Hi everyone
So while English isn’t my first language, it is definitely my best language as I’m only able to convey complex thoughts in English, whereas in my birth language (Chinese), my vocabulary size is tiny, since I’ve been immersed in english internet ever since I was young
However recently I felt like the more I’ve been learning Japanese, the more I start to not order my words right at first try
For example, today when I texted my friend, I wrote “btw, how fast do usually flash cards take you?”
It isn’t written in Japanese grammar either but the order is just off
And even when I speak Cantonese (my first language technically (a spoken form of Chinese), sometimes I also accidentally order the words wrong and my parents laugh at me and said I talk strange
I’m already 25 btw
Does anyone else also have stuff similar to this happen to you?
Thank you!
2 comments
TL;DR — no.
I have lived half my life in Japan, I go days or weeks without speaking English (my native language), and I still feel perfectly capable and fluent in both languages, and make a living by writing in both.
Honestly, I feel like this “I’m losing my native language!” is something that is played up more by relative beginner or intermediate learners than it is by people who have actually achieved fluency in Japanese.
All of my colleagues who have achieved fluency and/or near-native proficiency in Japanese are also some of the most eloquent people I know in their respective native languages.
You will not lose your native language(s) unless you make an active effort to neglect them. Sorry if this feels a bit harsh, but in my experience it’s true. “Losing” a language you’ve spoken from childhood just because you started to learn some Japanese is not something that happens so easily.
To be honest, not at all and I am also 25 btw 😀