idiom: show your true colours!

[CarlMadd]

Hello guys,

My name is carl and some very good people taught me spanish so I wanted to give back to the language community, I've create a few videos about idioms,

If you are interested please check them out and I hope they help you to advance in english

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m79x0bpn7zY

Much love

Carl

 

[emsr2d2]

Hello guys,

My name is Carl and some very good people taught me Spanish so I wanted to give back to the language community. I've create a few videos about idioms.

If you are interested, please check them out and I hope they help you to advance in English.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m79x0bpn7zY

Much love.

Carl

Welcome to the forum. :hi:

Bear in mind that many users of this forum won't click on links but we look forward to you helping learners in other parts of the forum.

Please note my corrections above, in red. Your member profile shows that you are a native English speaker. As such, learners will assume that everything you write is correct. Please ensure you use correct capitalisation and punctuation in all your posts.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Mr Madd:


I, too, want to thank you for introducing the expression "Show your true colors" to learners of English.

I feel duty-bound, however, to gently and respectfully suggest that learners NOT say/write that expression if they come to the United States.

As someone who has lived in the States for seven decades, I can tell learners that some people in this country would definitely be offended by your use of that expression.

 

[emsr2d2]

I can believe that some people find it offensive if they have no idea what the idiom is based on. There seems to be a trend for some people to manage to be offended by any phrase that has the word "colour" in it, on the assumption that it must have something to do with race.

People who don't know the definitions of certain words can become wrongly upset in many situations. A few years ago, in the UK, someone was fired for quite correctly using the word "niggardly" in a public speech. So many people thought it had something to do with the completely taboo word which sounds similar that it was impossible for his job to be saved even after multiple newspapers and TV news reports attempted to correct the public's opinion.

 

[Skrej]

I certainly wouldn't consider if offensive either. I too, am curious to hear Parser's viewpoint.

The only way I could see it offending someone is that it can be used to imply said person is a liar, fake, coward, etc.

But then, doom on them for being duplicitous.

 

[TheParser]

I too, am curious to hear Parser's viewpoint.

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

Having been a member for six years, I am perfectly aware of the fact that this website does NOT allow controversial topics.

So I at first decided to say nothing.

But I noticed that the OP's post was in the "idioms" forum, which I assume to be very popular with learners.

I actually did feel duty-bound to warn innocent learners.

The moderator has mentioned a perfectly good word. No American in his/her right mind, however, would ever say (or even write) that word. For all intents and purposes, that word no longer exists in American English.

Can you possibly imagine what would happen if an advanced learner were to say that word at an American university or at his/her American job?

A new term is now circulating, especially in universities: microaggression.

The comic strip "Prickly City" by Scott Stantis gave an excellent definition yesterday: "A phrase uttered in innocence but that could be construed to be demeaning to someone."

I again strongly urge learners who come to the United States NOT to use the "show your true colors" expression, especially if you attend school or work with people from various cultural backgrounds.

 

[probus]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

Having been a member for six years, I am perfectly aware of the fact that this website does NOT allow controversial topics.

So I at first decided to say nothing.

But I noticed that the OP's post was in the "idioms" forum, which I assume to be very popular with learners.

I actually did feel duty-bound to warn innocent learners.

The moderator has mentioned a perfectly good word. No American in his/her right mind, however, would ever say (or even write) that word. For all intents and purposes, that word no longer exists in American English.

Can you possibly imagine what would happen if an advanced learner were to say that word at an American university or at his/her American job?

A new term is now circulating, especially in universities: microaggression.

The comic strip "Prickly City" by Scott Stantis gave an excellent definition yesterday: "A phrase uttered in innocence but that could be construed to be demeaning to someone."

I again strongly urge learners who come to the United States NOT to use the "show your true colors" expression, especially if you attend school or work with people from various cultural backgrounds.

Thank you for that obviously sincere reply.

I join with other teachers who don't know what the objection is. Is it to not provoke Islamaphobia? It is an expression with very positive connotations apart from that.

 

[Tarheel]

Thomas Sowell told me about "microaggression" in one of his columns.