I recently purchased a new laptop that is equipped with WiFi. I can now finally be one of those people that I have despised for so long - the people who hang around cafes like Starbucks wearing chic urban gear and colourful glasses (my glasses are still conservatively coloured). I always ridiculed how pretentious people look when they sit in cafes and tap away at laptops, but I have been lured by the promise of free internet access and the chance to get away from my apartment. There is something quite refreshing about working in a public area – the snippets of conversation and the movement outside the café all comfort me in a way that an empty apartment cannot.
That’s not to say that pretentious people do not like hanging around Starbucks. When I was testing out my new laptop at Starbucks on Friday, I came across a very pretentious North American. He sat at the table beside mine, with both a laptop and a page of typed manuscript sitting in front of him. At a glance, he appeared to be about 35 years old. Judging by the typed manuscript, he was probably an English teacher putting way too much effort into his job.
The man’s voice first entered my head when he talked in Chinese on his mobile phone. His Chinese was not bad, but it was still jerky like the Chinese of most foreigners. He steadfastly tried to infuse humour into his speech, but it sounded more like arrogance. His tone of voice inferred that he was in complete control of his second language when in fact he sounded very much like a laowai. (I did not need to look at him because I knew a foreigner was speaking Chinese from his jerky way of speaking.)
At around 5:30pm, the man stood up and was preparing to leave Starbucks. Before he left, he stepped over to a nearby table and started up a conversation with a young woman. Speaking Chinese, he asked her what she was studying. “Business,” she replied in English. The man continued to speak in Chinese and the woman eventually said “your Chinese is really good.”
The whole episode made me feel uncomfortable. It seemed like the man was showing off his Chinese and fishing for compliments. I really do not think there is any reason to show off your Chinese in China. Do you really want to be compared to Dashan? In my opinion, Chinese people are not at ease with foreigners speaking their language with a decent level of proficiency. Two responses are likely – they will either deride your Chinese level by saying that you know ‘a little bit of Chinese’ or they will exaggerate your proficiency by saying that your Chinese is ‘incredible’ but the tone of their voice is always slightly condescending.
People like the man I encountered are living in a fairy world if they think it is worthwhile to show off their Chinese. I have really started to hate speaking Chinese – I cannot deal with the strain of conversing with someone who thinks it is strange to be talking to a laowai in their mother tongue. I also struggle with the false compliments. I know that my Mandarin is better than some people from Hong Kong, but I also know that they do not feel the same strain as me. They look like Chinese and that is the most important thing.
Why shouldn't he speak Chinese when he is in China? Yeah, the guy sounds pretentious but speaking Chinese as a foreigner is bad, that is just a ridiculous statement.
The author did not state that a foreigner speaking Chinese is bad. The author clearly stated that a person that does not look Chinese who speaks Chinese is not viewed the same way as a person who looks Chinese but is not and speaks Chinese.
Perhaps, it is an attempt by the native speaker to maintain a sense of superiority over the foreigner? Or could it be that the native speaker wishes to retain a sense of ownership over his or her language?
It is an interesting point - in the Middle East, I have found that most native speakers enjoy (are amused) when you try a little bit of Arabic. Also, friends say that the French relish a sincere attempt to communicate in their native tongue. Perhaps the Chinese doubt the sincerity of a foreigners attempt to communicate in Chinese?
I completely agree with you. I find it such a pain. My Chinese is accent-less fluent, which is handy but considering I started learning it 12 years ago it is hardly that big an achievement. My only goal was to make life easier and use it in business without translators.
Why then does every conversation have to be about my level of Chinese? Even if it is surprising to a Chinese can they not just get past the fact that I speak Chinese well?
My personal favourite incident of idiocy was having spent 4 hours translating for an American professor of neurosurgery during a visit to a Dalian hospital the hosts then asked me over lunch if I could use chopsticks and if I had got used to Chinese food yet.
Of course, then you get stupid foreigner Chinese envy where people hear you speak and go all weird and competitive. It just makes me want to punch them.
I have got to the point where i pretend not to speak Chinese in many situations just to avoid being judged.
"The whole episode made me feel uncomfortable. It seemed like the man was showing off his Chinese and fishing for compliments. I really do not think there is any reason to show off your Chinese in China. "
I think you forget that some people just want to improve their language skills and one way of doing it is by USING THE LANGUAGE. It seems maybe you are jealous of this guy because he is confident enough to say what on his mind to whomever he wants. My chinese is basic considering I have been in China for 2 years, but I get by. I'd prefer to be able to deal with everything in Chinese simply so I can be understood.
