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Fluency and language distinction

  Tags: Fluency | Multilingual
 Language Learning Forum : General discussion Post Reply
Préposition
Diglot
Senior Member
France
aspectualpairs.wordp
Joined 5115 days ago

186 posts - 283 votes 
Speaks: French*, EnglishC1
Studies: Russian, Arabic (Written), Swedish, Arabic (Levantine)

 
 Message 1 of 4
14 March 2011 at 10:31pm | IP Logged 
I'm having a bit of a silly debate with someone, and I was saying that I found making a difference between my mother tongue and English quite difficult. They then replied saying that true polyglots can manage this very easily, and that it was bad that you couldn't make a difference, but I see it as being quite the contrary. For me, if you have troubles telling which language you're using, then the language has probably became so natural that you need to stop and actually think about it, which I believe is a good thing, as opposed to still being able to say "oh wait, this is X language, I know it, I've just made a mistake or can't pronounce such or such word".

What's your view on the matter?
2 persons have voted this message useful



Solfrid Cristin
Heptaglot
Winner TAC 2011 & 2012
Senior Member
Norway
Joined 5335 days ago

4143 posts - 8864 votes 
Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian
Studies: Russian

 
 Message 2 of 4
14 March 2011 at 10:55pm | IP Logged 
I agree with you, and I doubt that your oponent is much of a polyglot himself.
1 person has voted this message useful



Cainntear
Pentaglot
Senior Member
Scotland
linguafrankly.blogsp
Joined 6012 days ago

4399 posts - 7687 votes 
Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic
Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh

 
 Message 3 of 4
14 March 2011 at 11:29pm | IP Logged 
I've lost control of my internal monologue. I sometimes find myself trying to talk to myself in one language and my brain stubbornly deciding it wants to speak a different one. I can drift through several languages in one imagined conversation.

It's external factors that chose the language for me. I don't normally speak the wrong language to someone. If I know someone speaks several languages I can find myself unintentionally wandering between them.

But unfortunately I've only ever once spoken a non-native language when I thought I was speaking English. So I've got a long way to go yet.

Edit:
On the other hand, I've had lots of experiences where I'm not really aware of what language I'm listening to. I'll be watching a film in one language and I'll try to quote, but I'll unconsciously translate the line, then realise that I've said it in the wrong language.

Language is supposed to be effortless and subconscious, so I figure once you stop being consciously aware of your language you must be getting better....

Edited by Cainntear on 14 March 2011 at 11:32pm

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napoleon
Tetraglot
Senior Member
India
Joined 5017 days ago

543 posts - 874 votes 
Speaks: Bengali*, English, Hindi, Urdu
Studies: French, Arabic (Written)

 
 Message 4 of 4
16 March 2011 at 9:22pm | IP Logged 
Préposition wrote:
I found making a difference between my mother tongue and English quite difficult.

This happens to me quite often, I think.
"You are not alone..."[Singing]
LOL :-)


1 person has voted this message useful



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