Questions tagged [language]
For questions about situations where certain types of language play an important role, such as slang, informal language or swearing. This tag can also be applied to questions about communicating with people who speak other languages to you.
41
questions
0
votes
1
answer
174
views
How do I avoid discussions that provoke my aversion to slang words and my friends that use them? [closed]
I am a 16 yo teen. I have recently gotten admitted into a new school. My classmates in this school use too much slangs and discuss on topics related to lust too often. My initial socialization attempt ...
8
votes
3
answers
603
views
How can I politely indicate that I know Spanish (or any other language)?
I am a white American, but I have learned Spanish as a second language. Sometimes, I will end up in an enclosed area (perhaps a waiting room or an elevator), and the only people there are me and a ...
- 181
0
votes
1
answer
295
views
If I know my interlocutor native language, it is approprieate to respond them using it? [closed]
I got an email in English from a staff member, and it turns out that he speaks the same native language as me (which is not English).
Would it be rude/appropriate to respond to the email in our native ...
- 11
11
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What are the practical ways to minimize dead-naming of someone behind their back?
I see from social media that a former colleague "A" (whom I'm not close to and haven't spoken to in years) now has a differently-gendered name, look, and pronouns from what they had when I ...
- 261
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
How can I respectfully ask my landlady to use English when in my home?
When our landlady comes into our place she always brings a relative. She visits with repair people, or most often it's a family member doing repairs. When they talk to us, they use fluent English. ...
1
vote
1
answer
179
views
Helping with Business Grammar
We have some employees who frequently communicate with customers. These employees are native English speakers and yet somehow their written communications come across as though they really struggle ...
- 2,472
7
votes
3
answers
652
views
How to request people to help me speak a language without imposing it on them?
I'm an Indian student who recently moved to the Netherlands to study. I'm intending on it becoming my permanent home at some point. While I was in India (and when I briefly moved to the US with my dad)...
8
votes
3
answers
604
views
How to handle language differences
I am in the UK dating someone from a different country who has a lot friends here from her own country. Friends are good of course, but they all speak a language I don't understand and I find it ...
- 456
2
votes
1
answer
763
views
How and why to be politically correct? [closed]
Comming from the 2nd/3rd world and living in the 1st now, I often have the problem of speaking in a way counted often as politically incorrect. Political correctness intends to avoid offense or ...
- 147
-2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What are the differences between Zie, Sie, Ey, Ve, Tey, E [closed]
Stack Exchange have released a post about changing their policy and CoC on using personal pronouns. I am not familiar with all of the personal pronouns linked in an article that they cite on the ...
- 648
-4
votes
1
answer
620
views
Seeking clarification on the use of "They/Them/Their" as a personal gender pronoun [closed]
We currently exist in a time of macro-evolution changes to our interpretation of gender and sex. The classical binary system of the Christian based Western cultures (and others) is being challenged ...
- 113
9
votes
1
answer
633
views
Stop disrupting behavior from a complete stranger
I recently started learning a new language. Together with studying it, I am also attending a conversation group, where people learning the language and people with native proficiency in the same ...
- 91
8
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How to avoid semantic noise during a regular conversation?
Semantic noise refers to using grammar or (technical) language that the person you're talking with cannot (clearly) understand. I keep running into situations where I feel I am ruining a conversation ...
- 34k
6
votes
2
answers
790
views
How to tell foreigners they don't need to speak English when near me?
Background
At my university we have a library building for students to meet other students and discuss/study amongst themselves. It's rather large and people from all sorts of backgrounds can be found ...
- 3,368
3
votes
0
answers
258
views
Is "Black American" an acceptable term in the US? [closed]
In the comments section on this question, someone took offense at calling african-americans black (because not all blacks are african). Then took offense at using the term african-american (because ...
- 144