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.

  • bluGill@fedia.io
    14·
    10 hours ago

    There are a few people in the world who have no native language anymore because they forgot the language they were born using. Some of them are terrible in any language and so cannot be said to have a first language.

    If someone is fluent in some second language is it fair to call them a native speaker - this is a philosophical question with no objective correct answer. Some would say yes, some will say no.

    I have personally switched my answer over time - I started out with native is a strict definition and so you can’t be native if you were not born to it. These days the anti-immigrants are using that same argument and I’m in favor of open immigration, because native speaker is currently an issue I’m switching my position because previously it was a matter of naming that didn’t affect anything else, while now it is a political issue.