How do you feel about this? My native language is English so there’s no real prospect of this happening to me, but I always thought the idea of ones maybe language getting rusty was terribly sad.
Language is a major part of a person’s identity, usually - it has ties to their ethnicity and culture and because it’s fundamental to expressing yourself it’s fundamental to being yourself. Few people can express themselves as well in a language they didn’t speak in their earliest years, too, though that’s a large exception, and of course it’s not all of the remainder.
So I see it as sad in the same way that anything that disconnects someone from their roots is sad - if you grow up eating certain foods and later don’t have access to them, for example, but more fundamental.
I was always disconnected with my country’s culture. Partly because I grew up somewhere else (with a similar culture) but mostly because I didn’t leave the house much and spent a lot of time on the English-speaking internet.
But I don’t really see it as a bad thing. I try not to tie my identity to where I was born or what piece of paper I was given. I don’t like nationalism. I am a human. That’s what matters most. Humans are the same everywhere. Of course it’s natural for humans to be tribal but I think we should overcome that.
Really my culture is a mix of cultures. I still cook my country’s meals. I kept a lot of habits I’m used to. The language is still there, it’s just weaker. If I ever feel like it I may revive it someday. But to me that’s more boring compared to learning a new and exciting foreign language I’ve had no contact with.
The negative aspect of nationalism and tribalism, as I see it, is when it’s turned negatively towards others, rather than positively towards oneself. Seeing “I’m from X so I’m better than you” is bad, but saying “I’m from X so I enjoy Y” is just culture. Keeping a connection with your culture can give you a valuable comfort - senses of belonging and community that are otherwise hard to replicate.
It does sound like you’re the kind of person who wouldn’t feel what I’m describing though. I don’t mean that negatively either, but just to say that I’m trying to explain what I mean not to say that you ought to feel bad.
How do you feel about this? My native language is English so there’s no real prospect of this happening to me, but I always thought the idea of ones maybe language getting rusty was terribly sad.
Why do you think it’s sad?
Language is a major part of a person’s identity, usually - it has ties to their ethnicity and culture and because it’s fundamental to expressing yourself it’s fundamental to being yourself. Few people can express themselves as well in a language they didn’t speak in their earliest years, too, though that’s a large exception, and of course it’s not all of the remainder.
So I see it as sad in the same way that anything that disconnects someone from their roots is sad - if you grow up eating certain foods and later don’t have access to them, for example, but more fundamental.
I was always disconnected with my country’s culture. Partly because I grew up somewhere else (with a similar culture) but mostly because I didn’t leave the house much and spent a lot of time on the English-speaking internet.
But I don’t really see it as a bad thing. I try not to tie my identity to where I was born or what piece of paper I was given. I don’t like nationalism. I am a human. That’s what matters most. Humans are the same everywhere. Of course it’s natural for humans to be tribal but I think we should overcome that.
Really my culture is a mix of cultures. I still cook my country’s meals. I kept a lot of habits I’m used to. The language is still there, it’s just weaker. If I ever feel like it I may revive it someday. But to me that’s more boring compared to learning a new and exciting foreign language I’ve had no contact with.
The negative aspect of nationalism and tribalism, as I see it, is when it’s turned negatively towards others, rather than positively towards oneself. Seeing “I’m from X so I’m better than you” is bad, but saying “I’m from X so I enjoy Y” is just culture. Keeping a connection with your culture can give you a valuable comfort - senses of belonging and community that are otherwise hard to replicate.
It does sound like you’re the kind of person who wouldn’t feel what I’m describing though. I don’t mean that negatively either, but just to say that I’m trying to explain what I mean not to say that you ought to feel bad.