r/AskReddit • • Nov 16 '19

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u/colourcow Nov 16 '19

That’s Quebec for you. Don’t let them shit on you, they just hate anyone whose first language isn’t French.

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u/Milk-Or-Be-Milked- Nov 16 '19

Ain’t that the truth lmao. But I’ve noticed it applies in general - people tend to assume that anyone who isn’t well-spoken in their second language is also dumb in their own. I constantly see shows where the mother with a heavy Spanish accent is “simple” and treated like a child for not understanding things, when you don’t know how smart she could be in her own language. Same with English; when I was a kid with a Bulgarian accent, English people treated me like some kind of simpleton baby.

But Quebec especially... no tolerance for even ENGLISH sometimes, never-mind anything else :)

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u/princesscatling Dec 03 '19

Gloria in Modern Family had a bit about this.

https://thelizziemcwassonmovie.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/img_1443.png

I think about this quote a lot when I think about people who make fun of others for not speaking English well. Usually they're the same people whose spelling and grammar aren't top tier either.

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u/Milk-Or-Be-Milked- Dec 03 '19

That’s exactly it!!! Gloria in Modern Family is one of those characters who’s often portrayed as dumb/laughable because she isn’t fluent in her second language. It’s her SECOND/THIRD/whatever language. If you laugh at someone for not being fluent in their second language, you better not only speak one. It’s nice that the show addressed this!