June 19, 2003
Forgive Me
I have a confession to make. I work with a couple of people for whom English is not their native language. In fact, out of ten, there are only three native speakers of English, but whatever. From time to time, when we converse, I giggle and chuckle at the words they use and the format of their sentences. (I'm sure my own English grammar leaves a lot to be desired, but that is so not the point.) It just occurred to me today that my reaction to their broken English can be considered fawning and somewhat rude. Somehow, and I haven't done this consciously, I have turned their attempts at communication into a joke or a game for me. I have sat and listened, waiting for the inevitable flub, and that's just wrong. I am sorry for this puerile behavior. My co-workers are intelligent and capable, and they are quite fluent in English. Even though I've spoken French for fifteen-plus years, prepositions still fluster me. Adding a preposition where it doesn't belong (or forgetting to add one), can change the meaning of the sentence. So I guess I should take this little part of me and remember it the next time one of my friends says something unintentionally charming.
One thing about that though, it's funny how speakers of English as a second language grab onto a cliché or a popular phrase and how they use it all the time even though it's not exactly necessary or appropriate. Maybe it's just "funny" because I don't want to be accused of being insensitive. I tend to say voilà and ça va a lot more than perhaps I should. Come to think of it, I know a lot of people who say a lot of things they don't really understand but they think they do so they say them anyway. Oh, this is getting tedious.
