English is my second language and so I often make pronunciation or grammatical errors. These mistakes always seem to incite laughter amongst my peers--the same sort that is usually reserved for children. They respond, "Don't you mean ____" with a little giggle, instead of politely helping me. I'm not sure which is worse, but one thing is for sure, they both belittle my voice. As if knowing perfect English is a benchmark of intelligence! Ironically, pronunciation and grammatical errors of foreign languages are not as serious. Without further ado, this list is dedicated to some of my experiences dealing with the double standards imposed on language.
1. Mispronunciation of Names
For the longest time I could not pronounce Socrates, and was laughed at by my peers at one point because of it. Ironically, on a daily basis my own name is mispronounced. Granted, I introduce myself using an English version of my name, but when I bring up the courage to use the right pronounciation most people disregard the true pronunciation. Or they will stand there for 10 minutes continuing to butcher my name to the point I regret my I-don't-care-if-people-say-my-name-wrong-I'm-going-to-introduce-myself-with-the-true-pronunciation philosophy.
2. "Can I get a chai tea latte?"
In this sentence, "chai" is meant take the place of an adjective--but in my culture, the word is a noun. In Arabic and Farsi chai means tea. So to me you are actually saying "Can I get a tea tea latte?" Sounds silly, right? Yet Starbucks continues to use (and their customers continue to misuse) the word.
3. Literal Translations
Most things I say in English are literal translations of Farsi phrases (because Farsi is my first language). One such phrase is "I'm going to wash myself." The response usually goes something along the lines of, "Haha, don't you mean shower?" No. Frankly I don't. I mean I'm going to wash myself as in use soap and shampoo to get rid of the filth off my body and that is exactly what my sentence is saying. Just because it does not adhere to common English phrases does not mean it is grammatically incorrect.
These are only a few examples of how the misuse of language is often only characterized as misuse when dealing with English...but it's enough to give you an idea. English-speaking people are not disempowered for their mis-use of foreign languages in the way foreigners--mainly colored--are (to the point that they are ashamed to speak their own language). This is not to say that language should be rigid, or that people shouldn't learn other languages. All I ask it that people be equally critical of their use of foreign languages as they are of foreigners using English. At the end of the day, a language is always going to be foreign to someone.
