r/multilingualism • u/heaven_hell_andstuff • Mar 16 '20
They thought I couldn't understand
I'm an Algerian writer (16f)
Important : In Algeria, almost everyone speaks at least 2 languages ( I speak 7 languages : french, arabic, berber, german, spanish, italian, english) I tend to speak more english and french with strangers and berber with my family. And I have strong british and french accents.
Last week, I was at a bookstore to sign copies of my book and these two young men (mid-twenties) walk in my direction.
They start talking to me and ask me questions about my work and I naturally respond in french. Then, one of the guys asks me to sign a copy for one of his friends. Of course, I say yes and ask him for his name which is Mohamed.
Because I have friends named Mohamed who prefere to spell it otherwise (Mohammad, Mohamad, Mohammed....) I ask if I should write it with one or two m's. The guy then looks at his friend and then back at me and tells me to write it with one m only. While I'm signing his copy, he turns to his friend and tells him in Dardja (Dardja is a kind of arabic that is talked mostly in Algiers, Blida Oran...) (I was in Algiers) : " she doesn't even know how to spell it" and then they began slightly laughing. Me, being the "blidia" I am, laughed too and told them in my most flawless Dardja : " don't worry I still know how to write it." Let me tell you, I loved watching the colors drain down their faces (is it the right expression? )
It was not the only time something like that happened but it was so great
