Is it rude to already assume (by skin color) someone speaks a certain language?

Question

I know some loose Spanish phrases and sentences (not a fluent conversation) but my accent sucks.

Just because I'm a non-white (some indigenous features) Mexican-American, all of the sudden certain latinos were asking me things in Spanish. Someone else apparently had trouble locating from an address.

Sometimes I get the ''what, you look 100% latina and you can't speak Spanish, is this a joke''? So just because of my physical features, why should I know Spanish? I'm an American.

WhiteSteve · Accepted Answer

My girlfriend is half Puerto Rican, half white, but she looks very decidedly Latina. Where I live has a very high Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican population, and my girlfriend doesn’t speak much Spanish, because her white mother had custody of her in her formative years, and her father who spoke Spanish first wasn’t on the scene enough to really teach her Spanish. Her mother moved them to a mostly white area as a teenager, and she had the whole issue a lot of biracial kids face where she felt “too ethnic” for the white people, and “too white” in her persona for the handful of ethnic people in her town. She worked in women’s clothing retail out there at first, but then she worked around here when she moved, and she went through the same exact thing you’re describing. Puerto Rican women would come up and just immediately speak Spanish to her, and she’d have to tell them she didn’t understand and only spoke English. Some would kind of roll their when she’d say that, and I think a couple actually threw their clothes they were holding down and walked away in a huff, lmao. So yeah, that’s pretty stupid.

MrOracle · Accepted Answer

I'm about half Mexican, and people make that assumption pretty regularly. I wish I did speak Spanish, but I am very limited and can't hold a conversation in Spanish. Anyway, you aren't alone.

Nights0ng · Accepted Answer

Well, i dont really think its rude. Its a bit closed minded, sure. You can never be sure if some darker skinned person is from mexico or portugal, if they speak Spanish or portuguese. But in the US you have kind of stereotypical groups of immigrants, so its kinda natural peopl would assume that you have mexican heritage and speak Spanish. And i mean if someone has a certain cultural heritage, they fo speak that language more often then not.

nsyprkr · Accepted Answer

Why do people have to exaggerate it always? Race obsession makes me crazy. You dont have to know Spanish and you can express that you are an American. It is really easy and not even a problem.

Spawnface · Answer

Sort of. If you go to africa and guess that people over there were mostly born in africa it might not be rude. If you go to a mcdonalds in your neighborhood and start guessing peoples languages you may get called rude. Just because there's the notion that the knowledge of such a thing is self evident. Maybe thats a poor example but my point is if you should know better.

TsundereMatrix · Answer

I don’t thinks so. I had a customer at work ask me if I’m Polish. I told him my family comes from Germany and he asked me “sprechen sie Deutsch?” Which is do you speak German in German and that’s the only phrase in German I know. I told him I knew what he asked but I didn’t know how to reply to it in German.

facialhair27 · Answer

It is NOT rude. The chances of someone brown speaking Spanish or Arabic or Persian is high. I, as a white person, get mistaken for many nationalities in Europe even though I am in the US. Is it "politically correct?", then the answer is no, and I am so tired of being politically correct, so i'd say NO, it is not rude.

Anonymous · Answer

No, it's just demographics. When I worked at a 50% white 50% Muslim walmart, pretty much anytime a Muslim was asking for a certain meat but didn't remember the name of it it was goat. No white person ever asked for goat. So if a white person came up and said "ohh what's that meat again" I wouldn't guess it was goat, but if it were a Muslim 9/10 it was

WalterBlack · Answer

When you want to start a conversation, you begin by speaking in the language that you assume is familiar to both parties of the conversation. At some point you make an assumption about the other person's language skills, even if you do so subconsciously. If the other person doesn't understand, you move on to the second most likely language that they may speak (if you are bilingual). It is only rude if you become judgmental of the other person because they don't speak a particular language.

Anonymous · Answer

I know the feeling all too well. It is irritating but I don't think most people mean it as offending. It's also natural people assume you speak a language when you have the color of the language. I did it too (assuming people automatically speak the language) but now I don't anymore because I know how annoying it is (when people assume)

AoiXiaolang99 · Answer

Yes. I have dark skin and everyone assumes I speak Spanish and it annoys the hell out of me. I know this crazy White woman that speaks a little Mandarin and tries to great every East Asian looking person she meets in it only to find out that they are Vietnamese, Korean, or an American-born that only speaks English. They are usually annoyed by her.

Really, it is just making assumptions about people based on their skin color and playing into racial stereotypes.

TonyHman · Answer

Its not rude because we are internally making assumptions about others all the time. Thats not saying that we should hold those assumptions against someone, but its just how the brain works and how we think.

MaverickAngel · Answer

I would hazard a guess that ay assumption based on just skin color is rude... and potentially ignorant. Assuming things based on the amount of melanin is not scientific in any way?

turnmypainintopower1 · Answer

yes like you would ever know i speak basque because i look super white and it would be rude to walk up to somebody who looks Mexican and think they speak Spanish like my friend is Mexican and she doesn't speak Spanish

BlueCoyote · Answer

I wouldn't say it's rude but it's kind of... dumb. For lack of a better word.

madgoat · Answer

It presumptuous but it doesn't have to be rude. The example you provide is both rude and presumptuous.

OpenWine · Answer

it's not rude but the phrase u posted is kinda banter since there may be dudes who think they may score more points if there is a thing in common which in fact u don't have.

Alpha2040 · Answer

Don't care of the opinions of people. 100 people will have 100 opinions about you.

000_000 · Answer

People assume i speak Spanish all the time. I don’t really care because I do

Dallsimo · Answer

I wouldn't call it rude. I prefer the term "psychological laziness". It's more descriptive of what it is ;)

John_Doesnt · Answer

Yes, because not every white person speaks hillbilly.

Pinay_ako · Answer

I don't really care if people assume I don't speak English because of how I look.

ImagineGary · Answer

Yeah, any assumptions based on skin color should be avoided

MrBurke · Answer

Most of the Asians I've met do speak one of them Chinese languages or Japanese but are mainly using English for obvious reasons

Hispanic-Cool-Guy · Answer

Big deal. Strangers can obviously see I have Latino features and they automatically begin to talk to me in Spanish which I love by the way since I adore Spanish.

elite665 · Answer

I don't know kinda that’s like if you saw a black persons and assumed they talked in clicks

AngryNoctis · Answer

It's okay I'm on the same boat but it's easy to learn some of the basics

Eleni91 · Answer

I’m full Greek I’m not supposed to be blonde and can’t handle money.

ChocolateCheesecake · Answer

i'd say ignorant is the better word for that

ZestyWatermelon · Answer

I dont know if its rude. But its kind of ignorant.

vald9inches · Answer

Whatcha talkin bout Willis?

danielmeegan · Answer

Why not learn it if it turns yoh on go for it

thebigc · Answer

I would say generally yes.

GreatnessBack · Answer

Yeah, people can be assholes.

Imakemyownmoney · Answer

Yepp

TsubasaCorrupted · Answer

Yes it's rude

Kit_Kat88 · Answer

Not really

Historylover18 · Answer

Yea it kinda is.

Is it rude to already assume (by skin color) someone speaks a certain language?

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