I have to agree with the comment made by qmouwu. In western culture, people, especially who meet for the first time, tend to ask questions impersonal, e.g., weather, whatever's on the news, etc. Even coworkers try to keep their conversations simple and unrelated to their own life. Perhaps the American you encountered felt that you were prying into his privacy, which is greatly valued by western cultures. ※ 引述《qmouwu (jeff)》之铭言： : I think that a lot of the problems that arise from Taiwanese learning English : and using it in daily conversation is the fact that there is no : differentiation between "written" English and "spoken" English. : When you're just speaking to people (a normal conversation), it's best to use : the easiest english you know. : Plus, I think your question is a little too blunt. You are implying that he is : alone here in Taiwan (maybe he has a girlfriend here or other friends that he : lives with). : This is the reason why conversations are not just one question. Otherwise, : it'd be called a simple question-and-answer session. : You'd have to ask first how long he's been living in Taiwan. : (If he's lived here for a while, then of course he'd be comfortable here.) : Do you have a lot of friends or relatives here in Taiwan? : (Maybe he does so he doesn't feel uncomfortable.) : And I think if you only had time for one question, the easiest question you : can ask in order to get the answer you're looking for: "How do you like : Taiwan?" It's a general question and it's not very invasive or direct and : uncomfortable. : So I think you just need to know the difference between using written and : spoken english and then you'll be fine. : Hope this helps. --

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