Do You Speak More Than One Language Fluently?

[Nava]

@Dr.Drake

I think this is true in the initial stages of learning a third language, but after a while they sort themselves out. My brain initially resisted Welsh, assuming it was some kind of bizarre German, even though I’d only had one semester of conversational German at the time. Now it’s hard for me to understand how one could mix the two.

It depends on the languages too, I think.

For the last six months in France my Catalan kept getting mixed into my French. Now I’m in Catalonia and my French keeps getting mixed into my Catalan! But they are very, very close languages - neither my Catalan nor my French have ever interfered with my English, my English with my French only a few times (and it was in cases that were logical, such as I couldn’t remember a French word which exists also in English but I could remember an English synonym), my English with my Catalan… never?

@the_diego

Not many Swiss and Benelux dopers then. Or is that a misconception?

I only remember a Swiss one (Arnold Winkelried if I’m spelling it correctly) and a handful of Dutch. We also have a Spaniard who lives in Holland (Jose B).

[Tapiotar]

English and Finnish, though my Finnish is deteriorating because i don’t use it enough.

I have a smattering of other languages, like French, Swedish, and Norwegian, enough to read signs and menus and simple texts, but couldn’t carry on a conversation beyond the “where is” and “I would like” and “thank you” sorts. I’m getting old enough that maintaining or improving a language takes more effort than it used to. I made a stab at learning Turkish last year, but I don’t have the motivation to put in the necessary consistent effort and hours.