Musings #2
December 16, 2008
Say one person speaks two languages, while the other speaks only one language.
its the responsibility of the person who speaks two languages, to speak in the language they can both understand.
Share and Enjoy:
Random Posts
Comments
3 Comments on "Musings #2"
Tell us what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
kleer001 on Tue, 16th Dec 2008 8:17 pm
that’s ethically true, but I’ve found the real world sadly different. In Morocco, says my cousin-in-law who is native, they may know French, but if your french is lacking they’ll pretend to not understand just for the egotistical thrill of it.
Tony on Tue, 13th Jan 2009 10:57 pm
I don’t think either has a responsibility to speak a common verbal language but, in the situation your describing, one person has immediate control over a potential verbal connection. Not a responsibility but decisive choice.
Niki on Thu, 22nd Jan 2009 12:06 am
Interesting topic. I think this social obligation holds in several settings, but not all. If the 1-language person is spending time in the 2-language person’s native land, I think there is some reciprocal responsibility to attempt to learn the second language.
The whole thing gets messier, I imagine, when the one language is English. I imagine some may feel resentment that it is English which has become the lingua franca, and resist speaking it. (This gets even more compounded with British or American English-speakers, because these societies generally have made a point of expecting everybody to speak English.) This does not absolve people from simple manners, according to which it is gracious and polite to speak in a language you know your conversation partner can understand, but I can feel some sympathy for those who (immaturely?) refuse the path of politeness.