| is it possible to “forget” how to speak a language?

is it possible to “forget” how to speak a language?

Tsubasa asked:


i was born in Canada, but my first language was actually Cantonese Chinese. as a little kid, i was fluent because i didn’t speak english at all. but after i entered elementary school, my parents encouraged me to speak more english because that is the major language here in Canada.

now, i’m 18 and seem to have “forgotten” how to speak cantonese. i have no trouble understanding people who talk in cantonese though, and i can watch cantonese tv shows. my parents speak to me in cantonese only, but i reply in english. i can’t seem to speak it anymore. i have a weird accent and pause frequently, even though i was once fluent in this language.

is it possible to truly forget a language that you’ve learned? what can i do to start speaking cantonese again?

Related posts:

  1. Where can I learn to speak my third, fourth, etc. language? bermuda890 asked: I live in Canada and my native tongue...
  2. learning foreign language in the other foreign language ? xiangshei asked: Hi, I am Korean who go to school...
  3. How do you feel about employers requiring you to speak english and spanish? Angel2008 asked: I am encouraging my children to learn spanish...
  4. What languages other than english do people speak in North America? Susan H asked: its gotta be languages that r like...
  5. Canada–Are most people bilingual in French and English? Bob B asked: So English and French are both official...

Filed Under Languages |

Tagged With , ,

Comments

4 Responses to “is it possible to “forget” how to speak a language?”

  1. Caleb L on April 18th, 2009 9:43 pm

    I lived in Morocco for 8 years, and was fluent in French, but now i’ve moved back to the US, and been here for another 8 years. and I had almost completely forgotten how to speak French, but now I’m taking French 2, and it’s helping a lot. So yes, it is possible to forget. But it should be easier for you to re-learn.

  2. shellbell1312 on April 20th, 2009 4:43 am

    Yes, it is definitely possible. Without the practice of a particular language, you can forget how to speak it and sometimes you can even seem to forget what certain phrases mean and when you hear them they can sound new to you even if you knew them before. The only way to retrieve that language that you spoke before is to once again not Only begin to speak the language but really sit down and listen to others talk. For example in the spanish class that I am taking at school our teachers make us listen to news in spanish and sometimes even soap operas. Just like you learned english by speaking and writing and hearing it, you can learn Cantonese again by doing this process all over again

  3. SUE on April 21st, 2009 2:05 am

    Yup.. sure is. If you don’t use it, you will forget it.

    If you were ever fluent in it, it will come back pretty quickly, though, when you DO practice using it.

  4. martox45 on April 21st, 2009 4:44 pm

    It has happened to me too (I’m Italian) but after 3/4 days of “full immersion” (most likely by visiting a place where JUST Cantones is spoken) you’ll become again more and more fluent. It’s impossible to forget completely a language (and this is evidenced by the fact you’re still understanding it perfectly) but to speak it fluently you need taking out your “rust”,