I found this quote by Charlemagne and thought it would make a good discussion.
I put it in the “je ne sais quoi” groupe but then decided it would be better in general discussion.
I have noticed several times how people seem to change when speaking a different language.How it alters the way people express themselves.People sometimes ask me if I feel English or French and the answer is neither or maybe a bit of both.Somewhere in the channel…
Learning another language is an adventure for the personality and the mind. It forces you to be humble at times, helpless too; it forces you-if you give it all you’ve got- to dig inside and relearn yourself in many ways. If you are truly bilingual you sometimes feel that you have 2 “mes”; however it depends on the group you are with. The dynamics of a French group are very different from those of an anglphone group. You adapt to this if you are truly bicultural. Apart from the occasional little cultural crisis and frustration being bilingual is an experience like no other…I like the quote!
Josette, Je ne sais quoi…
info@cevenneslangues.com
When I first arrived in France I felt"stripped" of my personality.At the time I was 24,very shy and struggling to communicate in a foreign language.At some point (I can’t remember exactly when) I got to grips with the language and the more I became fluent the more I “rebuilt” my personality".I’m still the same person with the same values etc but somewhere along the line I’ve become someone else.When I go back to England I feel like I don’t quite fit in anymore.The question I often ask myself is,Have I changed as a result of where I live or is it just because of the years that pass?