My friends speak Dutch and for a while. I’ve been trying to learn Dutch. We can text in Dutch (very casually) and when they speak to me in Dutch I am able to understand what they are saying (or at least pick it apart to understand generally what they are saying) . but when it comes to me trying to say Dutch words or speak Dutch my brain all of a sudden has no memory of everything I’ve learned.
I have a friend also whos mom speaks Portuguese and he understands her completely but he responds in English and doesn’t really speak Portuguese himself?
Why does this happen??
In: 9
In addition to all the new neural pathways you need to retain the info, you need to connect that to your mouth and worry about saying it properly. People who speak different languages hold their mouths in different ways that facilitate the specific sounds of their language. The tongue can hinge in the front, middle or back. The sides of the tongue can be held to the teeth or not, the lips purse in different ways. Throw in some sounds that your language doesn’t even remotely make and your brain has a lot of wiring to do.
Latest Answers