Faulty Language Selection: A Problem for Polyglots and How to Mitigate It

I was listening the program A Way with Words on NPR in the car on the way to a reunion in Pennsylvania. This show researches anything related to words, expressions and phenomena related to language. I was especially interested in a caller who talked about her learning a second and third language. 

Trying to communicate with my
Swiss brother-in-law

She described a situation in which she tried learning Russian, but words from her first foreign language, German, kept popping into her head. She wondered if it was due to Russian being similar to German, but the creators of the show, Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, said she was more likely experiencing “faulty language selection.” Apparently this happens frequently to polyglots learning more than one foreign language. 

I remember having a bit of this problem when I was learning German after having learned Spanish. However, my Spanish had been so well cemented in my brain that it didn’t occur too frequently. As I grow older, I have discovered that even when speaking English I sometimes remember the Spanish or German word before the English word I am hoping to use. 

What really caught my attention, was the remedy that they suggested to counter this problem. They said that when speaking each language, try to physically embody the mannerisms of the place where the language is spoken. To try to place yourself in the context of where the language is spoken. 

I totally identify with this. I’ve had people tell me I seem like a different person when I speak, Spanish, German or English. I am a natural mimic, whether in sound or mannerisms, so I’ve picked up on how people move in each culture. For example, the Swiss have a peculiar shrug of the shoulders when they express doubt about something. Spanish speakers have hand motions for all sorts of things: How to tell a waiter that you are ready for the check, how to ask someone to come over, it’s time to eat, or “what’s up?” In fact, I’ve seen whole conversations take place without the use of words. I taught many of these mannerisms in my Spanish classes over the years. 

Speaking recently with a
Honduran friend.

Not everyone is a natural mimic. Over the years of teaching Spanish, I’ve learned that people with a musical ear tend to be able to mimic sounds better; actors are more able to mimic mannerisms. Whatever your skill is, it is of utmost importance to be a keen observer; not only with your eyes, but also with your ears. 

What a privilege and a joy it has been for me to live in various places and learn various languages. Not only have I expanded my world view and brain power, I’ve been able to empathize with people coming to my own backyard trying to learn English as a second language.