4 ms·
Hah! I also learned French in High School, but then much later in life I learned Dutch. Now whenever I go to France and try to speak French, Dutch words push ou
by davedx 9y ago
Hah! I also learned French in High School, but then much later in life I learned Dutch. Now whenever I go to France and try to speak French, Dutch words push out the French words in my head, sometimes too fast for me to stop from actually saying them in the middle of an already dubious French sentence. It's quite infuriating.
Usually I do still know the word in French, but the Dutch words are always so much closer to the surface.
I love living in Europe :)
- pbhjpbhj 9y agoI get the same thing, try to recall a German word and a French word pops up. Interestingly it also happens with BSL (a sign language), I try and recall a word and the sign pops up; I'm not that accomplished in any language other than English, perhaps that's related but it struck me that words with the same/similar meanings across languages must get stored "together" (spatially, logically, whatever) some how.
- avip 9y agoSame experience. I've basically forgotten all my (basic) Arabic by studying (equally basic) French. I've practically lost 100% of my vocabulary because trying to fetch a word in Arabic from my brain always yields the French term, of which I can't get rid thereafter. Never encountered such a clear demo of how limited and bucket-like my brain is.
- corford 9y agoI have a similar problem whenever I cross between multiple countries in Europe and encounter the first motorway toll in a new country. No matter how hard I try as I approach the toll I always greet/thank the person in the booth with the language of the country I've just left rather than the language of the new country (happened to me again last month driving from Portugal through Spain and in to France). My mind just goes blank. Seconds after pulling away the word/phrase I wanted pops in to my head - it infuriates me!