“Your English is actually pretty good.”

Why is this racist?

Although this statement seems like a compliment, it is offensive. These types of statements “communicate and perpetuate negative stereotypical views of a racial/ethnic group”. An individual doesn’t fit the offender’s negative stereotypes so the offender complimented them because they were surprised. The offender assumes that the individual has limited English speaking skills based on their negative stereotypical views of the individual’s racial/ethnic group.

This statement also implies that an individual is seen as a foreigner and not as a “real Canadian” in their own country, regardless of whether they were born in Canada or not. The person may be seen as a “perpetual foreigner” because of how they look or sound based on stereotypical views of the individual’s race or ethnicity, likely because the person has an accent, or looks different than what the commenter perceives to be “Canadian.”

The statement is a form of Linguistic Racism, which discriminates against someone based on their accent or speech patterns and can take the form of comments such as “I don’t understand your thick accent,” “you speak good English,” or “English can only be spoken here.”

If you have ever treated someone differently than you would your white counterparts because they spoke with an accent, pronounce words differently, or simply look like they are from a non-White ethnic group—you have perpetuated linguistic racism. Complimenting someone on the quality of their English speaking implies that the individual does not fit the commenters perceptions around what it means to be or sound Canadian, ie. being able to speak “good English”. The commenter is also making harmful assumptions about the persons English speaking level or skills based on the person’s ethnicity, accent, or where they are from. An individual doesn’t fit the offender’s negative stereotypes so the offender complimented them because they were surprised. The offender assumes that the individual has limited English speaking skills based on their negative stereotypical views of the individual’s racial/ethnic group.

Aside from being hurtful to the person experiencing it, linguistic racism can also lead to harassment and unequal opportunities in education, employment, health, and housing.

People of colour and immigrants are not less worthy, valuable, or intelligent based on where they come from or how well they speak English. It is not appropriate to treat someone differently or assume their linguistic proficiency based on their racial identity. Unless the person has explicitly told you they have been working on improving their English, or ask what you think about their English, don’t assume that saying someone’s English is good is a compliment.