Has anyone else developed strong negative connotations with some languages?

[Svanderov]

This is one of my most negative traits that i'm trying to get rid of, especially seeing that most people i've talked to seem not to experience this phenomenon.

Basically, I really don't like hearing the Spanish language and have zero desire to learn it, because I immediately associate it with the Spanish/Mexican telenovelas that were running on TV all the time when I was a kid. I could never stand them, and thus, I also can't stand the language not even one bit.

I have the same thing with Russian - and i'm 25% Russian myself! Coming from a country that has a lot of... terribly behaving russian people who refuse to learn our language and like to boss everyone around, I started to grow a distaste towards the language since I was a young teen. And seeing what Russia is doing right now... I don't think I need to continue.

But those around me who i've expressed this to, have always replied with: "Yes, but the language... the language is still beautiful!"

So is it just my problem that I can't seem to disconnect the negative (or the ones I don't personally like) aspects of a culture from its language? I'm honestly trying.

[Xenops]

A related topic I posted some time ago: Negative Experience in Language Learning

As this is a forum with people from all over the world, I ask that we try to remain as respectful as possible.

As to whether people have negative connotations with languages, I think this is more common than people realize. As long as we have people, we will have prejudices. For myself, I began having negative feelings toward Spanish and Haitian Creole when I started getting unwanted attention from certain male speakers--namely, asking my marital status and/or phone number. Now I know the majority of the speakers of these languages aren't like this, but why did a few have to spoil the appeal of learning their language? At times I find myself jealous of LLORG member iguanamon, who learned these languages, but would never (rarely) have unwanted attention because he is a man. I love communicating with people, and it's special to pleasantly surprise a native speaker with my few words, but these unwelcome encounters not only make me avoid the languages, but also the male individuals.

This leads me to learning mostly "prestige" languages, where I am less likely to be disturbed, and where my personal space is respected.

[Le Baron]

Yes, more than one language and it is so often cultural. Like rdearman I have certain negative feelings towards French behavioural culture and attitudes, despite my own mother being a native francophone and me having spent lots of pleasant times in both France and Belgium. There are two kinds of this negativity though: uninformed prejudice and somewhat more informed prejudice. I know perfectly well that it doesn't mean everyone is terrible, but there are certain shared social attitudes and values that affect a large number in what they do and say, even if underneath they can be good people.
There is one unpopular opinion about French I hold which seems not to be common: I think it can be unpleasant and monotone to listen to. This is certainly true of the current standard French and research has demonstrated that this has increased over about 50-100 years. I much prefer listening to older French.

The same is true of Dutch, to which I sometimes have a real aversion despite speaking it daily. This is again caused by attitudes (such as the famous 'bluntness' which is actually rudeness and complete inability to exercise tact).

In both of these cases it waxes and wanes, and I remind myself that the medium/means itself isn't at fault. However the association is easily made and strong at times.

I've never disliked a language because it was difficult to learn or hard to use. Maybe I just sighed with dismay wondering why things have to be so difficult.

[Ug_Caveman]

I did have a strong aversion to French for some years, but this was nothing to do with the people or the language - I'd just had a holiday in France which ended with me being quite unwell (I was only a kid so I probably thought it more traumatic than it really was.) Most of the holiday was actually OK, just the last few days were the ones that stayed with me the most because of that feeling unwell.

Despite struggling massively with French in school, I didn't actually hate the language when I finally got over aforementioned holiday.

Even when a language is associated with a culture I'm at best indifferent to (IE: Greek) or I actively dislike (IE: REDACTED), I don't seem to actually have an aversion to the language per se.

I think as I've gotten older I've been able to separate the art from the artist better, so languages I may previously have held negative connotations of due to unpleasant encounters (French and one on occasion European Portuguese) have mostly dissipated. I suspect having had quite a multilingual series of flatmates at university may have aided in this.

[IronMike]

Well, in this forum, the answer would have to be Yes, seeing how every six months or so someone comes in and starts a thread on the theme of: Why do people learn Esperanto...

Negative connotations mostly come from unhappy or unfortunate meetings with speakers of those languages. Despite knowing that one shouldn't judge a language (or a people) on one (or more) jerk(s), it's hard to not think back to that interaction when one hears the language in question.

While I don't necessarily have strong negative connotations with some languages, as the OP asks, I do have strong negative reactions to some languages. For decades I'd paraphrase Roy Rogers by saying "I never met a language I didn't want to learn." Then, I heard Somali. No thanks. Not ever.

[PeterMollenburg]

Italian for me. It's been quite a common FL to come across over the years in my home state, so why the dislike? Strange, as I have some good friends who are Australian Italians too. I also enjoy the food occasionally, and haven't had any negative experiences of note with any Italians (they're usually pleasant and friendly), and I know from others' feedback that the country is very pictoresque and Italians are quite hospitable in general. It was also perhaps the first foreign language I had heard of in any way as a young kid attending school with some Italian-born fellow pupils (with whom I was friendly). At that point I was genuinely curious about those students and their backgrounds.

