Member-only story
I Don’t Have a Native Language
The crisis that comes with living between cultures
“You speak English so well, but where are you from?”
“De donde eres?” (Where are you from) — native Spanish speakers also ask, no matter what Spanish-speaking country I’m in.
While my outward answer depends on the context and is well rehearsed, my answer to myself is:
“Nowhere and everywhere at once.”
Although my “native” language is Spanish, there are many things that I can do better in English.
Two clear examples are (1) writing and (2) talking about law.
Languages are multidimensional
Language is so much more than a way to communicate with others.
Our words form thoughts and concepts we capture throughout our lives in many forms of language— words we hear and read, images we see, behaviors we observe. My Spanish was tied to all my childhood experiences, while my English was tied to my limited experiences as a new Latina student at a U.S. High School.
I moved to the U.S. as a sophomore in High School. I read a required book called The Death of Artemio Cruz in English and Spanish since the original book was written in Spanish, and I…