Yes, si or oui?
For South Florida's bilingual population, breaking through language barriers can be a maddening matter of etiquette.
Article in the Sun-Sentinel July 1, 2013: Yes, Si, or Oui?
"We live in a bilingual place, but it's hard for the people who want to improve their English," says Lisa Jeffery, who runs the Speech and Accent Academy in Miami and leads Accent Reduction Miami, a free monthly meetup group where people can hone their English-speaking skills. The group has 554 members from Palm Beach to Miami-Dade counties. "They say to me, 'I can't find anyone to practice English with,' " Jeffery adds. Her advice for people who meet someone speaking in an accent or struggling to find the right words in English: "Ask them their preference." But in what language?
"The question should be asked in the language the person is speaking. Or, well, I wish it happened that way," Jeffery says. "My preference is to help them speak English. They don't know if they are going to accent-reduction classes or trying to practice English. I think people may be doing it out of kindness to speak to them in Spanish when they see them struggling in English."
Knowing when to set aside your native tongue or to speak English is a sensitive issue many South Floridians agree to disagree on.
