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Post by milkman's baby on Dec 12, 2009 22:44:22 GMT -5
I think in very diverse areas people act much more cautiously (hence the typical game cruelangel was talking about) because of their inability to tell one's race and treat him/her accordingly. Perhaps, but they also seem to be more nosey/interested in someone's race in the first place. Here, people either don't care or they just don't bother asking (maybe they just assume). I got asked about my race more often when I was in DC and downtown St. Louis than in the suburbs.
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Post by lawrencex on Dec 14, 2009 2:22:17 GMT -5
Are you a playwright?
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Post by milkman's baby on Dec 14, 2009 7:39:58 GMT -5
no
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Post by toyomansi on Dec 15, 2009 3:56:55 GMT -5
This isn't exactly a question, but part of my everyday experiences... The other day I was walking downtown minding my own business, and I passed by this buy who was recruiting for his church (Jehova's witnesses or something). I tried to ignore him while passing by so that I wouldn't have to stop and talk (and maybe be converted, lol). First he started with: "Excuse me, do you speak English?" No response from me. And then in Norwegian: "Snakker du norsk? (Do you speak Norwegian?)" Still no response from me as I tried to walk away, and then I heard him: "Ni hao? Ni hao?"
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hypeforlife91
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Post by hypeforlife91 on Dec 15, 2009 4:02:16 GMT -5
^ Lol some people are so funny like that. "Ni hao" seems to come before ANY other Asian language. They just seem to assume that all Asians are Chinese. And some funnily doesn't even know what "ni hao" means (or what language it is) and just says it anyway.
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Post by toyomansi on Dec 15, 2009 4:14:49 GMT -5
Hehe, if that guy tried greeting someone in Chinese while doing church mission, it should mean that he knows how to speak it... Otherwise, if he meets a Chinese person who responds back to him only in Chinese, what is he going to say? ^^
This isn't really new to me, more often Chinese people come up to me and speak Chinese to me than Filipinos speaking Filipino to me (when not knowing me).
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Post by hypeforlife91 on Dec 15, 2009 4:45:15 GMT -5
^ Lol but I remember somebody here saying that someone said to them..."Ni hao. Are you Japanese?" That cracked me up hard haha.
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Post by toyomansi on Dec 15, 2009 5:50:16 GMT -5
Really?? lol, I guess there are still lots of people who think that the same language is spoken all over Asia...
In my work at the hospital, every time we have a random Asian patient who don't speak Norwegian, colleagues will assume that I can be the translator hehe... They could take the hint that if I don't volunteer to talk to that patient, it is because I'm not from the same country. But I have found myself translating between thick Norwegian dialects from nurses and broken Norwegian from foreign patients/visitors (when they don't seem to completely understand each other), lol.
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Post by hypeforlife91 on Dec 15, 2009 6:23:25 GMT -5
^ So you grew up being native to the Norwegian, English, and Tagalog language? That is sweet lol. I had to learn most of the languages I know through HS. I still dunno a word of how to write Chinese except the really simple basic stuff that even many foreigners know...like the iconic..."dragon" or "love" that seems to be on so many tattoos and graphic stuff. Anddddd even then I dunno how to write it...only read. hahaha. I even know more Japanese than Chinese. German..I only know a little. My strongest language is definitely English, no contest.
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Post by toyomansi on Dec 15, 2009 14:24:35 GMT -5
Actually my mom didn't teach me Tagalog when I was growing up, so I just had to study it by myself later... But it was not that hard to learn, since hearing it spoken all the time through all my years made it come easier to me ^^ I'm not a native English speaker, but I do my best hehe... Love languages, learned a bit of German and French at HS and Spanish while living in Mexico. I would also love to learn Chinese and Japanese Do you speak Chinese? Did your mother teach you while growing up? Written Chinese can be a challenge hehe...
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Post by hypeforlife91 on Dec 15, 2009 17:28:07 GMT -5
^I do speak Chinese, but I often have to think or stutter on certain phrases. Real good listeners can tell that I don't speak it often lol. I speak Cantonese to be exact...Mandarin is uh....not-so-good. My mom would teach me dual-languages while growing up. She taught me like, for instance, "this is a kitty and a kitty in Chinese is "maow" lol. I got to learn a bit of Mandarin growing up, but I still suck. Most native Cantonese speakers that grew up in places like Hong Kong and Canton can speak/understand Mandarin. But I grew up in the US...so hehe. But I cannot write 99.7% of Chinese characters and cannot read 99% of Chinese characters. My Japanese-learning days taught me Kanji characters of which is the same as Chinese characters so that helped with both languages. But that was limited.
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Post by milkman's baby on Dec 15, 2009 21:32:39 GMT -5
Yanno, I'm starting to realize most of the strangers who've asked about my ethnicity in my entire life have been non-whites, especially foreign ones. Perhaps because foreigners are known for being blunt when coming here, if they aren't accustomed to our etiquette. Not just Asians, but blacks, Hispanics, Middle Easterners. I've actually rarely been asked by white people I don't know. Anyone else have the same?
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Post by toyomansi on Dec 16, 2009 4:29:21 GMT -5
From my experience here in Norway, a lot of non-western immigrants ask me quickly and directly about my background. I think it it's a way for us to connect, since we have the non-western background and culture in common. No matter if they're Asian, Black or Middle Eastern, we all find common ground when it comes to being minorities and experiencing a type of culture and way of life in Norway that is very different from our non-western countries. Norwegians are more often shy of asking about my background, it only comes up when we are talking about a related topic. If I don't bring it up myself, they would think that I don't identify with my non-Norwegian background, and want to be referred to as just Norwegian.
I've noticed here on EAN that it seems that in the US people would ask "What are you?" about ethnicity, which is new to me. Here in Norway people only ask about country of origin. Is it bad etiquette in the US to ask about country of origin?
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Post by hypeforlife91 on Dec 16, 2009 5:23:28 GMT -5
Usually I get the "So...where are you from?" or people just straight up ask me.."Are you *insert race here* ?" "What are you?" sounds very rude to me and I would just ignore those people. I still find it rather rude to question race at first meet. I never ask for a person's race, I will know when the topic comes up, but if it doesn't then I don't care.
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Post by milkman's baby on Dec 16, 2009 11:40:48 GMT -5
I've noticed here on EAN that it seems that in the US people would ask "What are you?" about ethnicity, which is new to me. Here in Norway people only ask about country of origin. Is it bad etiquette in the US to ask about country of origin? Even if you speak perfect Norwegian with a standard Norwegian accent? Odd. Most Americans just figure if you sound like an American, you must've been born and raised here. Depending on what city you live in, most Americans are used to people of all different ethnicities being born and raised in the USA. So I guess it's just a matter of diversity. To be honest, I would get slightly irritated if someone asked me what country I'm from. That makes it sound as if an Asian/Eurasian can't be American - goes back to the old belief that American=white. Truth is, I am practically more American than apple pie, whether I want to be or not. Usually I get the "So...where are you from?" or people just straight up ask me.."Are you *insert race here* ?" "What are you?" sounds very rude to me and I would just ignore those people. I just wink and say, "I'm a Sagittarius. And what are you?" Although the last guy that asked was a balding 55 year-old man, so I've gotta be careful how I whip that one out.
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