This is definitely a bit of a stupid question… but methinks this happens to a good number of immigrants. Asking because there is a bit of a funny philosophical debate here:
- Technically the second language is not “native” by virtue of you not growing up with it
- But you speak it better than your native language, so skill-wise it is “native”
So do you have “native” language skills, or would you consider yourself simply highly “fluent” at the second language?
I’m still better in my native tongue than in English, but I would still consider myself ‘fluent’, with some people considering me ‘native’, which I would never claim for me. This I would call “personal relativity”, as I am probably more fluent in English than quite some native speakers. And I definitely read English faster than most native speakers.