I also get a BIT paranoid... Are they talking about ME? ;-)
  • Not at all. We have quite a lot of Polish people at school. Generally they speak to each other in Polish. Not in classes. Just generally. Obviously. I'm sick to death of people saying they should speak in English at all times. It's just bloody ignorant.
  • I don't have an issue with people speaking a non-American English language in the States. My issue is the lengths we are going to accommodate the Mexican population. You don't hear "Press 1 for English, 2 for French, 3 for Spanish" It is English or Spanish. Many of our northern neighbors speak French. Why accommodate 1 neighbor so much and ignore the other?
  • Not at all. I come from a family that immigrated here and they often still speak French to some of their friends, even though we have been here since 1959. Tourists visit this country, too, and I don't expect them to speak the language. People speak more freely amongst themselves when they can talk in the language they 'hear' in their mind. My mom to this day still hears and thinks in French and not English, even though she speaks English all day long. She even still dreams in French lol!
  • I have had opportunities to learn other languages. I just didnt apply myself. I took french in high school. It took me with its eighty irregular verbs. I took chinese mandarin in the Navy. It took me with its four tones and five thousand characters. I could have learned spanish, many people speak it in this locale. I was too lazy to learn something difficult. I am not offended. This country is made up of many ethic groups, thats why its called a melting pot.
  • Not at all. The city I live in has a wonderful mix of cultures. Also, I have done a lot of travel and have had the chance to learn a few languages conversationally. My native is American English, but have been to the UK enough to understand British English vs. Scottish English. I was talk a couple of languages in the Army and had to learn a few more as I continue through life. I really enjoy not only learning a bit about the history of languages, but also how local customs and cultures influence them. Great example: Do you want a soda, pop, coke, fountain? I really enjoy hearing people speaking other languages, and pushing my brain to figure out, not just what language it is, but what they are saying.
  • Not a bit. It'd be silly too, seeing as my country prides itself on being a "melting pot"
  • What do you call a person who speaks three languages? Tri-lingual. What do you call a person who speaks two languages? Bi-lingual. What do you call a person who speaks one language? AMERICAN hehe... no I'm not offended, I'm jealous, I get annoyed when we don't speak the same language, but every bit as much at myself as the other person. ;)
  • not at all, but there are some situations which are somewhat disrespectful... Let's say you go to a restaurant in your country and the waiter speaks in a foreign language which you don't understand. Then he speaks your language but in a snotty way... It happened to me once in the Alps and i felt upset. I live in Italy and the waiter spoke German. I think that's wrong.
  • No, not at all. I hear lots of Spanish when I'm out with my wife and my reaction is to sometimes wish that I knew it too.
  • Nah. But my mom speaks Chinese around the house, so I guess I'm used to hearing other languages.
  • No. In America, there is no "another" language, even though English is the predominant one, it is not the official one, and it shouldn't be. The native language of the Americas is that of the Native Americans. I, myself, speak Polish at home, and while with my parents on the street (that was when we were still living in America). Whenever I heard someone speaking Spanish or what not, I just related to that and I was always like, ok, I'm not the only American that speaks another language with their parents lol But most of the time those people are immigrants. But I do have a story to add...
  • I dont get offended unless I am a customer in one of their stores, and they start speaking their language to other employees, who are of the same background, when you know they also speak your language as well!! In fact, I find it very rude.
  • NO because when I go to a foreign country, I am speaking my language which is foreign to them so I have no right to be offended. While it's a little frustrating to try to communicate with somebody who doesn't understand you, it's more important to be patient and understanding.
  • Well, as everyone in my country speaks a foreign language anyway, it would be rather hypocritical of me to get all offended.
  • No. I only get angry when they insist that our country/government expend tax dollars to provide them services in that lanugage.
  • YES, ABSOLUTELY
  • No. I try to interpret what they are saying.
  • YES. IF THEY DONT WANT TO TALK ENGLISH, THEN THEY CAN GO HOME AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED.
  • Only if I'm traveling via US airlines. Some people might think it is discrimination out of political correctness, but it's not. Everybody wants to get to their destination safe and sound without feeling offended when people are speaking a different language than English, (due to) terrorism.
  • No. America is a melting pot and our language comes from many languages. In fact, we don't have an "official" language. But I do wish I could understand and speak other languages and communicate with them in their language as well as mine!

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