Bilingualism is defined as the ability to use two languages with equal or nearly equal fluency. A common example is that of a child who grows up in a bilingual setting, where both parents speak a different language for example, or if the language spoken by the parents is not that of the community they live in. However if there is a change in this setting and the child doesn’t get to regularly practice both languages anymore, this bilingual ability may be lost. The child may still remember the absent language, but he/she isn’t using it fluently anymore (you’re either bilingual or you’re not basically).
I didn’t grow up in a bilingual setting. My mother spent a year in Bolton as an au-pair when she was 18, and was later able to practice her English in her workplace when dealing with foreign customers. As a result, and to my absolute amazement, she was able to translate a few words from the songs we heard on the radio. I would listen to her translate sounds that made no sense to me into beautiful lyrics about Love, pain, life…and would dream about one day being able to acquire such miraculous skills. To this day I am still fascinated by the connexions my brain is able to make when switching from one language to the other.
But it’s not that simple. I have been practicing both French and English for about 15 years now, and I do feel equally at ease in both languages, but it takes some work to maintain this bilingual level. As I live in the UK, it is my mother tongue that requires some conscious work out. I know this may seem surprising, but acquiring a language to a fluent level is not like learning how to ride a bike. In the past, after long periods of time without being able to go “home”, I would invariably be the subject of my family’s jokes (they’re lovely really !): I would find myself unable to find my words in French, or use English words in place of similar French ones (those dreaded “Faux Amis”!) or even form my sentences around the English grammar. I quickly realised I could not take my mother tongue for granted, and started to give my French a regular trip to the gym.
In an effort to increase my exposure to the French language, I introduced my British friends to French cinema, I began to watch the daily news online in French, I read a French book for each English one, I read French papers with my morning French coffee and French croissant…(yes, eating French makes me feel more French, it’s all part of the process, leave my croissant alone). The results were quick to come: no hesitation, a lot less tip-of-the-tongue frustrations, and a much faster acclimatisation on my trips back to France.
They still joke about me though, must figure out why…
Katell Sevellec 