So let’s clear this up once and for all. My mum’s Italian.
My dad’s Belgian. I was born and raised in Belgium, but I travelled a lot,
mainly to Italy and the UK. My dad’s Belgian, but London and all things English
run through his veins (long story). And now I live in Malta, a.k.a. the rock.
At home I spoke Italian and English. At school I spoke
Dutch. Does that make me trilingual? I suppose so. It’s a very unusual
situation, I know. And people just don’t get it. Many are skeptical, and I
don’t blame them. How can you speak three languages fluently? How can you feel
comfortable switching between them? Which one’s your mother tongue? Does your
voice change according to the language you speak?
First things first: I feel more Italian than Belgian. My
readers know that I have a penchant for il
bel paese. Unfortunately I was born in the wrong country. Not that I don’t
like Belgium, ma non mi fa né caldo né
freddo. I don’t miss it at all. And I certainly don’t miss speaking Dutch.
It’s a language that makes me feel uncomfortable. Whenever I meet my colleagues
in Belgium I feel awkward knowing I have to speak Dutch. But when they hear me
talk – or when they read my translations – nothing gives away my lack of
confidence. Or so they say.
I consider Italian to be my mother tongue. Apparently I
dream in Italian. Once my dad woke me up, in English, and I mumbled something
in Italian. Hubby-to-be and I speak mostly English – although when we first
met, we’d switch between English and Italian; there was no logic, yet it
worked. When we argue, I switch to Italian and he switches to Maltese. It
sounds complicated, but it isn’t. It comes naturally. Our house is a happy
mishmash of North and South.
Hubby-to-be says my voice sounds “better” and “sweeter” (whatever that may
mean) when I speak Italian, con la
cadenza veneta. It’s less harsh, probably because Italian calls for a
softer, more rounded pronunciation. My English has probably been influenced by Minglish* over the past few years. My
Dutch has a hint of Gents in it.
So why do I write in English? No idea. Just like shouting
comes natural in Italian, writing comes natural in English. The brain works in
mysterious ways. Maybe one day I’ll decide to write in Italian or in Dutch, but
for now English it is.
I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunities I’ve been
given. My parents should be very proud of themselves. Not because I speak three
languages, but because I’m so happy being who I am and doing what I do.
Languages are my passion, and they instilled that in me. They taught me the
importance of communication. They urged me to keep perfecting my skills. They
made me the optimistic “trilingual” person I am today. Grazie mammina. Thank you daddy.
* the English spoken in Malta