But later it annoyed me. I think perhaps because it was around a lot I may have developped a disllike simply because it wasn't a language I was learning and yet everyone else 'appeared' (exaggeration) interested in the culture/language to some extent. I knew my dislike was irrational, so I got over it by being honest with myself - and rationally seeing the positive opposing side of my irrational sentiments.

Nowadays I'm a little envious of Cavesa living in Switzerland. I could see myself living there and learning (Swiss) German as well as Italian and actually enjoy it quite a bit I feel. I once really disliked French, so look out Italian here I come! (ok, after more study of several other languages)...

[verdastelo]

...terribly behaving russian people who refuse to learn our language...

I think that everyone who lives in Estonia should be an Estonian, irrespective of their ethnicity, language, religion, and other identity markers of identity. So if more than 20% of Estonia's population (2021 Census) speaks Russian at home, then Russian should be a co-official language in Estonia, if not on par with Estonian because of nationalistic pride, then at least a language in which students can get an education and citizens can talk with the government. Akin to Swedish in Finland; Manipuri, Punjabi or Bengali in India; or French in Switzerland.

I cannot imagine an India where everyone is forced to learn Hindi, Bengali, or Tamil. So I find it hard to imagine why Estonian should be imposed on Russians and why cannot the country be bilingual where each citizen can get an education and benefit from government services in a language of his choice: Russian or Estonian. No one should be discriminated against because their grandparents or parents chose to live in Estonia.

[rdearman]

So I find it hard to imagine why Estonian should be imposed on Russians and why cannot the country be bilingual where each citizen can get an education and benefit from government services in a language of his choice: Russian or Estonian. No one should be punished because their grandparents or parents chose to live in Estonia.

While that is a nice sentiment, it would double the cost to the government to provide those services, and governments don't earn money they take it from citizens. It is economically more viable for a country to force immigrants to learn the national language. Harsh, perhaps, but that is the way the world works. Also while I haven't done a lot of research I don't believe that Estonia has a huge GNP or surplus of funding.

[LupCenușiu]

...terribly behaving russian people who refuse to learn our language...

I think that everyone who lives in Estonia should be an Estonian, irrespective of their ethnicity, language, religion, and other identity markers of identity. So if more than 20% of Estonia's population (2021 Census) speaks Russian at home, then Russian should be a co-official language in Estonia, if not on par with Estonian because of nationalistic pride, then at least a language in which students can get an education and citizens can talk with the government. Akin to Swedish in Finland; Manipuri, Punjabi or Bengali in India; or French in Switzerland.

I cannot imagine an India where everyone is forced to learn Hindi, Bengali, or Tamil. So I find it hard to imagine why Estonian should be imposed on Russians and why cannot the country be bilingual where each citizen can get an education and benefit from government services in a language of his choice: Russian or Estonian. No one should be discriminated against because their grandparents or parents chose to live in Estonia.

I'm afraid these are very different situations. For example, there is no state neighboring India that could use the language diversity as a pretext for denying the independence, or at the very least plotting some land grabbing. Pakistan is a different problem with different background. Eastern Europe and south Asia are hard to compare, even on matters that seem relatable.

Also, whatever is the reason you or your ancestors choose to live in a country, is a minimal gesture of respect to learn the main language of that country. Of course, you can have an education in your maternal language up to a certain point, but sticking just to it leads to a deficit of integration and potential enclavisation.

[verdastelo]

While that is a nice sentiment, it would double the cost to the government to provide those services, and governments don't earn money they take it from citizens. It is economically more viable for a country to force immigrants to learn the national language. Harsh, perhaps, but that is the way the world works. Also while I haven't done a lot of research I don't believe that Estonia has a huge GNP or surplus of funding.

I don't think that the use of term "immigrants" is correct here especially considering that many "immigrants" have been born in Estonia to parents who were themselves born in Estonia.

As for funding, I think that denying a quarter of your population to learn in the language, they feel comfortable in, is more expensive than offering translation. By imposing the language of the majority on a minority, you are merely stunting the development of your own country.

Eastern Europe and south Asia are hard to compare, even on matters that seem relatable.

The laws of human nature don't change much, irrespective of where you live. If Canada forces everyone in Quebec to learn English and bans French schools, how long will it be before Quebec declares independence? Pakistan tried to impose Urdu at the expense of Bengali. As a consequence, Eastern Pakistan (Bangladesh) declared independence in 1971. In Europe, would the French and Italians agree if the Swiss government forced them to learn German? More recently, when China tried to switch the language of instruction from Mongolian to Mandarin in the schools of Inner Mongolia, protests broke out.

Also, whatever is the reason you or your ancestors choose to live in a country, is a minimal gesture of respect to learn the main language of that country. Of course, you can have an education in your maternal language up to a certain point, but sticking just to it leads to a deficit of integration and potential enclavisation.

The native language of the majority is Estonian and can be taught as a subject. Neighboring Finland shows the way. From what I've heard, everyone studies Finnish and Swedish in Finland. Estonia can adopt a similar approach. Russians can study in Russian schools and learn Estonian while Estonians can study in Estonian schools and learn Russian. Harmonious!