Dear Queenie,
My wife’s family talk to each other in Spanish, which is the only language they know and which I don’t know at all, so I never understand a word they say.
My family all do the same thing in English, so of course my wife’s family can’t understand them.
My wife, who knows both languages (I don’t), thinks we are being rude to her family and I think they are being rude to mine.
Queenie, what do you think?—Monolingual
Dear Monolingual,
I think you cannot blame anyone for speaking the only language they know and for not knowing someone else’s language. As long as you all are otherwise behaving respectfully to one another, I do not think anyone is being rude.
That being said, I think it would be nice if all of you would try to learn at least a few words of each others’ languages. Meanwhile, perhaps your wife can try to do a little translating for both sides.
