losing your mother tongue

[Zep 0]

I've lived in Spain for 14 years an the only place I speak English is at the DZ may be twice a month
Latley I've noticed that I'm losing my coversational English an forget words, like the name of house hold
articles or tools, for at least 5 years I've drempt in Spanish, People say that when you start to dream in a foreign
language youv'e got it masterd.

I wonder how many other people live speaking a foreign language, an have sometimes forgotten their mother tongue

Gone fishing

[freeflir29 0]

I was just talking about this with some friends last night. One has been speaking German since he was an Army brat there. He spent a month in Germany before he came back to the states last and said he really had to think hard about speaking English. Had quite a bit of trouble at times. Another guy spoke only Spanish at home when he was a kid but now speaks 4 other languages with some decent skill. He tends to forget English a bit too. I guess it happens........just like skydiving.......if you don't use it you'll lose it!

[dixieskydiver 0]

I´ve been living in Chile for 5 months now and sometimes I get a little retarded when I try and tell a Chilean what an English word is for something. It´s not because I´m really retarded, I mean I got a 740 on the SAT verbal so I know that´s not the problem. Also there is a girl in our group here that was born and lived in Venezuela until she was like 8 or 9 and then was adopted in the states with her brother and they´ve both completely lost their spanish and now she´s down here with us trying to get it back. Weird huh?

Dixie
HISPA #56 Facil Rodriguez
"Scientific research has shown that 60% of the time, it works every time."

[Frenchy68 0]

I do the same. I forget words, or replace them with English words. However, 24 hours in France and most of it comes back pretty easily.
I haven't lived there for 17 years...!

"For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

[Zep 0]

Something I forgot to mention was that in English I was a bit dyslexic . but in Spanish I'm not, weird no.

Gone fishing

[dixieskydiver 0]

Haha that´s because everythings backwards in spanish! Adjective comes after the noun, etc.

Dixie
HISPA #56 Facil Rodriguez
"Scientific research has shown that 60% of the time, it works every time."

[Froggy 0]

Having been living in Canada for the last 9 years, I can't really say I am forgetting my Russian, but I do notice very often it's easier for me to express myself in English -- that's for sure. As for replacing words -- happens all the time, no matter how hard I try to avoid it... I try to speak my native language as much as I can (at home, with friends, etc.), so I don't really lose it.

--------------
We were not born to fly. And all we can do is to try not to fall...

[wmw999 2,589]

Probably another one of those "people are different" things. I lived in Brazil for years when I was a kid (which was a long time ago now), and even though I've gone very extended times without speaking Portuguese much, it's never taken more than a day or two to come back to near-native fluency.

I do forget some words, but if I concentrate on speaking a little slower to remember, rather than faster to hide it, I do OK.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)