Questions tagged [language]

For questions about situations where certain types of language play an important role, such as slang, informal language or swearing. This tag can also be applied to questions about communicating with people who speak other languages to you.

There are many different variations of any given language. Some people use swearing rather than other minor expletives, some people use acronyms such as "omg" or "wtf" to communicate, and others just use informal words and phrases, such as "gonna". If you don't understand or like another person's choice of language, then this can cause some issues involving communication..

In addition, it can be hard to communicate with locals in foreign countries, especially if their first language isn't the same as yours, or if they don't speak much of your language at all. As a result, it can sometimes be difficult to get their attention or notify them that you speak a different language.

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How do I respond to children slightly younger than me laughing at my accent?

I'm an American. I moved to Israel. My Hebrew is OK, but I don't speak it perfectly. I also have... quite a strong accent. I'm trying to work on it, but it's there and fairly noticeable. Sometimes I'm talking - in a public space - to some kids my…
Mithical
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How can I switch a conversation from a language to another?

Being new in Germany (around ten months now), I am suffering from the language, and it is not that easy for me to keep the communication in German. Therefore sometimes I use English or even French when it’s possible, especially at work, in order to…
Gothiquo
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Asking someone to use their native language without being rude

Sometimes, I find myself in a conversation with people who can't speak English (or some other language) with standard pronunciation. Of course, not everyone has good speaking skills to begin with, and I believe it's more of an issue with my hearing…
Ramon Melo
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How can I explain to others that I'm not comfortable with the word 'queer'?

As an individual who is not okay with the word 'queer' being used to describe me, what is the most socially acceptable and sensitive way to communicate that to individuals who are? To rephrase - if I am in a social situation with casual…
Groggo
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How do I correct my daughter's teacher's grammar?

An email I received from my daughter's 2nd grade teacher has a grammatical error. The teacher wrote "your daughter can meet with Amy and I" where he should have written, "your daughter can meet with Amy and me". The email was cc'd to other teachers…
San Franciscan
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Polite way to ask how to pronounce name with sounds outside local language?

In my experience, it is not common practice for native English speakers in the United States to attempt to pronounce non-English sounds, such as gutturals or trills. So say I meet a new colleague whose printed name I did not recognize. I will…
Evan
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How to share a flat with people who don't speak any language I know?

I am doing an internship in Tokyo and share my flat with two Chinese women. They speak only Chinese and Japanese, I speak only English and some other European languages, and my Japanese is not sufficient for everyday conversation yet. We did some…
WatermelonLemon
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How do I communicate what I want to say in the language that the conversation is taking place in when I don't know the word?

I'm mostly bilingual - I speak (hopefully) decent English and I speak Hebrew that's passable most of the time (although I have a pretty strong accent that I have to work on). But sometimes I run into a problem where I don't know how to say what I…
Mithical
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How can I call attention to a casual acquaintance's mispronunciation?

How can I call attention to a casual acquaintance's mispronunciation? The individual is a native speaker, yet regularly misuses words like "antidote," when meaning "anecdote," as just one example. If the meaning of their conversation is still…
r m
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How to deal with people whose English is not good enough to be understandable

So I develop plugins as a hobby for just over two years now (nothing professional). I've posted one plugin online on a forum for everyone to use. Note that this forum has a rule stating you should write in English. While it's not that big of a deal…
user3491
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How do I decline conversation in my native language?

I often meet people who do not natively speak my language (German) but are learning it and would love to practice it by speaking German to me. General Situation The problem is that I talk in a slight dialect (Norddeutsch), speak very fast and often…
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Ways to deal with someone who uses expletives?

Expletives (swearing, cursing, cussing) are in far more common use today, than they were in the past. "Official" media censorship and other imposed controls have been softened, or removed all together in some cultures making their use more…
r m
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Correcting non-native speakers’ language

English is my native language but I live in France and sometimes I speak English to friends who are non-native speakers. Often people will pronounce words wrong or use a word in a strange way and I am not sure whether it’s a good idea to correct…
Neil Roberts
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What are the practical ways to minimize dead-naming of someone behind their back?

I see from social media that a former colleague "A" (whom I'm not close to and haven't spoken to in years) now has a differently-gendered name, look, and pronouns from what they had when I and other colleagues (B, C and D) worked with them. …
jez
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Is it appropriate to adopt features of the dialect or accent of your ancestors?

My father is of Scots-Irish Appalachian-American heritage but I grew up on the East Coast of the USA and normally speak English with a Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey accent. I have been interested in reconnecting with some of my roots by…
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