Are You New? Join The Most Active Community for TCKs/CCKs >>
Want to be notified of new posts? Get the RSS Feed or Register by Email
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
Want to be notified of new posts? Get the RSS Feed or Register by Email
How do people react when you use multiple languages in one sentence?
This post has 336 views
My mom always complains when I use several languages in one sentence to get my point across. She says that it implies that I’m not proficient in either language. I think it actually means that I am truly fluent in those languages because I can pick and choose whichever word best expresses my thoughts and feelings on a particular subject. What experiences do you have with expressing yourself using multiple languages and how do the people around you react to that?
What do you think of this post? (No Ratings Yet) Loading ...
March 26, 2008 | Filed Under General Forum
Related Posts
Comments
18 Responses to “How do people react when you use multiple languages in one sentence?”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
-
Top Commentators
- Ayako (781)
- Cynthia (554)
- miyon (505)
- Uncle Dan (502)
- mairabay (368)
- kristine (363)
- MsMerising (279)
- mmmmmm (249)
- marie (229)
- Cattt (224)
Polls
Loading ...
March 27th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
haha, for some reason I can never remember the word “paper towel” in english…even just now I had to think about it for a few seconds…I always say it in french, no matter who i’m with..I just point and say it in french… I don’t know why PAPER and TOWEL are so hard for me to remember.
(Is this spam?)
March 27th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
That is like me and mm.. cross country skiing. I can never remember that word in english no matter how hard I try. Even if I am with english people it always takes me extra effort to say it in English. ha ha. And I don’t even ski very often.
But most people I know find it funny. I my life it is rare to just speak 1 language all day…usually there are bits and pieces of of at least 3 languages strung together. I don’t mind it. I don’t even notice haha. Other people always point it out to me….
(Is this spam?)
March 29th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Yep it’s happening a lot, my friends are actually used to it, when I suddenly speak in three languages while talking to them. When I was studying in Oxford, I went to a trip to France with some friends and I needed to translate, cause I was the only one who was fluent in French. I was so mixed up with all the languages, that at the end of the trip, I sometimes spoke English with the French people, and French and Swissgerman with my English friends. They were laughing their head off. When I was kid/teenager people were finding my family quite weird, while visiting us, cause my parents were speaking Lingala (Congolease language)to us kids, we were replying in French. And between us,(my sister and brother) we were speaking Swissgerman. But hey that’s how goes it
(Is this spam?)
March 30th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
oooooooooohhhhhhhh Translating is the WORST…whenever I translate I always forget who I’m supposed to speak which language to and end up speaking french to the person I have to speak english to or whatever else…. sooooooo bad
Yeah for the fam my friends just got used to it bc we would mix languages all the time, it’s been mentioned before about how ppl love to hear me spk on the phone w/ family….although I have to admit I do love listening to languages I don’t know so I like that too
(Is this spam?)
August 7th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
My niece’s first sentence was bilingual. She heard me come in and thought it was her dad. When my mom told her it was me, she looked at her and very deliberately said, “Es Daddy!”
(Is this spam?)
August 8th, 2008 at 12:10 am
Yes! I am not weird! So many people here who do the same thing as me…
I mostly mix English and Spanish but also randomnly throw in Japanese, Hawaiian, Hebrew, French, Dene, Cree, Pidgin English, and the one German word I know but cannot stop using for some reason (Danke).
My sisters never learned Spanish so they have gotten to the point where they deduce the meaning of the sentence based on either my hand-waving or the one English word I happen to throw in. i.e. “Pasame la bottle de agua, por favor.”
But sometimes they get totally lost and ask me to speak in English, please!
The weird thing is that somtimes I think the sentence in english in my head, but it comes out in spanish, or vice versa.
I struggle very hard to not mix languages in public. For example I was on the brink of introducing my brother: “Este es mi hermano,” to someone, but (barely) managed English instead. Usually what happens is I sit there with awkward pauses while I wait for the correct language for the situation to make its way to my tongue.
I remember when I lost my English from living with a Cree-speaking family for one month, and when I finally returned to the city, I could not even say hello. Someone reached out and shook my hand and said, “Hi, nice to meet you!” I stood openmouthed and very dumb looking, trying to remember how to answer in English. First the Cree greeting popped into my mind (Danse!) and then a litany of greetings in other languages (Aloha, hola, bonjour…) and finally HELLO popped out of my mouth rather excitedly and too loudly and about five seconds too late…
(Is this spam?)
August 8th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Jackrabbit, that story is hilarious! I’m sure the same thing has happened to many of us. I think that’s why people say I don’t talk much… by the time I’ve figured out the right language for my comment, it’s too late to make it!
(Is this spam?)
August 8th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
lol since honestly i only noe chinese and english fluently…i might add french just for kicks and because i am obsessed with french and still learning. It’s not reli a problem for me. but i only do it in front of ppl who noe all the languages tat I throw in…with ppl who dunt I just have to take my time and stumble a lot HAHA
(Is this spam?)