Is it possible to have more than one mother tongue?
I’ve been pondering the question all week, after an activity in class made me think twice about this phenomenon. Coming from Los Angeles, bilingualism is a natural thing for me to encounter; after living in Lugo, however, I’ve noticed major differences in the Galician variety of bilingualism.
One of my students, as we were working on the writing structure of creating a resume (CV) in English, beckoned me over with a question. This student is one of my brightest. Pointing to the section of the resume entitled “Languages and Other Skills,” the student wanted to clarify that it was correct to write the following: “Galician: Native level (C4); Spanish: Proficient; English: B2 level.”
I double-checked— “Spanish: Proficient.” Proficient?
I then remarked to the student, “Let me ask you: have you ever had any problems communicating in Spanish? Has anyone ever misunderstood you, or you them?”
The student paused, then denied it. No problems whatsoever communicating in Spanish. Not a surprise, given that this student was born and raised in Lugo.
