I have at this point met 12,000 American expats (slight exaggeration) living in Portugal, some for months or years, who barely speak a word of Portuguese. And every single one of them disclaims that they're "bad at languages".
My response to that - which, of course, I keep to myself - is that, if you can't manage to say "yes", "no", and "thank you" (plus a couple dozen other easy polite words) in the society in which you've chosen to live, that's not a question of language facility, that's a question of fuck-giving.
For the most part, Americans here say "Sí" or "No", which, of course, is Spanish. In Portuguese, it's "Sim" (seem) or "Nao" (now). This may strike you as a petty difference, but only like shitting in the sink rather than in the toilet is a petty difference.
Shrugging off the distinction between Spanish and Portuguese disrespects both proud cultures. You've made them a mere blur. A "those people". A WHATEVER. By shrugging petulantly at the distinction between "sí" and "sim", you dismiss the entirety of both cultures. Understandable for tourists, but, sheesh, if you're actually living there...
But that's not the point I'm here to make. What intrigues me is the "I'm bad at languages" explanation. I once wrote that "Every snob feels merely shy." And this clearly dips from that same well.
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2 comments:
so, you think Latin Americans in the US who say "si" are shitting in our sink? Or you hold them to a lower standard in the racism of low expectations? Here's a thought, maybe don't judge people so much (I'm sure the Portuguese don't mind foreigners lacking in Portuguese) and also stop trying to let us know yet another way you've figured out how to hold yourself in such high esteem.
{editing my reply as it gradually dawns who you are]
I'm not holding myself in high esteem. It's not zero sum. You can behave suboptimally without me being terrific. This is not a competition.
As for the Portuguese not minding, they're like you: they'd say one thing to your face, and quite another thing under veil of anonymity.
If you can't say "yes" and "no", you're not even trying. That's my point. And your analogy doesn't work. Most first-generation Latin Americans in the US aren't as educated as you are. They're in the US under pressure, desperately trying to make a life for themselves, and working themselves to death (and I've never heard one of them blithely shrug and say "hey, my language skills suck").
Finally, when a Mexican says "Si", he's speaking his language. When you say "Si" in Portugal, you are daffily speaking the language of a third culture for no reason whatsoever. An English "yes" would be far more respectful.
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