Is it possible to forget the native language in immigration: personal experience

“Probably, each of you has friends who, after a couple of weeks of living abroad, begin to distort words and sigh languidly as they forget Russian,” writes the author Simple America Blog on Yandex.Zen.

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For 6,5 years of my life in the USA, I have not forgotten Russian, but I speak it perfectly without accent.

Yes, some words that you rarely use can be forgotten, especially when you practically do not use Russian in everyday life.

But it is impossible for an immigrant to forget his mother tongue in the first generation.

And I am the first generation immigrant. And I can perfectly use my native language. And any other person who is the first to enter the territory of an unknown state cannot forget it either.

But the children of this immigrant will experience difficulties with their parents’ language, and their grandchildren even more so.

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Therefore, those who claim that they forget the language, especially after a couple of weeks or months, just show off to their compatriots.

Those who moved abroad before the age of 11 most often forget their native language and stop using it as unnecessary.

Yes, immigrants can Russify American words or replace terms, and also translate English designs into Russian.

Some people think that in this way the language degrades, but I think that it is completely natural. Moreover, when you return to your native language environment, skills are restored. A knowledge of several languages ​​trains the brain and you are not afraid of Alzheimer.

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