Posted by: Quagmire December 15, 2009
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Overreaction on "your" part more than anything else. Say whatever you like but if you think that just because you watched all those Cartoons, Programs and Movies on Star Plus ( remember it before it went all Hindi ? ), Star Movies, HBO, Cinemax, Star World and other channels, you have as good of a grasp as a native speaker then you're wrong. Sure, you'd be able to understand what's being said to you and understood properly too but there are several different levels. Your accent in the first place poses a major flaw. Further, the way you talk and your body language certainly pose obstacles too. Hence, Americans are certainly right in their belief on non-native English speakers failing to choose proper words and expressions. Of course, exceptions exist. You could be an exception and certainly, few other Nepalese could indeed have a strong grasp of "American" knowledge but just because you grew up watching English movies and programs or even went to an English medium school don't mean a whole lot.
This is a comment that I came across on Facebook a little while ago "Oh my god, I cannot stop water coming from my mouth". My friend was making a comment about an album that included of a small Nepali family gathering with different servings of authentic Nepali food. Sure, a Nepali person could easily comprehend what he was saying or even an American must've been able to understand what he was trying to say but would it not be foolish to think that just because he got himself understood means that his choice of words and expressions is correct? Again, exceptions do occur.
On a side note, I can relate to your friends ridiculing you for using English. On this instance, I wasn't the one who got a stick. Of course, I don't ridicule my friends who speak to each other on English but it really ticks me off when I come across two Nepalese speaking to each other in English! That is a big no no for me. I'm not saying they're wrong but its a matter of personal opinion. Then we also have a brigade of Nepalese who make numerous grammatical errors while using English as a communicative tool but at the same time, they "act" or portray themselves as ones who can't "speak" Nepali properly. What nonsense. You should be embarrassed if you think your English is better than your Nepali. Sure, you need not be a fluent "thet" Nepali speaker but it really irks me when I see Nepalese using English instead of Nepali! That's utter bullshit and in many ways, a carbon copy of our neighbors down south.