Ever wish you had a differnt native tongue?

[Dame6089]

Do you ever wish that you were a native speaker of a different language?

I love english, but definitely see it's flaws when I learn other languages. Still, I have a sense of pride and comfort with my english.

That is just me though. Are there any times when you wish you were a native speaker of something else?

[evapfromm]

Not really. I love being able to speak my native German, especially because it is such a rarity to find someone else who is fluent in it, where I live. I am happy that it is not one of the most common languages in the world, since that fact helps me find jobs where being bilingual in German is a necessity. I have a confession, though... I prefer the English language overall. Just don't tell my family that!

[DiesIrae]

No. I love my language and I do have a longing for my countrymen to love it more. I don't know why but there are people here who think that just because you can speak English well means you are already superior to others. It's a shame.

[limon]

It's never really occurred to me.

I guess I'd prefer to have *more* native tongues, though. It would have been awesome to learn other languages early on as well.

But I love English (and Spanish) and can't really imagine not knowing them, because they're part of how my brain works now.

[Miya]

Nope. I'm Chinese and I'm proud of it. I might prefer speaking in English, but I don't ever want to change my native tongue.

[jcairns82]

Most of my encounters are with people learning English and it seems to be one of the easiest to learn.  For this reason, I wish that I spoke a different language.  It seems that the opportunities to learn English are plentiful for others.  They listen to the music, watch sitcoms and films - all with English in it.  They're at least familiar with it, when they go to learn it.  I have no exposure to other languages, so it's been more difficult.

[Jellyfish]

Not really. Why would anyone wish that?

German is a beautiful and deep and complex language. i can live with that.

[Preya_M]

I wouldn't mind having a different native language; my native language is basically English. I feel a little degraded when someone asks me what 2 languages I can speak, I just say English; it's not exactly my fault that my country only has one main stream language. The Hindi language was lost from my country many years ago or else that would've been my native language.

[polybus]

I love learning other languages, but I have never wished that English wasn't my native language. It is the most useful language for travel and business in the world and I am glad that I didn't have to learn it as a second language. The only downside of English is that when you are learning a new language it can be hard to get others to speak their language with you if they know English. I doubt I would have this problem if my native language was Albanian for example.

[Czarownica]

Nah. I love Polish and I'm pretty sure I'd never learn it if I were, say, American or something. Its grammar is really difficult and it's not the most useful language one could choose. So I'm quite happy that my native language is Polish  :wacky:

[Guest isabbbela]

Not really... I sometimes wish more people learned Portuguese and it was a more sought after language, cause not that many people speak it, or are interested to do so. But I love my language, everyone says it's pretty and sounds like music. It's a very complex and hard to learn language too. But I love it!

[Trellum]

Right now I really wish my mother language was Dutch   Because to be honest I have no idea how the heck I'm going to learn to speak it!  The worse part is the fact I'll have no choice, but learning it... I might be moving to the Netherlands next year, and I'll have to learn Dutch really fast.  I can do well with just english, but I plan to get a job and stay there for good, so I'll really need to learn to speak this language fluently!  So, yeah, I wish my mother language was Dutch 

Ah well, I'll have to put a lot effort into this   Sadly I can't change my mother language... at least I can speak english; dutch and enlgish are related... I hope that helps!

[jodiann12]

I love learning other languages, but I have never wished that English wasn't my native language. It is the most useful language for travel and business in the world and I am glad that I didn't have to learn it as a second language. The only downside of English is that when you are learning a new language it can be hard to get others to speak their language with you if they know English. I doubt I would have this problem if my native language was Albanian for example.

I feel the same way Polybus. I enjoy learning different languages, but I never wish that English was not my native language. It is the best language for business and travel, and most of the world's media company's (whether it's print, television, and Internet) communicate using English, and hence, it's the international language. But I love to experience other cultures which do not speak English as their primary language.

[zambothegreat]

I'm glad that my native tongue is English since it's an international language. That being said, my ethnicity is Greek, and despite the fact that I'm not too good at speaking it, I still have a Greek-guido accent when I speak English. So, I wish my native tongue would've been Greek instead of English. Or even French.

[Baburra]

Yeah, I think I'd prefer to have Japanese as a native language, because I find it very whimsical and even if it's not the most "sexy" language like French, I admire it equally for its other qualities. Specifically, I find it very interesting that they have a different set of words and sentence structure used for when talking to an elder. Also, I've always found their particular set of suffixes such as "kun" and "chan" extremely adorable.

[whatupswags]

I am thankful that American English is my native language, BUT I do wish my growing up experiences had been more diverse. I have now met several American families that live abroad, and their children get to learn another country's language fluently. I think my "wish" would have been to still be born to my American parents, but that they would have been living as expats somewhere in Europe!

[sos]

I was thinking about this yesterday , I do freelance writing work and I find most clients ask for native English speakers. I am not not but I am very proficient in English. However, I will always find that I will not get this jobs. At such times then I wish my native tongue was different.

[caparica007]

Mmm, not really no. I can manage English and other languages and I live in Portugal so I am pretty happy I am a native Portuguese speaker.

[sillylucy]

I sometimes wish that I was born speaking Spanish so it would be easier for me to pick up French and Italian. I feel like it is so much easier to learn other languages when you speak Spanish first. Then I'd learn German and English!

[pandandesign]

I do! However, I think I like the way I speak, which I still have a tiny accent when I speak English. I think as long as people understand what I say, it doesn't really matter if I have a native tongue or not.

[SpiralArchitect]

Well my native language is Hindi and frankly, I wouldn't take anything else. I mean if you're in India no language is indispensable the way Hindi is. Plus, I have a fair command over the English language so I have no trouble talking to people who may not be aware of my native language.

[mareebaybay]

I have never wished I had a different native tongue. I think my native tongue is the best language able to be spoken. My native language, is English which I think is the easiest languages that can be learned.

[True2marie]

I wish my native tongue was Spanish. 

In my opinion, Spanish is the international language of the world. You can travel all over the globe and if you understand how to speak Spanish well, you can make-out many other tongues.

I also have noticed recently that U.S. employers are seeking workers who are bilingual.  This reality is especially true in regards to gigs in customer service. So, if you speak Spanish, you have an edge in gaining employment over others.

[sidney]

Not really, but I wouldn't mind learning a new language if given the chance. I would prefer to learn Spanish since most countries speak it, and we were colonized by the Spaniards for 300 years, so it makes sense to learn the language.

[JessiFox]

I don't really wish my native language were a different one altogether, but I'd have loved to grow up in the UK learning English instead of the United States. I doubt I could ever shut myself up if I had a British accent , the cadence and overall flow is so much more eloquent. In my experience, people just tend to carry themselves differently as well, in language and other expression; in a way that I prefer. Still, I would stick with English overall. I would have loved to grow up bilingual, though.