I immigrated to the US at the age of 8. I’m Asian. I think I mastered the language at like probably 12 or 13.

I recall often in my life, people always assumed I didn’t speak English for some reason. Like before I had a chance to open my mouth, that question gets asked…

Not sure if it was because I was perhaps being quiet and unaware I was being quiet, so they made an assumption based on that, or if it had to do with how I look.

I kinda always felt a bit uncomfortable.

“Perpetual Foreigner” kind of.

I’m gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it was just maybe I was quiet. But still. A white kid could stay quiet and I doubt the first thing a person assumes is oh he must not speak english.

Um… sorry if this is a weird ask, but those of you who live in immigration countries, have you ever been asked “Do you speak [Language of the country]?” Have you ever made an assumption about someone?

  • Lvxferre [he/him]@mander.xyz
    8·
    10 days ago

    I hate assumptions, but specially assumptions of ignorance. (Like this one - people assuming you don’t know a certain language.) So, thankfully, I tend to avoid being the aggressor in this sort of situation.

    Um… sorry if this is a weird ask, but those of you who live in immigration countries, have you ever been asked “Do you speak [Language of the country]?”

    No but I’m asked fairly often where I’m from, because apparently I speak Portuguese “like a foreigner”. It doesn’t sound like micro-aggressions, unlike in your case (as there’s no assumption of ignorance), but it’s kind of annoying when it happens in the city I was born, like, some of my grand-grandparents already lived here.