Oooops! I said that??? What's your biggest foreign language Faux Pas?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by avb3

Funniest conversation I had was with a girl I dated for a while who grew up in Mobile, Alabama.

She was a teacher, and insisted there was a grammatical correct difference between y'all and all y'all. As there were a few other southerners there from different States, it got into quite the heated discussion for about 45 minutes.

I thought is was funny as all get out, eh?

It just us Southerners making up for a deficiency of the English language...there is no plural "you". By contrast, Spanish has a plural "you" in "Ustedes".

Being from the South and speaking Spanish, I joke that I speak 3 languages: English, Spanish, and Bubba. I have to translate sometimes for my California Girl between Bubba and Cali English. Have also joked about making a Bubba to Spanish translation cheat sheet. "Y'all" as mentioned would be on that sheet, as well as "aqui, acá, allí" which loosely translate into "here, there, and over yonder".

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

It just us Southerners making up for a deficiency of the English language...there is no plural "you". By contrast, Spanish has a plural "you" in "Ustedes".

Being from the South and speaking Spanish, I joke that I speak 3 languages: English, Spanish, and Bubba. I have to translate sometimes for my California Girl between Bubba and Cali English. Have also joked about making a Bubba to Spanish translation cheat sheet. "Y'all" as mentioned would be on that sheet, as well as "aqui, acá, allí" which loosely translate into "here, there, and over yonder".

I love it !

Of course there's the NY Italian plural of you too.... Youse...

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

I love it !

Of course there's the NY Italian plural of you too.... Youse...

Yes, NY has its own way of compensating for that deficiency of English too (I used to work in lower Manhattan a lot).

Of course, originally being from Mississippi...English is a second language for me too!

[svmariane]

The Korean language has five levels...
speaking to "royalty" or (nowadays anyway) to very high officials;
speaking to a superior;
speaking to an equal;
speaking to an underling;
speaking to a child.

My original language training came about in the usual way (for me): talking with the bar girls and subsequently a "pillow dictionary".

With me so far? Okay. So.... I'm out in the field and the local Korean Army commander invites me out to a restaurant for dinner, accompanied by his staff officers. And I'm trying mightily to communicate in their language. Compliments from the commander on making the effort to learn Korean. All good.

Later in the eve, after the commander went his separate way, one junior officer pulled me aside and over a beer casually mentioned that Korean actually has two additional forms {identified by word-endings}: From a man speaking to a woman and vice versa.

He wanted to know why I sounded like a bargirl speaking to a customer!



The next week I signed on for a Berlitz course. (sigh)

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Yes, NY has its own way of compensating for that deficiency of English too (I used to work in lower Manhattan a lot).

Of course, originally being from Mississippi...English is a second language for me too!

I'm fairly certain it better to "from" MS... Than to "move to" MS!

Although my entertainment factor and girth have increased exponentially...

Originally Posted by svmariane

He wanted to know why I sounded like a bargirl speaking to a customer!
(sigh)

Love It !

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

I'm fairly certain it better to "from" MS... Than to "move to" MS!

Although my entertainment factor and girth have increased exponentially...

...

C'mon now, MS ain't all bad. ; ) As you've discovered, it can be a very entertaining place with no shortage of good food...the most powerful music on the planet: the Delta Blues...the older and rawer the better...and of course Southern Belles...yum.

[markpierce]

Quiz show host: "What do you put on your husband's eggs."

Contestant responded: "Talcum powder."

(Correct answer was "salt.")

[Paul J. Nolan]

Originally Posted by BlueBuddha

Many decades ago I moved to Florida from Venezuela to go to college. I spent one year at an English program as I didn't speak a word before I came. I began dating an American girl at the time and she taught me a few dating words. One time we were at the mall holding hands and she said "we are so corny" - corny was a new word for me. About a month later, we were at a large school dinner holding hands under the table and I decided to use the word I learned at the mall. So just when everyone got quiet I said loudly "We are soooo horny!"

Now that's funny!

Paul

[ontherocks83]

Being from outside of Boston, I found that when down south instead of needing to know a second language if I don't want someone to know what I'm saying, I just talk as fast as possible with a heavy Boston accent and all is well. On the flip side of that when I was in boot camp I had one Hispanic Drill Instructor that learned Southern English as a second language. Picture spanish accent with a souther drawl. It took some of us 2 weeks to learn what he was saying and the more we didn't understand the more pissed he got, which means the more push ups we did. It was a vicious cycle really.

