How Studying Chinese Made Me Forget Korean256

As a native Korean speaker who has spent the past decade studying and living in China, I have noticed a gradual decline in my Korean language proficiency. While I was initially able to switch between the two languages with ease, I now find myself struggling to recall even simple Korean words and phrases. This phenomenon, known as language attrition, is a common occurrence among multilingual individuals who are exposed to a new language for an extended period of time.

There are several factors that contribute to language attrition. One key factor is the lack of regular use. When I first arrived in China, I made a conscious effort to maintain my Korean language skills by speaking with other Korean students and watching Korean dramas and movies. However, as my Chinese proficiency improved and my social circle expanded to include more Chinese friends and colleagues, the opportunities to use Korean became increasingly rare.

Another factor that has hindered my Korean retention is the interference from Chinese. Korean and Chinese are both East Asian languages that share many similarities in their grammar and vocabulary. However, there are also significant differences between the two languages, and these differences can lead to confusion and errors when speaking or writing. For example, Korean has a subject-object-verb word order, while Chinese has a subject-verb-object word order. This difference in word order can often cause me to mix up the order of words in Korean sentences.

In addition to grammatical interference, there is also lexical interference between Korean and Chinese. Many Korean words have Chinese cognates, but the meanings of these words can sometimes be different in the two languages. For example, the Korean word "교수 (gyosu)" means "professor," while the Chinese word "教授 (jiaoshou)" means "to teach." This difference in meaning can lead to misunderstandings when reading or listening to Chinese.

While language attrition is a natural process that affects all multilingual individuals, it can be frustrating and even embarrassing for those who want to maintain their proficiency in multiple languages. In my case, I have found that the best way to combat language attrition is to make a conscious effort to use the language I want to retain. I have started reading Korean books and articles, watching Korean movies and TV shows, and speaking Korean with my Korean friends and family members as often as possible. I have also found it helpful to set aside some time each day to practice speaking and writing Korean, even if it is just for a few minutes.

While I may never be able to regain the same level of fluency in Korean that I had when I first arrived in China, I am committed to preserving my Korean language skills as much as possible. I believe that speaking multiple languages is a valuable asset, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned both Korean and Chinese.

2025-02-05

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