Is persian considered my native language?

Do your parents speak to you in Persian? If they do, or if they used to, then yes it is your native language.

Reply 2

OP

Original post by Snufkin

Do your parents speak to you in Persian? If they do, or if they used to, then yes it is your native language.

Unis wont know that

Reply 3

Inazuma

Boring thread asking a Q that you clearly only want one answer too.

And no, it is not your native language fgs if you've only done an A level and don't speak it at home. Just put it down for what it is. One lie is not going to help your application.

Reply 4

Original post by Kmohazeb

Unis wont know that

Of course they will. Your name will surely give the game away. Nobody learns Persian from scratch at school, every admission tutor will assume that you've just picked up an easy A level in a language you already speak. Better to be honest about it.

Reply 5

OP

Original post by Snufkin

Of course they will. Your name will surely give the game away. Nobody learns Persian from scratch at school, every admission tutor will assume that you've just picked up an easy A level in a language you already speak. Better to be honest about it.

I was born here and had to go to lessons in order to learn properly. I usually speak english at home

Reply 6

Original post by Kmohazeb

I was born here and had to go to lessons in order to learn properly. I usually speak english at home

Where you were born is irrelevant. What exactly do you mean by lessons? It sounds to me like you're trying to use Persian as your 3rd A level even though you spoke it beforehand.

Reply 7

OP

Original post by Snufkin

Where you were born is irrelevant. What exactly do you mean by lessons? It sounds to me like you're trying to use Persian as your 3rd A level even though you spoke it beforehand.

Without going to lessons I would not know how to speak/read/write persian

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 8

ageshallnot

The bottom line is that unis will work on the basis that either a) it's your native language, or b) that you have the advantage of having people around you (eg your parents) who know and speak it. From what you describe, option b) appears to be nearer the truth. In either case unis are likely to conclude that your A-level in Farsi is not worth as much as if you studied eg German.

Reply 9

OP

Original post by ageshallnot

The bottom line is that unis will work on the basis that either a) it's your native language, or b) that you have the advantage of having people around you (eg your parents) who know and speak it. From what you describe, option b) appears to be nearer the truth. In either case unis are likely to conclude that your A-level in Farsi is not worth as much as if you studied eg German.

Farsi is still a foreign language and you have no right in choosing which one you personally think is seen to be 'better'

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 10

ageshallnot

Original post by Kmohazeb

Farsi is still a foreign language and you have no right in choosing which one you personally think is seen to be 'better'

I never suggested that I think one is better than the other. I am suggesting that a uni admissions tutor might conclude that you getting an A* in German would show greater academic and linguistic ability than an A* in Farsi.

Reply 11

Democracy

Original post by Kmohazeb

Without going to lessons I would not know how to speak/read/write persian

If you weren't born in Iran and have been taking classes in order to learn the language, how can it be your native tongue?

Am I missing something?

Reply 12

Inazuma

Original post by Kmohazeb

Farsi is still a foreign language and you have no right in choosing which one you personally think is seen to be 'better'

His point is that they will see it as a pointless A level because they will assume you would have known it / have had help etc. and so it is more useless than German because that would imply you actually learnt it from scratch. (And in terms of job prospects, German is likely more useful anyway)

Don't post on a public forums for opnions when you clearly don't want them. Just put the truth and be done with it.

Reply 13

OP

Original post by Democracy

If you weren't born in Iran and have been taking classes in order to learn the language, how can it be your native tongue?

Am I missing something?

That is what I initially thought. Thanks

Reply 14

Original post by Democracy

If you weren't born in Iran and have been taking classes in order to learn the language, how can it be your native tongue?

Am I missing something?

There is a bit of a difference between a 'mother tongue' and a 'native language' but in terms of the OP's question they mean the same thing, i.e. the language you were brought up speaking at home. The OP didn't say she was taking classes in order to learn the language from scratch.

Reply 15

Democracy

Original post by Snufkin

There is a bit of a difference between a 'mother tongue' and a 'native language' but in terms of the OP's question they mean the same thing, i.e. the language you were brought up speaking at home. The OP didn't say she was taking classes in order to learn the language from scratch.

She said without taking classes she wouldn't be able to speak the language.

Reply 16

Original post by Democracy

She said without taking classes she wouldn't be able to speak the language.

I asked her if her parents speak to her in Persian, she relied "unis wouldn't know that" which to me suggests they do, but she's unwilling to admit it.

Reply 17

OP

Original post by Snufkin

I asked her if her parents speak to her in Persian, she relied "unis wouldn't know that" which to me suggests they do, but she's unwilling to admit it.

Well there's no question in UCAS asking what language you speak with your parents. So they wouldn't know regardless of if I did or not. Which I said I do not

Reply 18