Discussion
So there's a frustrating thing with my native language: I speak it, but I don't *know* it.
With my other languages I'll often know the rule, or pattern, or origin, or principle behind a language construct. Because I had to learn it to learn the language.
But with my native language it's all "Dunno why. It just sounds right."
Which makes my native language the one I'm *least* qualified to teach, explain, or bend in creative ways.
@jannem
I agree with @a_cubed I spent two years trying to write fiction in English (as it's my main language of expression these days, I teach it, I've been blogging in English for years and all that). Biggest writer block I have ever had, because I couldn't "feel" the language the way I do with French, and I second-guessed every "creative bending" because I had no idea how it'd sound and feel for a native speaker.
Last Spring, I said screw it, I'm back at writing in French, and ⤵️
@jannem @a_cubed it was so liberating, for the first time in years, my sort-of-novel is going somewhere.
On a side note, yes, I hate when people assume that native speakers are the best teachers of a language. More often than not, they're not. I'm qualified and have experience in both teaching French and English, but I'm definitely a much better teacher in English BECAUSE I'm not a native speaker. And we have to learn French in France, you need to "know" the language to use it properly. ⤵️
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@jannem
I disagree on that last one "bend in creative ways". A native speaker can play with the language in ways thay sound good in a way that someone formally trained will not have the ear for. I can often tell the difference between English written by different non-native speakers, such as a German or Japanese native, by the eay they bend English in different grammatical but oddly sounding ways.