Which language do you feel with, if you speak more than one language?

French is my language of choice for ranting. I was raised in a pretty buttoned down household, so I was never exposed to much good English ranting. But I heard a hell of a lot of French ranting during my years in France (Parisians have elevated ranting to an art form), so I default to French for both my internal and spousal rants.

I thought that may be the case with me too. Spanish was my parents default when they argued with us. But I still feel that it is weird that I find it difficult to express myself in English sometimes. I find that is why I may try to say things 3 or 4 times to get my point across. I don’t have that problem with spanish. Only problem is that it only works with a few people in my life. My husband and kids don’t really understand so, there is no point in using it with them.

I know when I hit my thumb with a hammer, you have to pardon my french…

I love using Italian when I am feeling romantic. Not the same as ranting, but just as emotional. I wish I spoke it more than the smattering I know.

English is my first language because I heard it for almost 3 years, but my primary language for daily communication is American Sign Language.

Good question… I rationalize and analyze in English but can explain concepts more fully in ASL. I make small talk far far better in ASL but am more tactful in English. I don’t feel in either language but in whole concepts but seem to express my emotions and creativity more in ASL. At the same time, when I feel something unusually powerful, I can write it well in English.

With ASL not having a written counterpart, my bilingualism is very layered.

English, but Spanish is so much better for expressing loving feelings and also feelings of joy. It is not only the words, but the cadence in the Spanish language. When you say in Spanish something is beautiful or divine or tell someone you will miss them very much; in Spanish it sounds so much better, so much more like you feel it or believe it to the top of your head and the ends of your toes. But, since my vocabulary is limited in Spanish, if I need to communicate something very specific, especially during a disagreement, Spanish is dangerous for me to use, too much risk of a misunderstanding.

My Spanish is good not great.

@linguaphile: When you bang a finger with a hammer, and have the use of only part of a hand, how would you express the immediate fury? For me, that is the “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit” moment.

If you had the use of your hands and dropped a small rock on your foot, how would you curse?

@gailcalled In speech. It’s a notorious fact in the Deaf community that the most non speaking deaf person often curses with perfect speech.

I’m more likely to say fuckfuckfuckFUCK than shit when I stub my toe.

But if I’m caught doing something, like being pulled over, it comes out in both ASL and speech.

Depends on my mood now. Love and family emotion and trying to explain things is English, but if I am pissed about something a stranger does or some odd expletive comes out in Norwegian. I will also scold my son in Norwegian when he isn’t listening in English. Also, I have been here so long, I forget the English word for some things and I have to ask my 8 year old.

@cazzie: Give us a few examples of Norwegian expletives that feel wonderful when you get mad. I’d like to vary my routine.

Typiske norske banneord
Faen. Helvete. Herregud. Din drittsekk. Dra til helvete. Fy faen. For satan. Pokker. Dra faenivold. Jøssenam. Jævlig. Jævla. Føkka. Føkkings. Forbanna. Sinnsykt. Morrapuler. Morraknuller.

@cazzie: Thank you. I just spent some time translating them, when I really should have been doing other things. Dra til helvete has a certain ring. If you banged your thumb with a hammer, which one would you shout out spontaneously?

@gailcalled I would often yell, MALDITA SEA, when I injure myself. Sometimes I will say maldita sea tu madre, or maldita sea tu madre y padre.
maldita sea, Damn it!
Pronounced.
Mal (like in mallet)
dee
ta (like in ta-da)
Sea – Say ya only shorten the y sound

maldita sea tu madre y padre, Damn (or more correct, curse) your mother and father.
Then followed by english curse words.
My children and husband always laugh when they hear me curse in spanish. They know that means it really hurt or I am really pissed and they say the Puerto Rican switch gets turned on. They don’t laugh when and if it is directed at them. Then they know I am really mad.

@gailcalled I would probably say Fæn or Fy fæn.

I grew up with English, and learned to speak French along the way, and now Japanese for work. I personally prefer Japanese, there is something about it that is mystical to me, who know it might be the fact that it is not a language based on Latin.
傷つけることいまいましい
kanji/hiragana

Kizutsukeru koto imaimashii
romanji
Pronounced
key zoo tsu karu
koto
e may mash ee
“Damn, that hurt” is basically what it translates to.