I mean the whole school I went through kept nailing in our heads how much a foreign language would benefit you. I guess this went under the noses of whoever like teaching kids to balance a checkbook.
I mean the whole school I went through kept nailing in our heads how much a foreign language would benefit you. I guess this went under the noses of whoever like teaching kids to balance a checkbook.
Speaking another language is game changing, it doesn’t matter which language it is. It’ll make it much easier to learn another language, for example, because you’ll get a better grasp of grammar. In fact, that grasp of grammar will help you speak your own language better.
You’ll also be more likely to treat people who speak a different language as people rather than things.
Conversely, I sort of have a superiority complex because I’m bilingual, so I sort of¹ silengly judge Chinese Diaspora that cant read Chinese and Speak either Cantonese or Mandarin.
(¹Not that much, like I don’t treat them any worse, I just a “I have more linguistic knowledge than you 😏” moment, and silently “patting myself on the back”)
When I first came to the US, I got discriminated upon by ABCs (American-Born Chinese) for not speaking English… (like do they expect me to know a language the moment I step off a plane? the fuck?)… so that’s probably why I think the way I do.
Even my cousins, who were born in and grew up in the US, didn’t wanna talk to me… like I could just feel the silent treatment and like were so cold to me.
I remembers the kids in school that I “vibed” with the most were Cantonese-speakers.
Didn’t feel like I could confidently talk to ABCs, like its just couldn’t really “vibe” with them until like more than 4 years of learning English… Like even when I already grasped the basics 1/2 years in… I still didn’t feel like I’ve mastered it…
Honestly it’s sort of a ego thing.
Every time I wanna kms, I remind myself that I’m bilingual and most people only know one language, so I just put off the thoughts. Cuz my next incarnation, I might not have this opportunity to be bilingual again. (My knowledge of Chinese isn’t actually that good, but its better than most ABCs, who can’t even read basic characters)