I speak, therefore I am

I consider myself native-fluent in both English and French. In theory, I have the grammar and vocabulary to say the exact same thing in either language.

But I don’t, and a big part of the reason is that I learned the languages very differently. This is what I refer to as the formative influence.

I learned English first as a child, then stopped speaking it on a daily basis between ages 10 and 21. My conversation partners went straight from pre-teens to grad students. In between, during some of my most important developmental years, I improved my English through TV series (thank you West Wing), stand up comedy and online games.

French was the opposite. I spoke it on a daily basis for over a decade with other teenagers and young adults, then again for three years at the beginning of my career, and that was it. Nowadays, I only use it in writing. There was much more entertainment available in English, so during that time I didn’t watch much TV in French. I would always read books in their original language, and since I’m a huge sci-fi fan and the English-language repertoire is far broader, I’ve read a lot more in English.

Humans are creatures of imitation. We see what others are doing around us, pick up traits we value and adopt them ourselves. Since those traits are expressed through language, even if we aim to build a similar personality, the catalogue from which we choose differs.

For example, in both languages, I want to be funny (I promise, someday I’ll prove it to you in my writing). In English, I like the dry, dark, witty humor I learned from comedians. In French, I like what they call “second-degree” sarcastic humor, which I picked up from other sassy teens.

Since my source material in English was largely scripted, I sound more polished, but also more generic. In French, my speech has more texture. As a result, I’m relatable but sloppy in French, and elaborate but distant in English. No wonder I would fail all my French writing assignments in high school, but get praised and encouraged to write more in English.

Also, learning French as a socially-awkward teenager means I’m a bit more awkward when speaking it. Even now as a supposed well-rounded adult, it’s easier for me to approach someone new and start up a conversation in English. Although to be fair, at my core, I don’t like doing it in either language.

Keep in mind that these are mostly minor nuances. Moving abroad won’t change you from a logic-loving emotionally distant grinch to a highly sensitive empathetic social butterfly. But these formative influences are there, deep down, and take lots of work on the self to change. It’s hard enough having to grow up in one language, let alone several.

Replace the underlined words with more elevated or nuanced synonyms. Explain the tone shift, if any.

“Since my source material in English was largely scripted, I sound more polished, but also more generic.”

Task:

Replace:

• scripted → e.g. ____

• polished → e.g. ____

• generic → e.g. ____

Rewrite this paragraph using more complex syntactic structures (e.g., participial clauses, inversion, nominalization).

Original:

“I like the dry, dark, witty humor I learned from comedians. In French, I like what they call ‘second-degree’ sarcastic humor, which I picked up from other sassy teens.”

rewrite the final paragraph in their own words, keeping the same meaning but expressing it with their personal style.

Original:

“Moving abroad won’t change you from a logic-loving emotionally distant grinch to a highly sensitive empathetic social butterfly. But these formative influences are there, deep down, and take lots of work on the self to change.”