Is it discrimination when someone keeps telling me to speak English because they don't understand me?
by 
Nenalinda
ANSWERS: 12
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With the limited information you have given it is difficult to answer this question. If you are resident in an English speaking country, say UK, then other residents can reasonably expect you to be able to converse in English, or at least to make yourself understood. When my wife first came here she had practically no English and I did most of the translating for her until she became more confident. Your written English seems reasonable already, though, so I would assume that it is maybe your accent that is a problem. Elocution lessons can sort that out. Generally, if you try your best people will come and go with you. If, however, you wish to speak another language then you must be prepared to be asked to speak English by people who do not know, nor wish to know, your language. After all, this is UK and the language is English. Btw I am a Scot and have to modify my language to converse with English people. If I can do it then so can you.
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Sounds more like rudeness or ignorance to me. I have met other Americans whose accent or dialect I can't make out. I certainly don't order them to speak English, which is what they are doing, I just apologize for not being able to understand what they are saying. "I'm sorry, Miss, but I just can't understand what you're saying because of your accent." (At the risk of oversimplifying, the main regional accents in the United States are the Midwestern, which is what you usually hear on TV; Southern, which is like Presidents Carter and Clinton; New York/New Jersey; and inner-city black English. Some of these are very hard to understand if English is only your second language.)
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The bottom line is if communication is to take place all parties involved are responsible for making this happen. This may require that someone living in an English speaking country learn to speak English. It would be true, also, if you were in a country that spoke, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, German, Chinese, French, etc. The recognition of the importance of language is evidenced in the USA by the fact that not only are there language requirements in school for English but other lanquages are offered as well and required for college.
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It depends on the tone being used. If they are saying it in a nasty or condescending way then yes, but if they just don't speak your language and want to be able to understand and converse with you,no.After all they could just ignore you couldn't they?
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No, it is absolutely not discrimination. Would it be discrimination if I were abroad and someone insisted that I speak the native language of that country? I don't think so. That being said, the person should be nice about it, but remember that many people do not realize what it takes to learn a second language. I am fluent in a foreign language, and I lived in a country where it is the native language, and it is really in situations like people making fun of me or snidely saying they couldn't understand me, those things are what brought me to the high level of fluency that I now have in that language. So do make an effort, do your best, and don't let anyone get to you. It's not discrimination, but I can understand how it could come across as rude to you.
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It's more of a language barrier than discrimination.
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I don't think so. It sounds more like irritation to me.
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It depends upon what your native tongue is of course and how far divergent it is from the linguistical tree it is. Furthest contrast = Chinese and Engarish (intentional joke, take no offense) and I suppose that the New World English and Spanish have made the most inroads so there is the most understanding here. To quote the when in Rome proverb: When in X, do as the Xers do.
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Perhaps. But it's completely legitimate and fair. It most likely is more difficult to understand you if you haven't mastered English. Also people don't want to make a mistake, provide wrong answers to questions, etc.
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It may be rude but it is not discrimination unless they didn't promote you for it or something like that.
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No it is not discrimination.
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No. Do you think it's discrimination when you speak to someone in another language when you know they speak only English and not that other language you are speaking to them in?
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