I'm not fluent in my native language.

warkid   Tue May 25, 2010 7:40 pm GMT
I could only speak one language earlier, I just had some free time in the summer a year before, so I decided to began learning a new language, I found this site, I made changes to my life and I refused to use media in my native language, then after some time I noticed I became less competent using my native language, both my writing and speaking used to be a way more advanced. I think it's like I experience some sort of side effect with it, does it happen to everyone?

Frankly, reading messages of some people on the Internet talking about fluency I ended up admitting to myself I can't even say I'm fluent in my native language anymore. I've managed to make some better progress in learning, though I'm no longer thinking I can explain everything in my native language. When I just try to switch the languages it's kind of weird especially because I realise the break limit of many conversations is related to my weakened skills. I could do miles better before. It doesn't come unnoticed the more I use or learn one language the more I forget another one. I don't like my native language very much, but it's the only language people use to communicate in my country, so I'm taking the risk of looking ridiculous every now and then I am about to say something, sometimes in that moment I can explain my thoughts in a foreign language but not in my native language, which creates the barrier I don't know how I to deal with.

Thank you for your time.
Will   Tue May 25, 2010 10:12 pm GMT
You are fluent in your native language if you can express yourself. A year isn't going to make your language skills weaken so much. What's your native language?
Psychoanalyst   Wed May 26, 2010 6:06 am GMT
You're not Dutch or Scandinavian by any chance are you?

But anyway, you ARE fluent in your native language. You are just pretending not to be because it makes you feel good. It makes you feel like you speak the foreign language better than your native language, that you're fluent in the foreign language when you actually aren't. It makes you feel like the foreign language is distancing you from your native language that you dislike. It makes you feel like a foreigner, which you would love to be. But it's not real. It's not really happening. You aren't fluent in the foreign language, you don't speak it better than your native language and making mistakes doesn't make you any less Dutch/Swedish/whatever. It seems like it's happening because that's what you want to happen.

If not that (although it's probably is that even if you're not aware yourself), then at the very least, it is happening because you're thinking about it too much.
Just speak and there will be no problems. Most importantly, DON'T THINK ABOUT IT. It's like when you think about breathing. When you think about breathing it suddenly becomes hard to breathe naturally and seems really weird. But as soon as you stop thinking about it, it becomes normal again.
Second Opinion   Wed May 26, 2010 9:30 am GMT
It is quite likely that warkid is a failure or at least is considered one by the perceptions of the society in which he lives.

As Psychoanalyst pointed out this has led to a need to distance himself from his native language and culture.

It is no doubt much easier for him to view the rest of society as 'inferior failures' than accept this view about himself.

I believe the fact he chose to post this on antimoon without asking any real questions shows his desperation for this 'cultural escape' to be recognised by others, thus making it true.
Huh   Wed May 26, 2010 10:14 am GMT
You can discern all that from a single piece of writing? I feel sorry for your patients, Second Opinion. You would probably diagnose multiple personality disorder for someone who had mild depression, and have them consigned to the mental asylum.
I sure hope not...   Wed May 26, 2010 10:31 am GMT
I sure hope English is not the language that you speak better than your native language, because if that were so your compatriots must consider you mentally subdeveloped.


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I could only speak one language earlier (WHEN?), I just had some free time in the summer a year AGO, so I decided to BEGIN learning a new language.<-PERIOD I found this site, I made changes to my life and I refused to use media in my native language.<- PERIOD Then after some time I noticed I HAD became less competent using my native language, both my writing and speaking used to be a way more advanced. I think it's like I experience some sort of side effect BECAUSE OF IT. PERIOD Does it happen to everyone?

Frankly, reading THE messages of some people on the Internet SPACE about fluency I ended up admitting to myself THAT I can't even say I'm fluent in my native language any SPACE more. I've managed to make some better progress in learning (UNCLEAR), though I NO LONGER THINK I can explain everything in my native language. When I TRY to switch LANGUAGES it's kind of weird especially because I realise the ??? (GIBBERISH) of many conversations is related to my weakened skills. I could do miles better before. It doesn't ??? (GIBBERISH) the more I use or learn one language the more I forget another one. I don't like my native language very much, but it's the only language people use to communicate in my country, so I'm taking the risk of looking ridiculous every now and then WHEN I am about to say something. PERIOD Sometimes AT that moment I can explain my thoughts in a foreign language but not in my native language, which creates the barrier AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.

Thank you for your time.
Lol   Wed May 26, 2010 10:56 am GMT
You missed some corrections:

I could only speak one language earlier (WHEN?) (I USED TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK ONLY ONE LANGUAGE). (FULL STOP/PERIOD) I just (DELETE) had some free time in the summer a year AGO, so I decided to BEGIN learning a new language.<-PERIOD I found this site, I made changes to my life and I refused to use media in my native language.<- PERIOD Then after some time I noticed I HAD became less competent using my native language, both my writing and speaking used to be a (DELETE) way more advanced. I think it's like I experience (AM EXPERIENCING/HAVE EXPERIENCED) some sort of side effect BECAUSE OF IT. PERIOD Does it (THIS) happen to everyone?

Frankly, reading THE messages of (BY) some people on the Internet SPACE about fluency I ended up admitting to myself THAT I can't even say I'm fluent in my native language any SPACE more. I've managed to make some better progress in learning (UNCLEAR), though I NO LONGER THINK I can explain everything in my native language. When I TRY to switch LANGUAGES it's kind of weird especially because I realise the ??? (GIBBERISH) of many conversations is related to my weakened skills. I could do miles better before. It doesn't ??? (GIBBERISH) the more I use or learn one language the more I forget another one. I don't like my native language very much, but it's the only language people use to communicate in my country, so I'm taking the risk of looking ridiculous every now and then WHEN I am about to say something. PERIOD Sometimes AT that moment I can explain my thoughts in a foreign language but not in my native language, which creates the barrier AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.
Second Opinion   Wed May 26, 2010 1:02 pm GMT
A single piece of writing literally speaks volumes. By looking at what the writer chooses to include, looking for unusual omissions, basing theories of what is previously known about social schemas. Discourse/Thematic Analysis is not as complicated as many psychological research methods and it is heavily influenced by subjective interpretation.


So fuck off, you little queer.
Monco   Wed May 26, 2010 1:29 pm GMT
<<I think it's like I experience some sort of side effect with it, does it happen to everyone? >>

No. Unless you don't use your native language at all, you shouldn't become less proficient in your native language by learning a new one. It didn't happen to me at least.
warkid   Wed May 26, 2010 1:52 pm GMT
Wow!@The advice and corrections are just great, thank you. Probably, it takes a really sharp eye to acquire an ability to notice every single mistake, though it is a little bit funny that I could have easily avoided many of them, did I pay more attention to carefully proofreading my writing, so excuse me if it was too annoying to read that all.
Anyway, what I also want to say is that I'm not a wannabe native kind of guy who is dreaming about becoming a spy model of pathetic patient. The only reason why I started learning a new language was just a spontaneous feeling, so at that time I just thought it wouldn't be bad to learn how to speak a new language, and after all that was my only motivation.
Talking about myself I don't think I have a great problem in my life: I still have friends, I have a job and I don't smoke, so I think it's all right isn't it?
The nice guys on the main page stated that it took them about 3 years to become fluent in English language, but personally even less then the three-thirds of the course through I faced exactly the changes happened to me which I had written about, I just thought many learners had a similar experience, thAt's all.