Don't you hate that feeling of linguistic deskilling?
You know the kind I mean…
The feeling that you're losing command over your language.
It could be a language you've learned…
Or even your mother tongue that starts to slip.
I've experienced both kinds of linguistic deskilling.
In fact, when I listen to the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast episodes during the Berlin years vs. those recorded in Brisbane…
The difference is shocking, because:
You Really Can Lose Command Of Your Mother Tongue!
Seriously.
It can happen to anyone, including memory experts skilled in conference interpreting.
In fact, it's even happened to me.
Near the end of my time in Berlin, I spoke English so infrequently, I was gradually losing my mother tongue.
Worse, when I did speak English, it was usually over Skype.
Nothing wrong with that, right?
Wrong.
Telecommunication is great, but it starves the brain of so many non-verbal cues.
Sure, the pros outweigh the cons, but…
All The Pros In The World Can't Defeat The Force Of Linguistic Deskilling!
I first realized I had this problem when I read about linguistic deskilling in Mindshift by Barbara Oakley.
At the time, I had no particular means of combatting the problem.
After all, the people in Berlin with whom I spoke English tended not to be native speakers.
That meant I would pick up their habits with English.
Even crazier, my English often took on the characteristics of German grammar.
And that was especially bad when I found myself speaking English with my wife and making all kinds of mistakes she would then incorporate into how she used English.
Even more alarming, I was about to embark on an adventure in Beijing, completely unaware of how long we'd be spending in the city.
Of course, the excursion was great for my Chinese!
Neither of my in-laws speak English and only a handful of April's relatives know it well enough to string along a conversation. I was forced to listen like a hawk and speak Chinese a lot.
All Of It Chipped Away At My English
I don't mean to exaggerate the problem. But more and more I felt as though I was reaching for words in English that normally would have leapt to mind. The Ugly Sister Effect also seemed more prevalent than ever.
But within a few weeks of settling in Brisbane, I noticed that the lumps in my English pipes seemed to clear.
Then something great happened:
The bumbling around that had become so characteristic on the podcast seemed to completely disappear!
It was like the difference between day and night. Until…
Language Learning Tragedy Strikes!
The problem with winning back English and narrowing my focus on Chinese?
I began experiencing the deskilling of my German.
I knew it was coming, which is why I was careful to enact the Dieter Dictum.
The Language-Preserving Power Of The Dieter Dictum
Dieter is my former father-in-law.
Odd how divorce and re-marriage shifts these people around, but I'll always think of Dieter as a father-in-law no matter what. And there's no reason not to, what with the ex and I remaining such good friends.
Anyhow, Dieter moved around a lot in his career and apparently he once told my ex-wife something I've never forgotten:
Responsibility for keeping in touch fal
Published on 8 years, 3 months ago
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