Mixing up languages

Our take

Ah, the delightful chaos of mixing languages! Picture this: you’re in Germany, excited to flex your German skills while visiting a Serbian friend, but instead, you find yourself ordering “ein kaffee i pivo.” A charming linguistic cocktail, indeed! This phenomenon isn’t just a slip; it’s a vivid reminder of how our brains juggle languages. After a decade away from German, it’s natural to feel a bit rusty, especially when Serbian is now dancing in your head. The question of whether introducing another language, like Greek, might complicate things further is valid. Fear not! Language learning is less about perfection and more about playful exploration. So, whether you’re sipping weissbier or navigating new phrases, relish the mix-up. It’s all part of the beautiful tapestry of multilingualism. Stay curious!

I was on a trip to Germany recently visiting a Serbian friend. I thought I might have some fun and try to get around with speaking the language, but now I accidentally put a lot of Serbian words in the German sentences (Ich möchte ein kaffee i pivo, lol). I pretty much completely butchered it.

My German felt fine on my last trip here two years ago, but now I had some real problems using it. For reference I haven't actively learned German since high school 10+ years ago, and I am currently learning Serbian, where I am probably close to B1. I was at a decent level in German, and I still understand a lot because it is similar to my native language.

It doesn't bother me, and I don't feel embarrassed over making mistakes when speaking, but it got me thinking. Can this mix-up happen if I decide to learn another language as well? A friend has been interested in starting learning Greek with me, and I am also interested. But I have some concerns that too much language can "break" the other ones.

So what happened here? Too little use of the language over time, or were me and my friend simply hitting the weissbier too hard during the days I was there?

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#creative language use#language evolution#philosophy of language#humor in language#placeholder words#language#German#Serbian#mix-up#learning#speaking#B1#Greek#mistakes#understand#native language#problems#too much language#concerns#high school