This is definitely a bit of a stupid question… but methinks this happens to a good number of immigrants. Asking because there is a bit of a funny philosophical debate here:

  • Technically the second language is not “native” by virtue of you not growing up with it
  • But you speak it better than your native language, so skill-wise it is “native”

So do you have “native” language skills, or would you consider yourself simply highly “fluent” at the second language?

  • criitz@reddthat.com
    122·
    20 days ago

    Native means you grew up with it. Otherwise it’s not native no matter how good you are.

    • Fondots@lemmy.world
      6·
      20 days ago

      I feel like that leaves a little weird wiggle room though.

      Let’s say you’re born in a Spanish speaking country, maybe Mexico, for the first few years of life you grow up surrounded by Spanish speakers, your first words are in Spanish, you only know Spanish, everyone you know only speaks Spanish.

      Then when you’re about 3 years old, before you’re even forming really solid, permanent memories, you go to live in the US, you’re surrounded by English speakers, almost everyone around you stops speaking Spanish regularly and switches to English, your English vocabulary quickly catches up to or maybe even surpasses your Spanish ability. Your first real memories are of people speaking English, and you spend the rest of your life primarily speaking English. You still speak Spanish though, you keep up with your education in that language and can speak both fluently.

      I think there’s a valid argument that both could be considered your native language, even if Spanish was your first language, you’ve still grown up speaking both.