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submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by Spliffman1@lemdro.id to c/memes@lemmy.ml

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Americans (inhabitants/citizens of US) when people from other countries come to theirs : "These people need to speak English"

Americans when they visit other people's countries : "Why don't these people speak English???"

EDIT : By the context of this post it's blatantly obvious which definition of 'American' is being used lol, but I added an explanation above anyway. 🙄 And yes there is more than one definition of "american", usually context makes it clear which is being used for most people

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[-] finickydesert@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 year ago

But some Americans already speak a little bit of another language.... ¿por qué piensa que nosotros no hablamos español en Florida? (Sorry off terrible still learning unfortunately)

[-] victron@programming.dev 2 points 1 year ago

Don't worry, your Spanish is perfect. But ain't that cool to live in a place where people can speak two languages? As a latin American who has spoken English for most of my life (yet I still mess up sometimes), I can't imagine only speaking one. Also, my daughter started learning ASL (just out of curiosity), so I'm helping her and learning a bit too, sice I think not enough people knows it. Sorry for the long comment, but communication is fucking important, specially good one.

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Hahaha I go to Miami all the time, it feels like I'm in Latin America there. So yes, some Americans do speak Spanish. And Florida is definitely in the future already

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 11 points 1 year ago

The main point I see regarding the word "American", is that people of the USA have pretty much claimed it and use it to refer to themselves, regardless of the other definition of it. So we roll with that lol

[-] photonic_sorcerer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 year ago

Why is it baby Yoda though?

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 9 points 1 year ago

Because Yoda is one of the galaxy's most recognized linguists?

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

His side hustle is teaching Shyriiwook

[-] finickydesert@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

I think group would be speaking Mando'a instead

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

That's his first language, but he's trilingual. The third one is passive aggressive sarcasm.

[-] patomaloqueiro@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago

O futuro é bilíngue

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Estou cansado,.... Je suis fatigué de tout 😂

[-] moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 year ago

the future is ~~bilingual~~ cognates

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 0 points 1 year ago

The populace or the languages? Or both?

[-] demonen@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago

Makes me want to learn how to say "Go fuck yourself" in a Native American language.

[-] Jaydeep@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the world's population) speak a variety of Chinese as their first language.

[-] dlpkl@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Many of those "varieties" are not mutually intelligible and are actually considered unique, distinct languages

[-] NorthWestWind@iusearchlinux.fyi 1 points 1 year ago

好似我咁

[-] AhismaMiasma@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

Sí, por supuesto. :)

[-] fred@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

Only two? Only those particular two?

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

What are you talking about? You lost me about those two? Which 2?

[-] IHateReddit@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

two languages I think

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 0 points 1 year ago

Well he said 'those particular two' .. I know bilingual means 2 languages, but the post doesn't mention a particular two😅.... Unless he got caught up in the random tangent conversation below about what is an American and Americans speaking Spanish... Which was really a diversion

[-] BruceLee@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Bravo ! (no, that's not english)

[-] Ignacio@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

The vast majority of Americans do know Spanish. The only people who don't are Canadians, USians, maybe Brazilians, Jamaicans, etc.

[-] ilickfrogs@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

Why on earth would Canadians speak Spanish. We already have two official languages with 1/3rd the country fully fluent in both.

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Canadians are very bilingual, they are good.....the Americans are still struggling with English, let alone a second language

[-] state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 1 year ago

Most Americans do not speak Spanish. Knowing a phrase or two does not mean you're speaking the language.

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 2 points 1 year ago

Exactly

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 2 points 1 year ago

I think you need to research what the words "vast majority" mean lol. The vast majority of Americans definitely do not know Spanish 😂

[-] Aremel@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

Are you defining Americans as "people that live on the American continent and the Caribbean" or "people that live in the United States of America"?

I think OP means the former.

[-] guts@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 year ago

Mexicans do not call themselves Americans even knowing they are from North America.

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 4 points 1 year ago

Nobody in the Caribbean calls themselves Americans 😂😂

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

People from and what they are called in English : Mexico - Mexicans, Canada - Canadians, Colombia - Colombians, Venezuela - Venezuelans, Panama - Panamanians, Brazil - Brazilians, Etc etc

Do you see a pattern? People from United States of America - Americans

Only on Reddit or Lemmy and places like them would you get a bunch of nerds storming in to say everybody in North, Central and South America are Americans.

On CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Voice of America etc.,etc Americans are the people of the USA.

Or when they present poll results of Americans, they polled in Mexico, Ecuador, El Salvador, Canada etc etc too?

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 2 points 1 year ago

I'm defining Americans as most people do, the people that fucking sing God Bless America. Nobody in Latin America calls themselves Americanos, americanos son los gringos, de los EEUU

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[-] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 1 points 1 year ago

Mexicans are Americans too fam.

(North Americans)

If you have Asians, Europeans, and Africans, why is it that "Americans" is assumed to be a nationality instead of a continental/racial designation?

[-] Letstakealook@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago

Because thats how the word has been used in English since at least the 18th century. This weird little hangup people have with it all the sudden is just people looking for a reason to hate on Americans. The folks trying to change the usage don't even have good alternative word which shows that it isn't an argument in good faith. The only alternative I've seen is "united statsians" which is nonsensical in English and cumbersome. Even the whiner from the original comment didn't spell it out.

[-] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Funny, the only people I hear call it out are from other American countries. This comment chain was interesting in that it was started by a Spaniard.

I wonder why, prior to modern times, people just didn't give a shit what the other people on the continent(s) had to say on the matter?

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[-] teft@startrek.website 1 points 1 year ago

I think you need to reevaluate what the word American means. It includes the southern continent. So of the 35 countries that are over here 3 speak English, 1 Portuguese, 1 French and 30 Spanish. So yes, the vast majority of Americans speak Spanish.

[-] Spliffman1@lemdro.id 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

In the common vernacular of today 'American' refers to people from the USA, or something of or related to the USA. That is one of the dictionary definitions of American, and quite frankly the most common usage in today's world. Anyway, to make it clearer for people like you I edited post above to specify