Language /
When is speaking Polish showing off and when is it ok? [46]
Interesting topic, and something that sometimes confuses me. I've lived in Poland a few years now and speak the language quite well (I hope), however whenever a Pole finds out I'm from England, they will nearly always try and slip in English words for the sake of it (showing off, I have no idea). Sometimes I just let it slip, other times it starts to get really tiresome and I end up asking why they are doing it. Especially when the only vocab some people know is "f**k, s**t", etc..
A really crazy example was when I was in the airport the other week speaking Polish on the phone to a friend, and then immediately after taking another phone call in English. Immediately the guy next to me switched to speaking English to his girlfriend for no apparent reason apart from proving that he can also do it (I don't know :/). I see this strange mentality everywhere in Poland, like everyone needs to prove theirselves or something.
Also, there are some people in Poland (and other countries), who no matter how well you speak Polish, will continue to try and talk back in broken English. In this case I either continue talking Polish, or simply ask them why they don't want to speak Polish with me. Normally it turns out they want to do it to practice their English or simply to show off.
If I'm in the UK and I meet Poles, I'll speak English unless they want to speak Polish (some people don't seem to like it when a Brit can speak their language), I won't show off, slip in Polish words, however in Poland, I will always speak Polish, even if the other person insists on English. It's just common-sense to me :-)