Lucy in Australia Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 I mainly spoke mostly French with a little Russian (at home) till I was 12. I then learned English to the point where it is my strongest language. Except when I do anything with numbers; if I add, subtract, multiply, divide or even just count things, I automatically do it in French. If I have to do it in English, I think it first in French then translate it and it takes ages. It was painful trying to teach my kids maths :laugh: Does anyone else do this? I'm curious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 English is my second language, but it is now our home language and the language I work in. I don't have a preference for the language I do math in - whatever is being spoken around me at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 I count silently in my native language, German. I lived in Germany for 30 years. But I can talk and think about higher math and physics just fine in English - it is my job, and after 12 years it fees a bit odd to talk about some things in German. When DH, who is German as well, explains any physics, he will inevitably slip into English because he thinks about physics in English all day long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Calvin has English as his native language but grew up in China (age 7-11). He counts in English but he automatically uses the Chinese finger counting at the same time. At one point, his and Hobbes' large numbers were better in Chinese than in English because they had spent a lot of time playing Monopoly in Mandarin. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Both English and Chinese are my native languages. I can explain math in either languages comfortably. My dad is an ESL though so I have to keep my Chinese language skills sharp. My kids can say basic arithmetic in Chinese and German too because they find it fun but not anything beyond that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 I struggle to do arithmetic with double digits and beyond in any language besides English. English is my native language. I am actually toying with the idea of doing MEP in Spanish just so that I can get better at math in Spanish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieInChocolate Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Interestingly enough, I tend to count in Arabic, but calculate in English. English is my first language, and I am fluent in Arabic, but I did not learn it until I was an adult. However, at work I speak mostly Arabic, I shop in Arabic, I give instructions to employees in Arabic, and most of this involves numbers and counting. This summer when I was back in the U.S., and most definitely living in English I still caught myself counting in Arabic sometimes. Unfortunately my children are still only numerate in English :sad: I've been thinking of getting a native speaker to go over some of their other subjects in Arabic so they can get used to discussing things academically in Arabic. We'll see if I actually get around to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Unfortunately my children are still only numerate in English :sad: I've been thinking of getting a native speaker to go over some of their other subjects in Arabic so they can get used to discussing things academically in Arabic. We'll see if I actually get around to it. I recommend Monopoly in Arabic - buy an Arabic set (they exist) and get a native speaker to play with your children. It really worked with Chinese counting for my children. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Mousie Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 I am not bilingual, but I studied French in high school and Mandarin in college. Shortly after I finished my language studies, I found myself telling time as a blend of the two languages - always with the Mandarin number and the French "o'clock." Weird. I didn't study either language in enough depth to perform calculations, but this thread is making me wish I had. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 I have no problem doing arithmetic in either Japanese or English. The numbers and their operations, once you've learned the labels, are not difficult for me to keep straight. I would have trouble doing Algebra, geometry etc. in Japanese simply because I didn't learn the technical vocabulary for those subjects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 DH always counts in Arabic for casual stuff...although he's fluent in English. However, for medical stuff (calculating dosage or whatever), he thinks in English because med school was in English in Egypt. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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