Poll: Where are you guys from?

[carewser]

My wife and I have thrown out the anchor here at the edge of the Blue Ridge mountains here in South Carolina.
The route here included multi-decade stops along the way in South Florida and the Fingerlakes region of NY.

The locals here call folks like us halfbacks. The term is used to describe northerners that have moved south (typically to Florida), became disenchanted with Florida, and then moved halfway back north. In the case of my wife and I we did it in reverse, starting South, moving North, and now halfway back to the starting point.

When asked where I'm from, my response is always the same, "Which time?"

It amazes me how many people don't understand a simple question like, "where are you from"? You can only be from one place, the place you were born, yet many people provide long-winded convoluted answers. The question isn't asking where you live or where you have lived, it's simply asking your place of origin or starting point so i'll sometimes say, "my mom"

 

[Jimbob54]

It amazes me how many people don't understand a simple question like, "where are you from"? You can only be from one place, the place you were born, yet many people provide long-winded convoluted answers. The question isn't asking where you live or where you have lived, it's simply asking your place of origin or starting point so i'll sometimes say, "my mom"

I encourage you to read not just the thread title but also poll question.

 

[carewser]

Yes, I see now that it's two questions which makes responding to the poll impossible for anyone that's moved to another continent

The poll results are really surprising because I would have figured at least 80% of respondents are from/located in North America which tells me that English proficiency in Europe is vastly better than I would have figured

 

[Jimbob54]

Yes, I see now that it's two questions which makes responding to the poll impossible for anyone that's moved to another continent

Or you could adjust your interpretation of "from".

When someone asks where you are from, how do you respond?

Answer (1 of 133): Well, well. That's one of the best questions that someone can do to me. Proud to be from the Porto city (Oporto), Portugal… almost 9 centuries of existence. If the person ask I little more, probably he/she going to regret or not if they are History lovers My passion from my ...

www.quora.com

 

[killdozzer]

Nice.
Map looks like what we did at school with felt-tip pens.

I pride myself with the fact that it was a blind map and I wrote in the names of all the countries with no peeking. Yes, a heap of islands. With Italy to the south, a great influence of the Italian cuisine. And some lovely neighbors (safe the politicians).

 

[Firefly00]

The South Island of New Zealand. Very pleasant place to live!

 

[Sal1950]

The poll results are really surprising because I would have figured at least 80% of respondents are from/located in North America which tells me that English proficiency in Europe is vastly better than I would have figured

Surprised me too.
I imagine many use the google translation app.

 

[antcollinet]

UK - so not any longer in the EU, but still part of Europe the continent.

Surprised to find out Europeans are the largest single contingent. From reading the forums the impression I get is that it is heavily US biased.


EDIT: reading upthread - seems I am not the only one.

 

[NepinMn]

From Kathmandu. Now in Minnesota, US.

 

[JaccoW]

I'm from Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

I was born not far from there but I have lived all over the country (moved 10 times) and spent a semester in Berlin, Germany.

Surprised me too.
I imagine many use the google translation app.

Most Europeans are perfectly capable at reading English. It's when you try to make them speak English that many are suddenly not capable anymore, especially Southern- and Eastern Europeans but even that is changing.

 

[antcollinet]

....

Most Europeans are perfectly capable at reading English. ...

Especially the English

Though in my experience, many mainland Europeans can speak better English than I can.

 

[carewser]

Or you could adjust your interpretation of "from".

When someone asks where you are from, how do you respond?

Answer (1 of 133): Well, well. That's one of the best questions that someone can do to me. Proud to be from the Porto city (Oporto), Portugal… almost 9 centuries of existence. If the person ask I little more, probably he/she going to regret or not if they are History lovers My passion from my ...

www.quora.com

There's no need to interpret anything as English is my first and only language i'm quite familiar with the word "from:

from​

[ fruhm, from; unstressed fruhm ]SHOW IPA


preposition
(used to specify a starting point in spatial movement):a train running west from Chicago.
(used to specify a starting point in an expression of limits):The number of stores will be increased from 25 to 30.
(used to express removal or separation, as in space, time, or order):two miles from shore; 30 minutes from now; from one page to the next.
(used to express discrimination or distinction):to be excluded from membership; to differ from one's father.
(used to indicate source or origin):to come from the Midwest; to take a pencil from one's pocket.
(used to indicate agent or instrumentality):death from starvation.

So, like I said, a point of origin or starting point. Answering where you live now or where you have lived is answering a different question, the only possible exception are people whose parents moved them when they were very young so they have no memories or connection to the place they were born in which case that explanation is reasonable

---

Did you read the first response in that Quora thread you posted? That woman has serious issues

 

[Jimbob54]

There's no need to interpret anything as English is my first and only language i'm quite familiar with the word "from:

from​

[ fruhm, from; unstressed fruhm ]SHOW IPA


preposition
(used to specify a starting point in spatial movement):a train running west from Chicago.
(used to specify a starting point in an expression of limits):The number of stores will be increased from 25 to 30.
(used to express removal or separation, as in space, time, or order):two miles from shore; 30 minutes from now; from one page to the next.
(used to express discrimination or distinction):to be excluded from membership; to differ from one's father.
(used to indicate source or origin):to come from the Midwest; to take a pencil from one's pocket.
(used to indicate agent or instrumentality):death from starvation.

So, like I said, a point of origin or starting point. Answering where you live now or where you have lived is answering a different question, the only possible exception are people whose parents moved them when they were very young so they have no memories or connection to the place they were born in which case that explanation is reasonable

---

Did you read the first response in that Quora thread you posted? That woman has serious issues

The pencil's origin was the pocket? By your logic it was the pencil factory surely?

Context. Everything.

 

[antcollinet]

Native English here also. One case where you may give an answer based on where you live (rather than where born) is if you are not currently there.

So I'm visiting London. Someone asks where I am from I would answer my current living location rather than birth location. I think the question can, depending on context, need clarification : "do you mean where I live, or where I grew up?"

 

[sarumbear]

The poll results are really surprising because I would have figured at least 80% of respondents are from/located in North America which tells me that English proficiency in Europe is vastly better than I would have figured

English is a European language, it’s the language of England!

 

[Jimbob54]

English is a European language, it’s the language of England!

I hear an ugly rumour that the Scots, Welsh and Irish can get by if pushed too

 

[carewser]

The pencil's origin was the pocket? By your logic it was the pencil factory surely?

Context. Everything.

I get your point when someone asks, "where'd you get that pencil?" but if they asked where the pencil is from, a tree seed is actually the correct answer although it would throw most people off, i'm sure many would laugh. The carbon encased within the pencil is tougher to answer, as is the eraser and the little metal bit encasing it

 

[carewser]

Native English here also. One case where you may give an answer based on where you live (rather than where born) is if you are not currently there.

So I'm visiting London. Someone asks where I am from I would answer my current living location rather than birth location. I think the question can, depending on context, need clarification : "do you mean where I live, or where I grew up?"

But that's not what they asked, so you, like many people, don't understand the question

 

[antcollinet]

But that's not what they asked, so you, like many people, don't understand the question

 

[sarumbear]

I hear an ugly rumour that the Scots, Welsh and Irish can get by if pushed too

Well we did our best to export as far as we can. Some countries fought back and even tried their best not to use it, going as far as having a referendum asking if German is the better option, but English won. Unfortunately they have distorted the language.