How do you value your mother tongue?

[feline_dacat]

two peas in a transatlantic length pod then!

 

[Tomoyo]

That works.

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

I think it's safe to say that a large group of posters here is at least bilingual and while some may have more than one language that could be considered their "mother tongue" most have learned a second or more later.

So how do you see your mother tongue in comparison with those languages? Is there no difference? Do you like better what you know better (or longer)? Or do you prefer a different language (maybe English) for reasons such as simplicity?

I value my wife's tongue more than my mother's. >

 

[mrtn]

I communicate quite a lot in English, and read a lot of English litterature (I prefer to read in the original language if that's possible). I can even understand and make puns in English.
Still I'm more proficient in Swedish.

 

[Cuivienen]

Whether I truly speak Spanish fluently or not is debatable, so I chose the final option. I prefer English over Spanish, anyway.

 

[Yuri2356]

Though I'm coming along rahter nicely in learning the French Language, English will always come first in my life.

 

[dvandyke]

I value my mother's tongue at £20 but will sell it for £15.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

My mother tongue is Chinese. I value it greatly, as a part of my Chinese cultural heritage. Or what remains of it.

 

[Japanrocks12]

Japanese is great, but I like English better.

 

[Sims2789]

Well, the only language I know good is the Czech, so it is obvious I like it at best

Today I've translated a subtitles for an epizode of BSG series and I am starting to think our language isn't meant to be used for a sci-fi
I especially hate that US military slang, which is in fact untranslatable into Czech

Your written English is pretty good, though not perfect. I'd consider you fluent in at least written English. Can you talk in English well?

 

[Sims2789]

I've studied Spanish for two years and I can speak and write it pretty well, though I'm nowhere near fluent in it. Therefore, English is the language I prefer to both speak and write.

 

[Sims2789]

I'm confused because two answers fitted for me

I was raised in both french and walloon. I don't prefer any. They're different and I don't use them for the same things. French is the official language, so it's my "default" language when talking with other people. But with people I know, and if they are able to speak walloon too, then I use my regional language.

I learned other languages later, but no one I like as much as french or walloon... no one except greek ! This is my prefered foreign language.

Although it has differences in both grammer and syntax, Walloon is a dialect of French. There may have been a language other than French spoken in Wallonia at one time but mass education has resulted in such a strong French influence on the Wallonian tongue that now it is considered a dialect (though a very distinct dialect) of French, despite what the nationalists claim.

 

[Sims2789]

till 10yo i knew only russian.
after 10yo it was english in society and russian at home.

i'm not sure if the "have two mother languages" applies to me, since i learned english after 10yo, but still as a child.

voted "they're the same" (option two) cause i can and do use english and russian interchangebly (a lot of time change language inside a sentence).
there are words and concepts in each language that are almost imposible to say in the other so using both comfortably helps a lot sometimes.

Which do you think in? Do you think in both?

 

[Lord_all_Mighty]

I value pretty much every other language over my mother tounge (English). I suppose that is because I hear it everyday and there is not much too exciting about it. But, of course, I still like being able to speak it. As of now, I am primarily learning german and occasionaly I'll venture off into french, russian or latin, just to keep things a little fresh.

 

[Louis XXIV]

I like them all. (Hokkien, Tagalog, English, Mandarin)

I know what Tagalog, English, and Mandarin are, but what's Hokkien?

Very useful when you have separate circles of friends and relatives who are limited to only a particular language. Also allows you to badmouth someone in their face without them knowing it.

That's pretty cool. I think I'll have to learn some Chinese insults or something, just in case.

BTW, I speak English and I barely speak any other language. Because I'm so poor at other languages and most people I speak to are better able to talk to me in English, I value it much higher and view any foreign languages I learn as a nice thing to have, although probably not very practical.

 

[Louis XXIV]

I don't really like Portuguese better than any other, but it is the only language I master in a satisfactory degree, and so I'll always use it when possible.

What's wrong with your English?

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

I only speak English fluently, but I can speak Spanish a little. Since I only speak one fluent language, I value English more than any other language.

 

[dvandyke]

I only speak English fluently, but I can speak Spanish a little. Since I only speak one fluent language, I value English more than any other language.

Spanish is easy, You just add an 'o' at the end of every word.

 

[Blazer6]

Enough to organize a rebellion against the invaders.

 

[Inter4]

Very similar to that.
My English is very close to being as good as my Finnish.
That playfulness with language is however what I do with Finnish all the time but very rarely with English.
I've been brought up in Finnish but speak English to my kids.
It's great, I never catch myself sounding like my mother

Why don't you speak finnish to your kids?