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zlatiah@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

Mandarin Chinese. Native, but actually not that good. Can’t speak Cantonese though
English, basically native-level fluency
Japanese. Somewhere between B2-C1 based on test results but that was a long time ago. I can probably get to C1 if/when I have the time to practice
French. Still actively learning, around A1 across the board

I also have some passive knowledge of Dutch and German… But really passive though

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DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

English, with heavy “American” accent. Basically native-level fluency

Okay laws are so stupid. If you have native-level English and have been so Americanized that you “have an American Accent”, you deserve the choice of getting Citizenship.

Wait I’m still still confused, don’t student visas only exist for college? Were you here during teenage years or earlier? Is there even a non-immigrant visa for before college? Like I’m confused af. I thought kids could only come if they are a dependent of a principle immigrant on a greencard visa?

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- zlatiah@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Yeah, being in a country since 18 yrs old does something to you… Fun fact about the accent. Apparently most ppl I’ve met in the EU assumed I’m from the US, despite me not looking remotely like an average American
  
  US visa system is a bit… Interesting. Student visas also work for PhD programs, which can last a while. And after the study concludes there’s an option for ppl to extend it by 3 years (OPT). So one could be into their mid-30s and still be technically on a student visa in the US
  
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  - DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    You acquired “native-level” English “with an American Accent” when you started learning at age 18?
    
    Bruh, my older brother has been here since 13 and he still sounds so weird…
    
    remotely like an average American
    
    What does an “Average American” look like?
    
    Honestly my “American-ness” is gonna depend a lot on if my parents are around…
    
    Like imagine I go to Europe for vacation… One moment, I talk to parents in Cantonese and we sound like either Guangdong-Mainlanders or Hong Kongers, then next moment I speak in perfect American English and they’re gonna be confused if I’m Chinese or American…
    
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    zlatiah@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Well… I might be a special case. Most folks I know don’t acquire languages that easily
    
    What does an “Average American” look like? I thought it would be whatever the stereotypes one would get from popular American TV shows… which is not very Asian all-things considered. But I guess the language plays a role too. This is something that is hard to grasp while I was in the US, but Americans as a whole do have a rather distinct English accent that is different from folks from say Britain, Australia, other places where English isn’t the primary language, etc…
    
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