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?
Fluent.
Native means you grew up speaking it.
It depends on whether you treat the answer as “like a native” or “I am a native”. The word native is etymologically rooted in “born into it”.
To sum up: You can speak a second language better than a native and have a proficiency of a native speaker without being a native speaker of the language.
I speak four languages at native level, because I can change languages mid sentence and you wouldn’t know which one is my actual origin language (hint: it’s two).
I’m more than fluent. Fluent just means you can speak in complete coherent sentences without hesitation. You can do this but still have a strong accent - like many of the Indian tech wizards, for instance.
Native, to me, means that it’s practically indistinguishable from a person that grew up in that country, and you can’t tell that I didn’t actually grow up in that country.
I just say my Spanish fluent. I can have a conversation, but it will have a lot of pauses as I try to remember a word. Certainly not usable at an academic level.
I was graced by parents who don’t know their own language very well. Google Translate’s more reliable, so there is a lot of vocabulary I don’t know simply because it’s never been brought up in my family.
I just consider English my main language. I feel bad for the immigrants who were raised not even knowing their language though. Met a few.
I’m still better in my native tongue than in English, but I would still consider myself ‘fluent’, with some people considering me ‘native’, which I would never claim for me. This I would call “personal relativity”, as I am probably more fluent in English than quite some native speakers. And I definitely read English faster than most native speakers.
I call it my “main” or “primary” language. My first language lacks vocabulary due to atrophy and stopping learning it after turning 9.
I learnt german in school, and lost it all.
I’m currently learning spanish
Nah, I just judge the native speakers who suck at their own language (jk I’m not that much of a dickhead)
I just describe it as “bilingual level”, because fluent is often used but can represent a range of levels depending on how demanding you are.
For me, fluent is what I’d describe someone who’s studied well and can live only speaking the target language. They may have a crappy accent, make mistakes but they know they can express their ideas and be understood and generally don’t search for words.
I’d use “native level”, but that can be a bit misleading too.
And so, that’s why we have exams/diploma with levels and such.
If someone tells you they have a C2 level diploma in French, I assure you that their command of French is worthy of respect even for a native French person.If I tell you I have HSK3/4 even in Chinese, you know I’m nowhere near fluency, despite how well I can fake it with what little I do know! :P
