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Benvenuti, Bienvenue, Bienvenidos, Croeso and Welcome.
Hi, I’m Juliet. Join me on my language learning journey and discover my thoughts on different aspects of language learning with the A Language Learning Tale Podcast. Today I’m talking about…
Am I getting my languages in a muddle?
As some of you will know, I recently refreshed my Spanish, which I learnt in my youth, using Italian. In other words, going from Italian to Spanish. I did this to try to force myself to keep the two languages apart, which worked quite well whilst learning, but how’s that going now? Is Spanish creeping into my Italian writing?
Um … well, yes and no.
When I started learning Italian, there were always some words that bled in from my Spanish, even though I hadn’t used it for many, many years. Mismo was one, meaning same, instead of stesso, and I really had to make an effort to expunge that and I did. Unfortunately, it is rearing its ugly head again. And there are other random things that are forcing their way in, like left and right. Derecha instead of destra, izquierda instead of sinistra. These ones, though, are quite easy to recognise, as in I know I’ve made the mistake, or I know I have to pause when I get to these words to make sure I’m using the correct one. But there are lots of other words where that is more difficult, because they’re more similar in their forms. For example, I just discovered I’d written ‘sangre’ instead of ‘sangue’, for blood, which I might not have picked up on if Microsoft hadn’t highlighted it as an error. Or I might have realised after recording the story, which would have been annoying. Side note: I find lots of errors after recording, or whilst recording, but that’s another whole topic.
The thing is, when I’m writing, I usually just keep going, not worrying too much about what I’m putting down on the page, just trying to get the idea down in order to then polish it later. That’s a normal way of writing in any language. So, I might type a Spanish word and not realise it immediately, although it has to be said, even with these similar words I often recognise I’m doing it wrong and pause to drag out the correct word, or do a quick Google Translate check.
One of the language books I read and talked about here said that there was a process in your brain that would help you shut off other languages so you could concentrate on the one you were trying to use. If that were completely true, then I wouldn’t make any of these errors, but I do think that it’s largely true, otherwise I’d be chopping and changing between languages all the time without realising. Nothing is absolute. Perhaps, as I start reading more in Spanish, which I’ve done very little of so far, it will separate things out more, because I’ll be seeing those words in context. In that way, my brain will know that they don’t belong in the middle of my Italian. I hope so.
At least, with all the checks I’ve built into my process now, I should usually find these words, even if I don’t recognise that I’ve made a mistake. I don’t need any more mistakes. I make enough using the correct language.
Obviously, I have refreshed my French, too, but that doesn’t seem to have had any impact, at all. This is, I’m sure, because French, although more similar in actual words and grammar, doesn’t sound like Italian and you do kind of say the words in your head when you’re writing something. If I hear that French accent in my head, I’m gonna know straightaway that I’ve made an error.
Does that sound weird to you? Seriously, as I’m typing out this script, I’m absolutely saying the words in my head as I type, thinking them out. Is that just me? I don’t think it can be. Try it and see if you’re doing it.
And as for Welsh, well, if that bled through into my Italian there’d be something very, very wrong. Although, there are some words that are much closer to romance languages than English, which I just discovered from watching a Welsh programme, do, in fact, come from Latin and the Roman occupation.
That’s all for today’s episode. Don’t forget to join me again next time, for more language learning tips, tricks and tales and in the meantime, check out the A Language Learning Tale YouTube channel for additional, non-podcast content.
Ciao, salut, adiós, hwyl and bye for now.