Reposted from my LinkedIn post:
Speaking good German doesn’t make you a native-speaker…or does it?
We all know that as native-speakers, the way we communicate is intuitive and nuanced, and the language we use reflects the deep cultural knowledge and experiences we are infused with growing up with that language from early childhood.
While that Schiff sailed for me a long time ago, I believe “native-ness” can be learnt. And after living in Berlin for a decade, and Germans no longer give me compliments on how “good” my German is, I believe I’m getting close (and oh how I enjoy seeing them squirm, fighting to Not ask me where I’m from).
Perhaps this only applies to Berlin, where speaking good German doesn’t make you a local. Sometimes, less is more.
