My Journey to Multilingualism: Spanish, English, and Beyond
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My Personal Linguistic Journey
I have explored four different languages throughout my life, including: Spanish, English, French, and Italian. However, I am not equally proficient in all those languages.
Native Fluency and Literacy
Regarding my linguistic skills, I can claim native fluency and literacy only in Spanish, which is my mother tongue. However, I am not equally proficient in all those languages: I can speak two languages besides Spanish with reasonable fluency and have great degrees of proficiency in another one.
Educational Background and Language Acquisition
I started learning my mother tongue at home. At the age of five, I started elementary school with my first approach to English. After five years, when I was eleven, I went to secondary school where I chose "the languages study." There, I added French, my third language.
For the next three years, I studied the grammar and literature of both languages, improving my French significantly and reaching a good level in English.
When I was at university, I chose an Italian course where I left French but improved my English significantly through my English Studies degree. During these years, I obtained the B2 certification in English. So, in this order:
- Spanish is my L1
- English is my L2
- French is my L3
- Italian is my L4
Language Dominance and Proficiency Levels
As for my dominance in each language:
- My LA is Spanish.
- My LB is English, as I have a high level in this language.
- Italian is my LC, with a very fluent level, highlighting grammar and syntax.
- French is my LD, which I am able to understand perfectly with a high level of reading.
Multiculturalism and Code-Switching
As I had the opportunity of living abroad several times—for example, when I took a gap year in London—I am multicultural and multilingual.
In terms of code-switching, I normally use it when I am learning a new language and I do not know how to say a particular foreign word. For example, and especially, I used to introduce words in Spanish when I was learning English in London.
Monolingual and Bilingual Modes
Finally, and depending on the situation, I operate on a monolingual mode when I am at home, as my parents only speak Spanish, and a bilingual mode when I am working or when I am with foreign people or friends.