The Bitterness of a Lost Mother Tongue

Hello everyone. I have something that's been bothering me for quite a while. I am from the Former Yugoslavia so my first language was Serbo-Croatian/Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian (I don't even know what to call it anymore). Now that we live in the States, I don't speak it anymore. My parents speak to each other in it and I understand simple phrases and bits and pieces but I always answer them in English. So, of course, my pronunciation in S/C/B is horrible. I am extremley bitter about it and though I am proud of my heritage sometimes I wonder if it's worth relearning it.

Advice? Will I ever be able to get rid of my American accent? Should I move on and learn another language (itching to try Swedish)?

And has ANYONE else forgotten their first language? I feel like I'm the only one, it's pathetic.

I have met people who said they've forgotten their native language, so you're not the only one. How old were you when you moved away from Yugoslavia?

You can't get rid of your American accent and it's not even worth trying, IMO. Also, as an American, you can never truly blend in culturally and you'll prob'ly have hard time even understanding some aspects of culture. But it is a must that you try learning as much as you can (language and culture) in order to comprehend where you come from and where you are now.

Yes, you should definitely relearn your mother tongue, if you feel like you've lost something because of it.

I was 2 when I moved away, now I am 16.
I just wish I knew what my accent would sound like, you know? A lot of Eastern European accents don't sound so good in English (except my Mom, everyone loves her accent. They always ask her if she is Scandinavian), so I hope the opposite isn't true. :S

<<I was 2 when I moved away, now I am 16. >>

That was very early. Your pronounciation and grasp of the language was probably limited back then, and your parents were probably too busy making sure you speak good English to take care of your Serbo-Croatian skills. That's perfectly understandable.

Yeah, that was too early, the only way you could have learned the language was at home with your parents.
Did they always speak to each other in it?

From my point of view, you are in a very good situation if you care about re-learning the language, since you can practice everyday and ask questions about it... Take advantage of it.^^

I'd say do it.
16 is a good age to learn a language.
And don't pay too much attention about the accents. The people who speak Serbo-Croatian are used to different accents, even claiming them to be different languages. ;-)

I have a problem with "The Bitterness" in the title.
Nothing to be bitter about, just work to do. Start learning SCB and Swedish and feel free to come here to ask whatever you need to. OK?
Now off you go.

I'm just bitter that my parents "let" me forget it. I remind myself that they did what they thought was best for me but I can't help but feel resentful. I know it's immature, but there you go.
I had a long talk with my Dad about it today. I'm going to go for it. I never thought of it, but 2 was too early for me to speak it well anyway, now I feel like I didn't lose anything, so I feel better :)
Thanks for keeping me realistic, everyone.

<<The people who speak Serbo-Croatian are used to different accents, even claiming them to be different languages. ;-) >>

So true :-P

Now, real quick, learning Spanish in school (3rd year), SCB and Swedish at home at the same time. Bad idea?

They are all from different language families, so you're not likely to confuse them. However, three at once could still leave you with little time to focus on each language individually. If you're just studying Swedish for fun, you might want to drop it in favor of SCB if you really want to learn it. If you have a lot of free time though, that might not be necessary.

<< They are all from different language families, so you're not likely to confuse them. However, three at once could still leave you with little time to focus on each language individually. If you're just studying Swedish for fun, you might want to drop it in favor of SCB if you really want to learn it. If you have a lot of free time though, that might not be necessary. >>

I agree.
I'd drop one if I were you.

Learn it. Learning a language is not very hard especially if you can practice everyday with your parents. Don't worry about the accent.