Poll: Do you guys know how to speak/read your native/mother tongue?

[Zero In]

Well, the inspiration to create this poll is from watching a movie where this Jew didn't know how to speak Hebrew, and because of that, got looked down on by the people from his own community. Oh yeah, which reminds of this Canadian movie I watched ages ago where this Chinese chick couldn't read Chinese and got flak from someone from her employer who thought that since she is Chinese, she should be able to speak it.

 

[Ryan]

Of course I can speak in muh ma fvckin native tounge! slap mah fro! I'm not mad stupid. what 'chew thinking man?

 

[PsychoAndy]

I was born here. I can speak and read english.

Now...listening to chinese from mom and dad is another story. All I picked up from them are the curse words.

-PAB

 

[MichaelD]

Now THAT is a poll. 😎

When my brother and I were very young, my parents would speak to each other in Italian if they didn't want us to know what they were talking about. Sadly though, they only spoke to us in English, so we never learned Italian. :|

When I asked my Mom about this many years later, her rationale was that she was worried that if we spoke two languages at home, we wouldn't learn English well. I never said my Mom was the brightest bulb in the box....

Growing up English/Italian bilingual would've been great, b/c I could've picked up Spanish very easily. Italian and Spanish are very close languages; both based on Latin, like French.

 

[stev0]

Originally posted by: rbloedow
Of course I can speak in muh ma fvckin native tounge! slap mah fro! I'm not mad stupid. what 'chew thinking man?

ditto 😛

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

I understand a considerable amount of it, but still can't converse fluently nor can read it.

 

[Ryan]

Seriously, though, my native tongue is English. I grew up in Panama for over half of my childhood, and picked up quite a bit of Spanish. I used to be able to carry a conversation in spanish, but after not using it in almost 5 years, I've officially reverted back to an ignorant american.

 

[Pliablemoose]

My grandparents came from Holland & spoke Dutch, they literally whipped my dad & aunts & uncles if they spoke Dutch, berating them, "This is our new home, you will speak English."

My dad had the scars on his back to prove it, and my aunts & uncles all backed up the story, mom told me about it & I asked my aunts & uncles, dad wouldn't talk about it...

Makes me appreciate how tough my dad's childhood was, how proud my grandparents were to have left Europe.