I lost words, not tongue so much (checks to see if tongue is still there)
But the biggest surprise turned out to be that language changes over time, and what words and way of speaking that I recall from 37 years ago have changed dramatically that even if I had 100% retention 10% of what I say will not be understood today, and 10% of what is currently being spoken I could not understand.
That has nothing to do with losing native tongue and everything to do with the fact that language, including pronounciation, is always evolving.
But the biggest surprise turned out to be that language changes over time, and what words and way of speaking that I recall from 37 years ago have changed dramatically that even if I had 100% retention 10% of what I say will not be understood today, and 10% of what is currently being spoken I could not understand.
That has nothing to do with losing native tongue and everything to do with the fact that language, including pronounciation, is always evolving.