So I was thinking about the topic of languages again and I started wondering again…
So I learned Cantonese as a kid, then learned Mandarin and the Chinese Writing system when I started school, in China. Then immigrated to the US, started learning English when I was still under age 10, which is according to wikipedia, still within the “critical period” of learning a language
There is much debate over the timing of the critical period with respect to second-language acquisition (SLA), with estimates ranging between 2 and 13 years of age.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_period_hypothesis
So then, I um… kinda forgot how to speak Mandarin, and most of Chinese written characters. Still kinda speak Cantonese because its for home. But barely know any words, so I can’t even express complex ideas like philosophy, science, politics. I never really spoke to anyone in Mandadin, and for Cantonese, its only at home.
But I never actually learned Cantonese or Mandarin beyond the basics. And for Mandarin the proficiency is even worse than Cantonese, I’ll have to think the words in Cantonese then convert it to Mandarin (its mostly the same written characters, but different pronunciation).
My English is so proficient, its really the only language I can effectively communicate in. And my classmates have told me they don’t notice any “accents” when I talk.
So which is my Native Language? “First” Language?
I mean… it’s kinda weird to call a language “native” if I could barely speak it.
This may have more to do with the instructor of your second language, because pronunciation is taught. If your German teacher is French (or French Canadian) or learned German from someone who otherwise accented it in such a way, then that’s how you’re most likely to accent it. Only about one in five Canadians learn French as their first language, so outside of Quebec, they’re really not secret French speakers masquerading as English speakers.
With French as Canada’s second official language, though, it would not be surprising if the majority of Canada’s foreign language teachers spoke French either first or second (but I say this without research or evidence, so it’s just an irresponsible hypothesis.)