Language confusion!?

Question

I had studied French for 8 years in HS and college... Now I've been studying Chinese for 4 yrs and actually cannot speak French anymore without mixing Chinese into it. Sometimes I try to speak Chinese and it has some French in it. Is this unique to those who study Asian languages and why are some people able to remember multiple langauges without this problem of interchanging the words sometimes?

Answer 1

My mother tongue is Cantonese, I speak English and Japanese fluently. I also took French for 3 years and now it's gone far away that I could hardly get it back.

When I'm tired, I sometimes speak a long English sentense which I put 1 or 2 Cantonese or Japanese phases in it then I found out I did make a fool out of myself but luckily that person might not notice it! That's a very rare case to me but it had happened before and not just once! When I need to talk to a group of people that they either speak English or Japanaese only and I have someone (usually my parents) next to me that speak Cantonese only, then it is tough to me, as in this circumstance, I may talk to my mom in Japanese and talk to my friend in Cantonese or English, being the interpreter of these persons are tiring, because sometimes they all talk at the same time and keep asking or talking and I have no time to make them understand each other!

Since I learned French, I can't pronoun this word "voyage" in English, but only in French. Recently, my client from UK corrected me back to the English pronounciation. But I still read it in French way when I read it in mind. I like French, it is a very romatic langauge.

Answer 2

funny, I never heard ppl could mix together languages thus different.

I've had a go on several languages (including mandarin), and the only ones I mix up are spanish and italian.

I think your pronunciation of both languages must be terrible. How come, in the middle of a French phrase, you could change to Chinese, with tones and everything?? the sounds of the languages are so different.

It's weird.

What I suggest for you is: listen to Radio France podcasts, this should help you to fix the language.

And try to render either language with phonetically accurate pronunciation.

Answer 3

I've had that same problem especially when I mix Russian, Azerbaijani and english at the same time when I was in Azerbaijan. Usually we do it unconsciously out of the necessity to communicate. It's not a good habit but we do whatever it takes to get the message across (Shi pu shi? :)). You need to practice though but if you can't avoid it, try mixing one language with english or whatever you have in common with the person you are speaking to. You will gradually wean out of it in due time.

Answer 4

Heh... I took Spanish and German at the same time in college. The results were... interesting.

I think if you get the experience of using one or the other in its natural setting, the problem will go away.

Answer 5

well may be you could have what some of us have ..
EX. Espaglish ... we are used to the 2 languages that why we talked like that .... maybe that could be ....

Answer 6

It happens only without enough practice,
Practice does make it perfect, indeed.