If you speak two related languages (NL/DE, IT/ES, SV/NO/DK, etc.) to a high level (B2+), does interference still occur?

[Ug_Caveman]

This is merely a philosophical question that's been going around my head for a little while - which is, is it possible for a foreign speaker of two very closely related languages to ever be free of interference?

A few months ago I studied a bit of basic German just out of curiosity. Most of the language was actually OK despite my much longer history with Dutch, but I had two big issues that kept popping up.

I would almost always say "niet" for "nicht" and "lucht" for "luft", I made a few other errors but these two were by far the most persistent and the only ones which proved to be really troublesome when trying to articulate speech. I suspect that had I tried to go further, more issues like these would have arisen.

My question to more experienced learners who speak two closely related languages to a higher level, do you still have any specific issues of interference that always seem to pop up? Or as time and skill move forward, do these issues begin to subside and you proudly feel like you've summited Language-Everest?

[Le Baron]

Dutch interferes with German for me sometimes. Simply because I use it more. And it also includes those words you mentioned. Not always, but sometimes. I knew more German before Dutch, so originally I was approaching Dutch in a somewhat German way - pronunciation and some grammar - and the thing was in reverse with me saying luft rather than lucht (I also used to say 'things like 'liefje' in a Russian-like way!). I never have German interference in Dutch these days. So maybe when a language gets better and used more that gets ironed out. I'm only hovering around B2 in German so it's weaker.

Doubtless there are those who can keep a better separation.

[Iversen]

Interference certainly occurs, but it should not just be seen as a nuisance. If you don't know a word in language A your best bet is probably an adapted version of the word in language B - and yes, sometimes the guess may be wrong, but until you have learnt the correct word in language A you just have to survive, for better or for worse. And you can look the word up later.

The best strategy could be to notice and classify and define the differences (also the syntactical and idiomatic ones) as you become aware of them, but without assuming that this job ever can be terminated.

[Inge]

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[anitarrc]

Happens to me all the time with similar words in PT and ES. Many technical words actually are the same with slightly different spelling, but they don't always mean the same. There is some extra fun regarding the differences between Portugal and Brasil. I had been writing Portuguese (BR) for 3 days, last night I used a portuguese word when talking to my love about exhaust gas measuring . He twigged immediately what happened in my brain..

My new colleague tells me it happens to her between her almost native Ukrainian and C1 Polish.

Just one fun fact gato is cat in both Portuguese and Spanish, but it also means hydraulic jack in Spanish.
In Portuguese it is macaco = monkey who lifts your car.

[gsbod]

One thing I never expected to have to deal with is interference between German and my native English. But there are indeed times when a German word seems to fit what I'm trying to say better, and I just can't find the English. It's definitely worse if I'm speaking to somebody in English who I also regularly speak to in German. I suppose that's how loanwords happen...

[Ug_Caveman]

and the thing was in reverse with me saying luft rather than lucht

I have a habit of getting to the point where I need to say one, pausing, internally debating for a few seconds and either:

(1) Saying the wrong one anyway (despite my brain screaming "YOU'RE SPEAKING DUTCH/GERMAN, YOU KNOW THIS YOU FOOL!")

Or

(2) Saying something that sounds like luchft (reminding me of one of my students writing "meiteiosis" in a biology paper in the vague hope that ambiguity would be enough to earn them a mark...)

[Hash]

do you still have any specific issues of interference that always seem to pop up?

Yes, when writing in French or English. So many words have similar spelling (connection/connexion)

In the UK, connexion was spelled like in French until the 80s at least, and I think some people still use it.

[Le Baron]

In the UK, connexion was spelled like in French until the 80s at least, and I think some people still use it.

It dropped in use long before the 80s and you only see it when people deliberately choose it. All other formulations from 'connex' of connect drop the 'nexus' part. Though the word nexus still remains.

(reminding me of one of my students writing "meiteiosis" in a biology paper in the vague hope that ambiguity would be enough to earn them a mark...)

You have admit that's a good attempt.

[Inge]

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