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Switching between languages | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Questions About Your Target Languages |  | |
| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5468 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes  Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 25 of 31 16 July 2010 at 11:41pm | IP Logged | ||
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This is an old thread that I started, so thanks for your comments guys. I was actually
thinking about switching between two foreign languages in quick succession, rather than your native language and another language. For example, if I am chatting in Japanese and along comes a German speaker. In these situations I often say "Oh, I can speak German etc." and then proceed to come out with a bunch of stuttering garbled nonsense. It is something I have never been able to do. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| clang Groupie United States Joined 5343 days ago 54 posts - 82 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Russian, Italian | Message 26 of 31 17 July 2010 at 12:14pm | IP Logged | ||
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When I try this, I often can't get out the first word in the sentence! I have a little practice going from Russian to
Romanian, but if/when I want to say something in French, I first think of Russian, then Romanian, and finally French. The Romanian can help me figure out the French sometimes though (pentru ca = parce que). I, like everyone else, have no trouble going to or from my native language. For me, the problem is literally the moment or two durning and after the switch. Once I am switched, it is no longer a problem. My advice is to go through the languages you know repeating the same sentence over and over. Then walk around and using the regular running dialogue in your head, switching sporadically from one language to the next. I don't need much time for switching as it is the switch itself that causes problems. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| chanjhj Bilingual Diglot Newbie Singapore Joined 5453 days ago 7 posts - 9 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin* Studies: Japanese, Spanish | Message 27 of 31 19 July 2010 at 1:16pm | IP Logged | ||
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When I try to switch between languages (other than English or Chinese), I usually end up
speaking gibberish too. At least, all the vocabulary of the different languages that I know end up being strung together in my desperate attempt to find words that properly convey the meaning that I intend. However, English and Chinese would be a different story for me (probably because of the environment and other factors). I suppose that if you are used to switching between two languages, it would come more naturally to you. Personally, I feel that every single language has a different 'feel' to it and that is how I switch between them. On a side note, has anyone purposely tried to speak in a mixture of languages? 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| wv girl Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5243 days ago 174 posts - 330 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: Spanish | Message 28 of 31 23 July 2010 at 10:41pm | IP Logged | ||
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I taught Spanish I, then French 1, then Spanish I, on an alternating basis throughout the day, at 45 minute intervals. It was a real challenge for me to switch on some days! Having just said Adios to one group, I'd greet the incoming French kids with Como estan ustedes hoy?! Once I'd gotten back into the other language, the kids kind of made it a game to see if they could catch me using the wrong language! When they did, at least I knew they were listening!
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| ReneeMona Diglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 5339 days ago 864 posts - 1274 votes Speaks: Dutch*, EnglishC2 Studies: French | Message 29 of 31 04 December 2010 at 11:45pm | IP Logged | ||
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I can switch from Dutch and English pretty easily but sometimes, when I include a Dutch word or phrase in my English, I fail to switch to Dutch phonetics fast enough and it comes out in an American accent. I’ve also noticed that when I’m speaking in a British accent and I switch to Dutch for a second, even just for one word, I automatically have an American accent when I switch back to English. I think this has to do with Dutch phonetics being more similar to American than British English.
Going from hearing one language to another is a little confusing sometimes. I’m often so engrossed in listening to a language that when it switches I can’t understand a word of it for a second and I need to realise “Hey wait a second, this is Dutch/English, I understand that one!” before I’m able to understand it. When I’m reading I often don’t notice a switch in languages at all until a couple of sentences later. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| SamD Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 6663 days ago 823 posts - 987 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French Studies: Portuguese, Norwegian | Message 30 of 31 05 December 2010 at 2:09am | IP Logged | ||
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The toughest part for me is usually the first few words or sentences in the "new" language. It's easier if I stick to one language per person. I was at a party once where I needed to use both French and German. One of my French-speaking friends switched to German on me, and that threw me.
It could be worse. One of my brothers and I were out with some of his Korean friends and friends of ours who don't speak any Korean. My brother started speaking Korean to me, and all I could think of to say was "Thank you, that's the nicest thing anyone has said to me today." 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| CheeseInsider Bilingual Diglot Senior Member Canada Joined 5126 days ago 193 posts - 238 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin* Studies: French, German | Message 31 of 31 09 December 2010 at 10:04am | IP Logged | ||
It's not too difficult for me to switch between English, Mandarin, and French. One way that works for me when I want to be able to switch quickly is to attach separate emotions to different languages. I've never been angry while speaking in Mandarin, I immediately switch to English when frustrated. So I feel like Mandarin is my tranquil language and English is my flustered language :P And French (Still learning of course) Is my insane language. I've been caught having conversations with trees in French. For practice you could yell at a wall about stealing your mothers dish soap in Frisian, then tell your mother you've returned from Narnia with her dish soap in Georgian. So yeah, try role playing and personifying different aspects of yourself onto your separate languages, then you can tap into them as easily as you can your separate moods and temperaments. Of course, you don't want to be like that always, constantly bipolar when in a multilingual environment, but you get what I mean right?
Yes, I pride myself in being able to speak proficient FrenChinGlish! :P Edited by CheeseInsider on 09 December 2010 at 10:17am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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