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I was in 6th grade (2nd semester) when I moved to U.S. There was no single person who speak Chinese around. Everything, everything, was in English. My first year was TOUGH.
As a result, I was forced to speak English everyday and now I can communicate with others quite fluently in English.
It's true that you have to force the children to speak English in daily conversations in order to master the language.
The transition is tough and rough, but once you succeed, it is worth everything.
No pain, no gain.
回复 21# thendara


    Oh, Chinese is still my first language, because that's the language we use at home. I can express myself better and more clearly in Chinese. (Yeah I know this is sad.)
本帖最后由 rubyho2005 于 2011-9-8 20:09 编辑

回复 24# thendara


    (Sigh~) When I left China, I was already proficient in Chinese. Moreover, I usually prefer reading Chinese fictions, instead of English literary works. (Sorry Mommy, I am a bad girl.)
I read, I listen, and I speak Chinese at home. Chinese is my first language, and I have spent more time studying it than English. (Keep in mind that I was already 11~12 before the immigration. And now I am not even 20 yet.) The Chinese structure has already been deeply implanted into my mind. (Accepting a new language is like accepting a new culture. Think about how different are Oriental and Occidental cultures... Switching from one to another is not an easy task. The younger you are to be exposed under the culture, the easier for you to truly embrace it.) Hence, it is not a surprise that I am better at Chinese.
Maybe I am not that great as a speaker, but at least I can understand my professors perfectly and grasp every word they say during lectures. So far, so "okay."
An individual's language skills will be sharpened as time glides (under normal situation). I expect time to ameliorate mine in the future.
回复 24# thendara


    Hm... I don't live in Chinatowns. But it could be because my dad was a Mandarin professor (???) He insists that we must conserve our culture and not forget our roots.
回复 27# thendara


    Oh, remember not to praise him too much, or he will be encouraged and become very conceited and go on and on forever... (You know, just like being an professor)
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