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Going native | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| montmorency Diglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4625 days ago 2371 posts - 3676 votes  Speaks: English*, German Studies: Danish, Welsh | Message 17 of 24 21 August 2014 at 9:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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@vonPeterhof:
Thanks - I did not know that about his background. That makes a difference I think. I had assumed he was a born and bred American, and for some reason, I originally thought he was somewhat older. His relative youth also makes a difference (to my perceptions, anyway). @Solfrid Cristina: I think I know what you mean: You can take Cristina out of Norway, but you can't take Norway out of Cristina. :-) I'd probably be the same (apart from the national dress, of course :-) ). @emk: Thanks for the insightful post. And also thanks for the reference to Hipster Belle - my daughter will enjoy that. She lives in a fashionably edgy part of London, and often regales us with tales of what the hipster crowd is now up to. :-) And you might enjoy that David Sedaris programme I posted a link to the other day, if it's receivable where you are. Regarding your first paragraph, I think I lack a certain degree of imagination or ambition or daring I suppose, to think of transitioning to such a different culture. France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Scandinavia, I could cope with, but they are practically "family" one way or another, so I don't think that counts. I can remember a fascination with Japan in my youth, stemming from an interest in Judo originally, but it didn't last into my proper adulthood, and hasn't come back. Perhaps I can only now see the cultural divide, where others see opportunity and excitement. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| hrhenry Octoglot Senior Member United States languagehopper.blogs Joined 4927 days ago 1871 posts - 3642 votes Speaks: English*, SpanishC2, ItalianC2, Norwegian, Catalan, Galician, Turkish, Portuguese Studies: Polish, Indonesian, Ojibwe | Message 18 of 24 21 August 2014 at 10:18pm | IP Logged | ||
This is pretty much what I was referring to in my somewhat joking post about Western European countries. Life is very similar in these places. On a somewhat related note, the first place I lived outside the US was Mexico in the early 80s. This was pre-NAFTA, and it really was pretty difficult to find US culture (whether that means food or media or whatever) at the time. Contrast that with now, where you find McDs/KFC/Burger Kings, Walmarts, Starbucks, etc. It's actually kind of depressing, and I would love to be able to return to a time where I could go to Mexico and just shut off all US-consumerist influence (well, I still could, but I'd have to go to a small town to do it). R. == 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| garyb Triglot Senior Member ScotlandRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5004 days ago 1468 posts - 2413 votes Speaks: English*, Italian, French Studies: Spanish | Message 19 of 24 22 August 2014 at 10:51am | IP Logged | ||
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I could identify with emk and druckfehler's posts, having recently been semi-jokingly called a "wannabe Italian" by a friend, and even Italian friends sometimes make jokes that I'm "becoming Italian". I can't relate much to my colleagues when they talk about the latest Hollywood sci-fi and comic blockbusters or Game of Thrones episodes, but they'd be equally lost if I were to then ask whether they've seen La Grande Bellezza yet. Whereas when I'm with Italian friends I have a bit more to talk about in that respect. That said, I don't think it's exactly at the expense of my own culture. Let's face it, Anglophone popular culture and music etc. were never really my thing anyway; and on a less superficial level, even if I am becoming "more Italian" I don't think it makes me any "less Scottish"; I don't think culture is completely zero-sum. As much of a cliché as it sounds, I think language learning has opened my eyes to other cultures and allowed me to see the good and the bad parts of both.
