Keep in mind that the US was entirely built from immigration, though, and most of us realize that the part after the hyphen is just as important as the part bef

Keep in mind that the US was entirely built from immigration, though, and most of us realize that the part after the hyphen is just as important as the part before it and often represents several generations of heritage. In other cultures, immigration might be more abnormal, resulting in folks uncertainly opening a hailing frequency with the strange probably-tourist Englishman they’ve encountered, whereas in America it’s quite trivial to glance past physical features and lead off in English. (Helps that it’s English, specifically, too.) In another light, I usually have a sense for whether my English will find purchase before speaking because American culture has subtle cues and tics even in the way one carries themselves. I don’t have the perspective of reversing the situation, but I’d totally buy a scenario where the same sense is difficult to ascertain inside other cultures. Then you have to think about which possibility is more polite/offensive between assuming their language or trying yours, especially in various cultures; we certainly look at this differently, given the first point.