Native languages from your ancestors, do they sound vaguely 'familiar'?

Hear me out. For those of us whose families of origin immigrated from other countries, even if it was several dead generations prior, when you hear people speaking or singing in the language of where maybe your great grear grandparents came from, is there something about the 'language of your people' that hits you as a vague familiarity or maybe more 'attractive' to your ears than other languages? Even when you didn't grow up with or around that language.

Maybe it's something just within me. Something about hearing people talk and in the languages of my great grandparents just seems ...I can't even put my finger on it... familiar ...my only way to describe. Not that I ever met them or heard anyone speak with even an accent from the family. Hmmmh.🤔

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WillaKissing · 56-60

It does me and in my case a lot closer in the generational immigrant loop. My father immigrated from Germany in 1957 at the age of 20 to the United States, and though my mother a second generation born American of English and Sicilian heritage woman did not let my father teach us German because of World War Two (though she should have). I feel very connected to German language and songs and can figure out the words very easily to them somehow without much instruction.

The same when I hear Italian spoken and sung and I feel very connected to it.

But the British totally can screw up the English language leaving me standing there asking "what did you just say/mean"! LOL

Starcrossed · 41-45, F

@WillaKissing did your father have much of an accent?

WillaKissing · 56-60

@Starcrossed Raised from birth to twenty years of age in Germany, Heck yeah, he did. The weirdest part about being raised by an immigrant from Germany was when watching a World War Two movie with him. Hearing my father say, "Get those Nuttzis (meaning Nazis)", with his heavy German accent, and turning and looking at him weirdly like that could be your brothers my grandfather as the German soldier, and then realizing how much my father loved becoming and American.

Then there was trying to explain American football verses European football (Soccer) to him too. LOL

NativePortlander1970 ·

@WillaKissing My maternal great aunt married a German man that fled with his family in the mid to late 1920's because they saw the nazis were instigating violence against all of the other groups which scared them, predicting that hitler's group would gain power, which they were correct. They willingly chose to Americanize themselves and forget their heritage, except their food, great uncle John never taught their children the German language, nor spoke it around them.

Thevy29 · 41-45, M

I feel that way walking the land my ancestors call home. Their language Has been lost due to the cultural genocide the White colonizers inflicted on us.

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Starcrossed · 41-45, F

@Aidankenny23 I believe he's Aussie so maybe Aboriginal.

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Starcrossed · 41-45, F

@Aidankenny23 precisely

HumanEarth · 56-60, F

Yes, like when I hear the Amish & Mennonites speak. They speak in my families old language, Pennsylvania Dutch.

When they talk, sometimes I understand what they are saying and I do know some of the language (not much, but enough to ask for help if I needed it)

Harmonium1923 · 51-55, M

Yes! I feel that way about Yiddish, a dying language I wish I spoke. It’s incredibly colorful and expressive. I got bits and pieces from my grandmother and others.

Colonelmustardseed · 36-40

That would be Tagalog or German. I’ve been interested in learning them, but no, I haven’t felt for them what you described.

CrazyMusicLover · 31-35

No, no connection with the language as such but I noticed how I like the cool things of that culture...on the other hand, who doesn't? 😅 Like when you hear nice music or watch talented dancers, cool looking martial arts etc. I think it's easy to want to claim nice things as the part of the culture of one's ancestors.

Roundandroundwego · 61-69

Vaguely. Our language died in the twentieth century, you can still hear it in songs and recordings. The name of our country is not spoken. Our country was smack dab in the middle of Europe. The forgetting is definitely evil. And I wonder why it's still done.

Aidankenny23 · M

@Roundandroundwego Bohemia?

Roundandroundwego · 61-69

@Aidankenny23 Sicilia. Twenty three million people deny that kingdom of Two Sicilies is the old country. They're not going to say the name of its flag.

Aidankenny23 · M

Interesting, in my instance it would have to be listening to Welsh, Breton, and Dutch

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