I agree that getting into the culture is just a part of learning the language, and if you're interested in one then you're most probably also interested in the other. But it can be a bit of a chicken and egg question: Am I interested in Italian language and culture because I have Italian friends, or do I have Italian friends because I'm interested in Italian language and culture? Of course it's a combination: the friends and cultural interest motivated me to start learning in the first place, but learning it has put me in contact with more people and made me experience more of the culture, and it's a bit of a feedback cycle. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Duke100782 Bilingual Diglot Senior Member Philippines https://talktagalog.Registered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4285 days ago 172 posts - 240 votes Speaks: English*, Tagalog* Studies: Spanish, Mandarin | Message 20 of 24 24 August 2014 at 7:19am | IP Logged | ||
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I've been living in China for more than two years. As much as I would like to fully "go native" and absorb
Chinese language, both Mandarin and the local dialect, and culture, there are some factors which limit my exposure and level of engagement. First is my wife. My wife flatly refuses to learn Chinese, or even watch Chinese TV shows and movies. It overcomes my facualties of comprehension on how one can live a truly live a fulfilling life in a country without embracing the language of the land. Second is the culture in the office where I work. We're a small office composed mostly of my own countrymen. They too refuse to learn even the most rudimentary aspects of Mandarin. I kid you not, my colleagues have six year assignments in China and they can't even be bothered to learn to count from 1 to 10 properly in Chinese. Some of them have been in China for almost their entire six years yet they can barely string together two sentences in Chinese to describe their Chinese language skills generously. Okay, this post is one big fat rant. But I guess it's on HTLAL where my rant will find its most empathic ears. And hey, let's admit that devoting the time and focus to learn a foreign language is not for everyone and I guess that's what makes us foreign language autodidacts special. =) Edit: fixed some typos Edited by Duke100782 on 26 August 2014 at 7:51pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| hokusai77 Triglot Senior Member Italy Joined 6949 days ago 212 posts - 217 votes 1 sounds Speaks: Italian*, FrenchB1, EnglishC1 Studies: GermanB1, Japanese | Message 21 of 24 24 August 2014 at 11:05pm | IP Logged | ||
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I try to go as native as possible whenever I travel, especially if I'm in a country
where one of the languages I'm learning is spoken. This has also allowed me to experience situations I would otherwise have never run into, such as finding hidden places suggested by locals. This has proven even more true in Japan, where I still remember memorable moments in karaoke bars or private parties with friends in Tokyo or a dinner out in Kyoto with a business associate, where I had the chance to meet and talk to a real geisha. What drives me most in acquiring a language is the culture associated with it, and the possibility to delve into it deeper thanks to the language. On the other hand, there are plenty of expatriates who simply don't care and never acquire the language of the place they have moved to. I've got myself a few colleagues who lived for years in Denmark, China, or the Netherlands and who can barely utter a single word in Danish, Dutch, or Mandarin. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Darklight1216 Diglot Senior Member United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4897 days ago 411 posts - 639 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: German | Message 22 of 24 25 August 2014 at 12:07am | IP Logged | ||
I can't wrap my brain around that. The things I'd do with an opportunity like that... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Solfrid Cristin Heptaglot Winner TAC 2011 & 2012 Senior Member Norway Joined 5131 days ago 4143 posts - 8864 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian Studies: Russian | Message 23 of 24 25 August 2014 at 12:32am | IP Logged | ||
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And I was mistaken for one of the contestants at the Ukrainian folklore festival in Kiev this afternoon. Of
course the moment I opened my mouth revealing that my active Ukrainian vocabulary consisted of 8 words that particular cat was totally out of the bag. In their defense I was wearing what looked a bit like the costumes the others were wearing. Edited by Solfrid Cristin on 25 August 2014 at 12:41am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| marimorimo Diglot Newbie Philippines Joined 3543 days ago 2 posts - 2 votes Speaks: English, Japanese Studies: SpanishB2 | Message 24 of 24 25 August 2014 at 2:27am | IP Logged | ||
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I tend to follow the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" and as a result, I find
myself more-or-less assimilating into the local language and culture. (At least as much as I am able). I have been complimented numerous times by my former Japanese bosses back when I was still living in the Philippines for "having a Japanese mind". Mind you, it's near impossible for a foreigner to fully assimilate into Japanese society (and neither do I want to) but I know the ways of the Japanese well enough that I do not stick out like a sore thumb. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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