Tagalog was my first language until I went off to school. My mom then told me I had to learn and speak English only because "that's how it is in America." Odd and sad. A lot of the vocabulary I remember but I don't know how to grammatically string the language together. I remember my mom saying a lot of things to me in Tagalog as I was growing up, and I answered back in English, but with the correct response.
I learned Spanish in high school to where I was proficient enough to give tours at my summer job in the language and put it on my resume without it being questioned. I took Spanish since eighth grade and had a much easier time picking up vocabulary and pronouncing the words (it being phonetic. I always wanted to learn French but didn't think I could pronounce the words at all). Grammar has always been a challenge though. I've noticed I had the same ease in picking up vocabulary and memorizing characters when taking Mandarin Chinese in college. The last class I took was two years ago. However, I retain most of the characters and phrases I've learned (this is probably due to some girls who live near me who converse in Mandarin with me sometimes so I can improve upon my tones) and can easily write simple emails or handwritten statements about myself, what I do, what I don't like/like, etc. Grammar is my weak point though, no matter what language I try. Structures and different situations can confuse me.
08 Sep 2014, 1:32 am
