When you're quiet in your language, why is it you can be more talkative in a foreign language?

Question

I've had that experience in my life. Everytime i speak the language i studied in school i can speak with confidence..but in english or spanish which are the languages i spoke since young, i'm so shy and feel embarrased. in fact when i speak in the foreignl language i learned in school, the natives of that language tell me i'm not shy at all.. but with my parents in their language, they tell me i'm so shy and they get mad at me and want me to change

Answer 1

Hmmm... That's really interesting... Maybe it's because you know that the only way you're going to really learn your new language is by speaking it a lot? Or maybe you've had bad experiences where people have made fun of your accent or how you speak in your native languages? Or maybe subconsiously you associate your native languages with things you don't like about certain people that speak those languages, and you don't know enough people who speak your new language to be turned off of it? Or maybe it's like acting, speaking in the new language--like maybe you're normally shy and insecure, but speaking in the new language is like putting on a costume and you can pretend to have more confidence...? Or maybe you just feel ok with your potential mistakes because you can blame them on learning, but you feel like it's more like your fault if you make a mistake in English or Spanish? (although, I would add that most English speakers make mistakes all the time)

Whatever it is, that's really cool, and it's going to help you learn it well. I have the opposite problem because I consider myself a very verbal person in English, and I usually write well, so it's really frustrating when I just don't have the words in Spanish and I get very embarrassed very easily about it. But for you, that's really awesome that you feel so comfortable speaking in a language that you consider foreign.

Answer 2

I have a few guesses:

1. There are cultural differences that allow speakers of certain languages to talk more or less. For example, in the English-speaking culture where I come from, if you are interested in something, you are silent so you can "take it all in", while in Spanish-speaking culture, if you are interested in something, you comment about it. I have a friend from Venezuela who has lived in the States for a long time. She told me that once, when she went back to Venezuela to visit her brother, they were visiting a museum. After a while, he asked her, "Are you bored? Do you want to leave?" She realized it was because she hadn't been talking about the art that they were seeing. She was used to the American custom of being silent when you are looking at something important, but he interpreted her silence as not being interested. So perhaps you've just picked up on how different cultures allow the speaker to be more talkative or more silent at different times. You didn't mention what new languages you have learned, but that could be it.

2. When it's not your native language, the words don't have as much "meaning" for you, so you are freer to say them. For example, if you say "I love you" in your native langauge, it is associated with very strong feelings, but you might not feel those same feelings with those words in your new langauge. Since you don't have such strong emotions about it, you feel freer to say those things.

3. You may have some negative psychological associations with communication in your native langauges that you don't have in your new langauge.

Answer 3

I experience a similar feeling when I speak in Spanish, which is not my native tongue. I think for me I figure that if I mess up or say something wrong natives will be understanding since I'm just a gringo. Also, I think that, for me, latin cultures seem to be so much more open to conversation and learning more about people than the US and so I feel more compelled to share a bit of myself.

Answer 4

Probably because being shy is because you are insecure and embarassed/nervous regarding your mistake and if you are speaking a second language you know that your audience will be forgiving since they know that you are learning.

I don't share in that though. I'm very shy, but in my foreign language classes I'm still silent. Everybody else struggles to pass while I get A's though, but I just don't like to talk.

Answer 5

Because when you are practicing a new language you want to talk to practice this, and when you talk your language don't feel the same, the adrenaline of talking a new language is great, besides that you don't talk a lot you language doesn't mean anything, maybe in your on language you haven't what to say , and the new one you do

Answer 6

It's because you can insult people behind their backs without their knowledge. Being multi-lingual has many advantages such as this.

Answer 7

You're psychlogically conditioned to think so, and it becomes the truth.

Answer 8

maybe you're just scared of possible mistakes. relax, everyone is making mistakes, nobody's perfect.