Do foreign languages damage your English?

[Tasaio]

My first language is English, but I'm going to start learning Japanese soon.

Others have cautioned that your English skills regress...significantly.

Is it possible for the human brain to achieve fluency in written English and Japanese, at the same time?

I.e. Could I read the Toronto star one minute, then switch to a Japanese newspaper--with no difficulty?

I think I'm going to take the risk...it's not like the damage will be permanent.

[Tonezone]

English is probably one of the only languages in the world that goes subject-noun/verb/etc. Nearly everyone single other language in world has the order switched around which is why English is so difficult for others to learn.

[Brutha]

Nearly everyone single other language in world has the order switched around which is why English is so difficult for others to learn.

No, having clear rules make it easier to learn it. The problem in English is that sometimes words aren't pronounced like they "should".

Is it possible for the human brain to achieve fluency in written English and Japanese, at the same time?

Yes, however going abroads for a year and speaking no english would damage your english a bit. As long as you use a language frequently it doesn't suffer.

[JimOfferman]

My Dutch (which is my mother tongue) actually improved after I mastered English.

I'm slightly dyslexic, which in my case meant trouble with spelling and some accidental swapping of related words (reading or saying 'left' when it should be 'right'). Somehow I managed to avoid the dyslexic pitfalls in my brain when I was learning English and then I later learned how to apply those same tricks to my Dutch. Nowadays, I'm almost free of dyslexia.

The only thing you really shouldn't do is let me navigate when I'm tired - not if you want to get home.

[backpocket]

Don't think so. I'm bilingual, and I don't find it hard transitioning between different languages in reading materials.

It might cause a problem if you predominantly think in one language then translate it into another one literally.

[ixmatus]

Consistently using both the languages would be beneficial, but if you use Japanese for an entire year without any English (or little English) I am sure you would notice a difference.

[TheStrongerSelf]

As long as you use both languages regularly it shouldnt be a problem. My first language is german, second is english. Well at least it was, i'm not so sure anymore

I use english way more than i use german these days and i do notice that i am sometimes having vocabulary related problems where i, for example, know very well the meaning of a word in english but need to think real hard to come up with the german counterpart.

Haven't noticed any pronunciation problems yet though *knocks on wood*

But.. it's not like it happens a lot, just now and then. So make sure you still use english regularly and you should be fine.

[Ninja]

Well, I know that learning English hasn't damaged my Dutch. Then again, english is one of the easiest languages to learn, so I'm not sure how it would work the other way around.

[Bliss Sage]

Originally Posted by Tonezone

English is probably one of the only languages in the world that goes subject-noun/verb/etc. Nearly everyone single other language in world has the order switched around which is why English is so difficult for others to learn.

That is categorically untrue. All of the languages I have learned or studied, at the very least, which includes at least eight languages, use subject/verb/object in non-interrogative sentences, and this list includes a highly inflectional, non-Indo-European language. Most, if not all, of the top world languages follow subject/verb/object word order in non-interrogative sentences.

Tasaio: There is no reason your English has to become any worse. If you are a meticulous writer and/or speaker in your native language, your English won't suffer. I know several other languages and my English is still fine. It's true, however, that living abroad, you tend to forget words and may start speaking English like the people of the country you are in, but if you make a little effort, or if you have solid base in it, you can maintain it and use a high standard of English when the situation calls for it.

[Ninja]

Originally Posted by Bliss Sage

That is categorically untrue. All of the languages I have learned or studied, at the very least, which includes at least eight languages, use subject/verb/object in non-interrogative sentences, and this list includes a highly inflectional, non-Indo-European language. Most, if not all, of the top world languages follow subject/verb/object word order in non-interrogative sentences.

Tasaio: There is no reason your English has to become any worse. If you are a meticulous writer and/or speaker in your native language, your English won't suffer. I know several other languages and my English is still fine. It's true, however, that living abroad, you tend to forget words and may start speaking English like the people of the country you are in, but if you make a little effort, or if you have solid base in it, you can maintain it and use a high standard of English when the situation calls for it.

English is, however, a fairly "logical" language, unlike my own. Perhaps that's why it just seemed easy to learn

[uberinquisitive]

One of my friends is half-Japanese - she speaks, writes, read completely fluent Japanese and English. In both languages, she writes short stories and poems, so her command of the languages is superior.

She has no problems, but she uses both languages consistently. She works at a Japanese company, where they only speak Japanese. But, as soon as she leaves work, she steps out into "regular" New York City, and of course she only speaks English with me.

I am also bi-lingual, but I use English predominantly. So, my Korean sucks. And then, when I lived in Korea, and barely spoke English, I lost a lot of my English.

Consistency seems to be key.

[Vasilisa]

The more I practice English the better my native language is actually getting. I would say it became more sophisticated and vocabulary expanded. But I read in it a lot and use in every day life too.

[Peek]

Hi,

The way to realy mess up your English is to talk English to persons who's mother language (like Japanese) is not English.
Why?
Well language you use to communicate and while doing that you intend to pass a message verbaly, not proper grammar.
So using correct English becomes secondairy by nature of communication.

It is more smart to speak Jananese or, in my case Chinese, to keep your English skills intact.

BTW learning languages is good for the brain, it keeps them fit.

Did you know that after learning 4 languages and starting with the fifth you will mix up the fourth and the fifth?
Sounds nice Chinese with a Turkish twist...

Good luck!

[Ilya]

I'd say that your English might get worse in the beginning. When I've came to UK I had a pretty good grasp of English, but I was not fluent. About three days after staying in London and being immersed in English only environment, something has switched in my brain and I started to have difficulty to even think in Russian. Then during the next two years my bilingualism was evolving. Most of the time I was in UK, coming home for holidays.
The first time I came home, my Russian was a mess - I was using Russian words, but English grammar. Led to some funny situations and misunderstandings. Then gradually the situation has improved and how I have English and Russian as two parallel tracks that I can switch as I like. When I write notes, I can use both English and Russian words in one sentence, whichever is shorter.
So the temporary confusion was the stage on the way to the real bilingualism. But, frankly I'm not sure you can experience it unless you spend at least some time in the Japanese environment. I don't mean going to Japan, but at least immersing yourself in the language - listen to Japanese radio, Japanese songs, read Japanese texts and books, use Japanese version of windows and Google.jp Then in just a few days your brain will have to find the way to make it easier.

[Ninja]

I have an uncle who left the country to start his own business in New Zealand. He returns ever two or three years or so to visit us, but he still speaks Dutch perfectly. He has an accent now though...

[nomi]

I'd have to say my English has gotten significantly worse after living in Spain for 6 years. I spend my day writing and communicating in English, but I've developed an accent when I talk and sometimes I pop in a word or two in Spanish and mix the order of words in the sentences.

[Life Warrior]

If you speak in all the languages you know continuously, then it would only improve all your languages. After speaking English 12+ years and Russian 23 years, the switch that some people feel when they change languages doesn't exist for me anymore. It is as though both English and Russian have become one language for me - like dual processors .

[pdfsp]

No they do not

[himalaya7]

This varies from person to person, and depending on task. In my experience, acquiring complete mastery of English required 'forgetting' the fine points of languages I had learned earlier. Also, my guess would be that if one wanted to be, say, a novelist, one might need to focus on the language in which one wants to write, and consistently think in that language.

I also agree that acquiring some knowledge of a new language may well enhance one's understanding of the mechanics of one's own language as well as expand one's vocabulary.