[jeepbluetj]

Originally Posted by markpierce

Quiz show host: "What do you put on your husband's eggs."

Contestant responded: "Talcum powder."

Bob Eubanks (newlywed game): "Where's the strangest place you've ever made whoopie?"

Contestant's answer was priceless.

And both Bob and the contestant spoke the same language.

For those that don't know the story: : snopes.com

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

C'mon now, MS ain't all bad. ; ) As you've discovered, it can be a very entertaining place with no shortage of good food...the most powerful music on the planet: the Delta Blues...the older and rawer the better...and of course Southern Belles...yum.

Yea... I do have to admit... I'm a kid in a candy store when it comes to both music and food here... I've always despised the plastic chain restaurants and searched out the family owned gems in CA... Here it's the opposite...

And I just got back from a weekend trip in Memphis... I was remarking to myself how the raw energy of a blues band bringing down the house simply can't be described...

And the Belles??? Well... yes! But you do have to wade through a lot of very large gongs...

Originally Posted by ontherocks83

Being from outside of Boston, I found that when down south instead of needing to know a second language if I don't want someone to know what I'm saying, I just talk as fast as possible with a heavy Boston accent and all is well. On the flip side of that when I was in boot camp I had one Hispanic Drill Instructor that learned Southern English as a second language. Picture spanish accent with a souther drawl. It took some of us 2 weeks to learn what he was saying and the more we didn't understand the more pissed he got, which means the more push ups we did. It was a vicious cycle really.

Ha HA!

Can you imagine actual Spanish with a Southern Drawl ?
Hole-Ahh Ahmaaay-go

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

...
And I just got back from a weekend trip in Memphis... I was remarking to myself how the raw energy of a blues band bringing down the house simply can't be described...

....

True, there are no words to adequately describe it. The raw energy of some of the original Delta Blues artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Little Walter...even comes across powerfully on their old recordings.

Kieth Richards wrote in the forward to a book about Muddy Waters that when he first listened to Muddy's music, it was the most powerful musical experience of his life...profound statement coming from Kieth Richards!

The Rolling Stones were heavily influenced by the Blues and performed and recorded with Muddy Waters many times...making some great, and historic, music.


....OK....now back to the thead topic...

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

....

Ha HA!

Can you imagine actual Spanish with a Southern Drawl ?
Hole-Ahh Ahmaaay-go

A Southern friend of mine moved to Guatemala in the 1960s. Didnt speak a word of Spanish. He now speaks Spanish like a native Guatemalteco, but still speaks English with a Southern accent as thick as molasses.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

True, there are no words to adequately describe it. The raw energy of some of the original Delta Blues artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Little Walter...even comes across powerfully on their old recordings.

Kieth Richards wrote in the forward to a book about Muddy Waters that when he first listened to Muddy's music, it was the most powerful musical experience of his life...profound statement coming from Kieth Richards!

The Rolling Stones were heavily influenced by the Blues and performed and recorded with Muddy Waters many times...making some great, and historic, music.


....OK....now back to the thread topic...

It's amazing to realize how many COMPLETELY different music genres/bands were influenced by the blues... Just a few reads through bios, British, Rock, Ska, .... ... Pandora does a really good job, and obviously Wiki... Clapton, Pink Floyd, Zep, Who...

Originally Posted by belizesailor

A Southern friend of mine moved to Guatemala in the 1960s. Didnt speak a word of Spanish. He now speaks Spanish like a native Guatemalteco, but still speaks English with a Southern accent as thick as molasses.

That's FUNNY!!!!

[Greenhand]

Speaking of Spanish, the Southern US accent is the most difficult to overcome in learning Spanish, so if your friend spoke like a guatemalteco, that is extremely impressive! I already spoke fluent Spanish when I started learning French. As a matter of fact, I took my first French classes in Mexico. As such, I tend to rely a little too heavily on my first Romance language. I spent years confusing french understood "compris" with Spanish buy "comprar" until the following episode burned it into my brain.

Fast forward to a trip to France. I accompanied a friend on 5k hunt for cigarettes, given that our apartment was in the middle of a field. When we finally got back, a guy got in the elevator with a carton of cigarettes. "Pardon, Ou est que vouz avez compris les cigarette?" That is "Where did you understand your cigarettes?" Worse yet, I immediately realized my mistake and shouted, ACHETE, ACHETE (the correct word, although I am not sure about the spelling right now). There is never a need to shout in a European elevator. The thing barely held the three of us.

For anyone who cares, it turns out he had a car. He just drove into town.