3 ms·

Is it racist to not understand half of what is said through a thick accent? if it is I'm a big jerk. edit: why the down votes? Honest question, parent seems to

by Varcht 13y ago

Is it racist to not understand half of what is said through a thick accent? if it is I'm a big jerk. edit: why the down votes? Honest question, parent seems to be implying that its a bad thing that he adjusted to his environment, an environment where clear communication is paramount,.

ef47d35620c1 13y ago
We all have accents whether we were born in America or not. Have you ever been in the South? Just because we talk slow doesn't mean we think slow ;) Typically, it just requires spending time around the person and interacting with them. It doesn't matter where they are from or what sort of accent they have. After a few days, you'll understand them. And also, an accent has no bearing on intelligence.
- Varcht 13y ago
  This is not always the case, for instance I've worked with a great guy from China, after almost a year I still have a hard time understanding him and often have to ask him to repeat himself. It makes working collaborating difficult face to face.
  - seanmcdirmid 13y ago
    My Argentinian TA once said "if I have an accent and you have an accent, we might have a problem." That said, all my coworkers are Chinese (many have never been to the states or outside of china) and I don't have a problem with anyone's accent (they can barely understand my Chinese though).
    - meepmorp 13y ago
      > they can barely understand my Chinese though Out of curiosity, has anyone ever articulated why your Chinese is hard to understand? Is it tone or phonemes?
      - seanmcdirmid 13y ago
        I do fine on the street, but my Chinese isn't technical enough to work at work, I just don't have the vocabulary (thankfully, English is supposed to be our working language anyways).
sp332 13y ago
a thick accent Do you mean Nadella's in particular? I didn't think it was that bad. Anyway it's only racist if you think less of a person just because you can't understand them. Remember there are lots of people who can't understand you, either.
- Varcht 13y ago
  No, Nadella is easy for me to understand. I was responding to the parent implying that he was somehow pressured to conform.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

by Varcht 13y ago

ef47d35620c1 13y ago

We all have accents whether we were born in America or not. Have you ever been in the South? Just because we talk slow doesn't mean we think slow ;) Typically, it just requires spending time around the person and interacting with them. It doesn't matter where they are from or what sort of accent they have. After a few days, you'll understand them. And also, an accent has no bearing on intelligence.

Varcht 13y ago
This is not always the case, for instance I've worked with a great guy from China, after almost a year I still have a hard time understanding him and often have to ask him to repeat himself. It makes working collaborating difficult face to face.
- seanmcdirmid 13y ago
  My Argentinian TA once said "if I have an accent and you have an accent, we might have a problem." That said, all my coworkers are Chinese (many have never been to the states or outside of china) and I don't have a problem with anyone's accent (they can barely understand my Chinese though).
  - meepmorp 13y ago
    > they can barely understand my Chinese though Out of curiosity, has anyone ever articulated why your Chinese is hard to understand? Is it tone or phonemes?
    - seanmcdirmid 13y ago
      I do fine on the street, but my Chinese isn't technical enough to work at work, I just don't have the vocabulary (thankfully, English is supposed to be our working language anyways).

sp332 13y ago

a thick accent Do you mean Nadella's in particular? I didn't think it was that bad. Anyway it's only racist if you think less of a person just because you can't understand them. Remember there are lots of people who can't understand you, either.

Varcht 13y ago
No, Nadella is easy for me to understand. I was responding to the parent implying that he was somehow pressured to conform.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]