Language barrier and acceptance.

Hey Misa J.,

There are lots of Americans who will listen and try to understand you even if you make mistakes. I think since this country is so diverse many people are used to listened to non-native speakers. The other reason is the typical American is not bilingual, and so they have no choice in trying to communicate in any language other than English. I guess this pretty much goes for anybody in any country that only speaks their native language. If they didn't attempt to communicate in that certain language then you probably wouldn't be able to communicate hardly at all. For example, My Mom and Dad can only speak English (Not a suprise there), and my Wife can speak Japanese, Korean, and a little English. Therefore, if they don't try to communicate in English then it would be impossible for them to ever communicate(Unless I had to constantly translate). The point is that there are a lot of Americans who are interested in people of different cultures, and even if they make some mistakes, it is not a big deal.

The same went for me when I was studying in Japan, there were a lot of people who couldn't speak English, so there was no choice other than us speaking in Japanese (Even if I was making hardcore mistakes). Learning a foreign language is not the easiest thing in the world, and more than being perfectly gramtically correct it is more important they have some type of understanding of what you are talking about.

I think the difference between Japan and the US is that in America the nationals are expecting that if you are living there you should know or at least be attempting to learn the language. However, in Japan it seems like there is no expectations for foreigners living there to learn the language (these are just my observations, so I could be wrong).

I disagree. They have expectations from foreigners who really intend to stay there to learn their language. The period you stayed in Japan must had been short.
 
I have been in South Africa recently. It was a very nice holiday.
Although everybody speaks English there I noticed most people could understand a few words when we spoke Flemish to each other.
With a few of them I spoke a few sentences in Flemish/Afrikaans and then we switched back to English because it was easier for the both of us.
Speaking a similar language gives a feeling of a connection, some common ground.
Dutch and Afrikaans diverged some 300 years ago, Flemish and Dutch diverged even earlier.
 
Dutch and Afrikaans diverged some 300 years ago, Flemish and Dutch diverged even earlier.

Do you mean that Flemish and Dutch are more diverged than Dutch and Afrikaans? I regard the Flemish as the more 'purist' Dutch speakers, party caused by controverse with the French speaking Belgians. In writing contests in Dutch language, the Flemish are almost every time the winners! Afrikaans is some derived language from the Dutch golden age....so a kind of seventieth age language especially influenced by the dialect of Holland and, near to Belgium, Zeeland....


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Do you mean that Flemish and Dutch are more diverged than Dutch and Afrikaans? I regard the Flemish as the more 'purist' Dutch speakers, party caused by controverse with the French speaking Belgians. In writing contests in Dutch language, the Flemish are almost every time the winners! Afrikaans is some derived language from the Dutch golden age....so a kind of seventieth age language especially influenced by the dialect of Holland and, near to Belgium, Zeeland....


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Flemish and Dutch are still neighbours, so they keep on influencing each other, which is not the case with Afrikaans which is isolated since 300 years.
You may be right, to our surprise the Afrikaners claimed that it is easier for them to understand Flemish then Dutch.
We did not speak to the black Khoi people in Flemish, but we picked up some words when the Khois were talking to each other which certainly have Afrikaner roots and were very understandable.
 
I have been in South Africa recently. It was a very nice holiday.
Although everybody speaks English there I noticed most people could understand a few words when we spoke Flemish to each other.
With a few of them I spoke a few sentences in Flemish/Afrikaans and then we switched back to English because it was easier for the both of us.
Speaking a similar language gives a feeling of a connection, some common ground.
Dutch and Afrikaans diverged some 300 years ago, Flemish and Dutch diverged even earlier.

Ya, I've been to RSA recently too.

The way I see it, people speak a little accented English but clear and easily understandable, and then they would switch to Dutch, frequently within a single discussion, and all understanding would be lost for me. Though I can understand some written Dutch and Afrikaans, when I hear it spoken I can't grasp a word.
 

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