Personal Definition:What makes you: (Beginner/Intermediate/Fluent)
After posting up two status related to becoming fluent in the language, I noticed a lot of replies from peoeple saying "I don't think I will every be fluent" or "I have been studying for years and I can speak to my spanish friends via skype/Y!Messenger...even face to face! And I'm never going to be fluent..."
and there are those that can understand the language, hear natives speak it and are just too fearful of responding that they say "I am not fluent". So, my question is, if you can speak it, write it, understand it, and read it...even to some degree, to what level are you trying to master this thing to consider yourself a fluent spanish speaker?
Isn't that level of comprehension considered a great level of mastery?
There are words in the english language, that I of 25 years, will never ever know, an I mispronouce words all the time... but I am fluent. (I'm leaving that grammatical error "an" to prove a point)
Does "fluent" depend on your personal confidence or years of experience?
Are we seeking "acknowlegement of others/natives maybe" to validate our intelligence or capacity to really absorb this language as our own? Yes, to some degree we must...but
Is it that we are so fascinated with the language and the beauty of it that we don't give ourselves enough credit? Are we being perfectionist?
I would really love to hear your responses!!!
13 Answers
Hi Urbanorchid8,
For me, complete fluency would come with the ability to think about complex ideas in Spanish without having to translate from English to Spanish but rather by directly relating a given concept or idea to an appropriate Spanish expression.
In essence, fluency would require that I be able to navigate all aspects of language solely in Spanish with no need to fall back on or use as a crutch some referent from my native language.
This question is asked fairly often. Someone posted this link to definitions of fluency, and it's about the best I've seen:
On this scale I'm about a low-level conversationalist.
For me, being fluent means you no longer have to stop and translate what you want to say in your head. It just comes out, correctly and fluidly in whichever language you 're speaking.
There will always be a subjective baggage attached to one's definition of "fluent". However, there must be an objective "core", too, that is applicable to everybody irrespective of situation or linguistic context. I'd like to say a few words about the latter, and try to define it more or less 'scientifically'.
By being fluent in a language, in the objective sense I just mentioned, I understand one's linguistic abilities to express a wide range of communicational possibilities in such a way they can be understood by as many people as possible. You may call it a paradoxical conclusion, but to me "fluent", in its objective meaning, shouldn't refer to only specialized contexts. Quite on the contrary, "fluent" should mean "diverse" and should be understood as such: The broader the subjects you can tackle in a language, and the more people you can communicate to about those topics, the more fluent you are and should be considered as such.
Basically, "fluent" should be a sign of your linguistic versatility and a synonym for diversity.
I would be super happy to be able to read a broadsheet newspaper and understand almost all the words. It's called "C2" by the European common framework. That's fluent to me.
To me Intermediate is when you can get around easily and do everything you need to do in a Spanish speaking country (not the legal or bank stuff.. urgh that's hard!) and have a basic conversation with someone. It's when you can be somewhere and not be afraid someone is going to ask you a question you can't answer. It's called "B1" By the European common framework.
Beginner is when you can say sweet feck all. That's where I am!
To me fluency means you can pass as a native speaker from "somewhere else."
I am in agreement with the two folks who weighed in before me, and am voting them up. Additionally, in my opinion, fluency is not measured by grammitical perfection (although assumptions will be made about your intelligence or level of education based on your grammar), but is measured by the degree in which you not only understand a language, but make yourself understood.
I will not consider myself to be fluent in Spanish until I can express myself with the same level of nuance in interpersonal exchanges in Spanish as I do in English. I would also not consider myself fluent in a language where I was not familiar with the thousands of idioms that are used on a daily basis which fall outside of the "curriculum" of standard language courses.
The amount of time would differ for each individual, but I doubt that it is possible to become truly fluent in a language unless you experience "living" in that language for a period of time.
I think fluency is really determined by how comfortable one is speaking a language, specifically around people who speak it as a first language. I know many bilingual people who grew up speaking both English and Spanish. They will often speak in one language and then, when they can't think of the word or it's not translatable, will interject a word or two of the other. They all think of themselves at varying levels of fluency, but I don't think any of them think of themselves as not fluent in either language.
I do think the ability to think in a specific language is a factor in HOW fluent a person is once they reach fluency. However, I think someone who is fluent in more than one language is likely to translate into and think in their preferred language, even when surrounded by people speaking another.
That's just a guess from someone who is woefully monolingual and I'm really curious now. I just texted a couple friends. One got back to me. She just got back from six years in Puerto Rico with her family (and she grew up in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in Chicago) and says she thinks in English first, even when surrounded by Spanish.
If fluency = how many words you can speak, read, and write (correctly) in relation to how many words exist, nobody would ever be fluent in anything. Except maybe dictionary writers.
My definition is as follows.
If you manage to listen to all 90 Pimsleur Language learning programme tapes, you are no longer a beginner.
Facil.
I chime in with Gekkosan- fluid expression of your thoughts. It is not necessarily anchored to time or a personal judgement of yourself. Almost everyone is bashful about their expression at one time or another, and knowing every word in a dictionary does not necessarily improve expression.
Beginners generally have some badly pronounced phrases and maybe a few words memorized
An intermediate generally will have done some serious study and willl try to formulate broken phrases. Should know substantially more and have some idea of the structure and use in the language. Be able to communicate on studied topics.
An advanced intermediate Should be well able to communicate and may only be missing the finer points in the language. I would consider that to be fluent.
An advanced speaker should be able to communicate much as they do in their native tongue but most likely still have a strong accent.
At least that is what I think.
It gives levels for reading, speaking, writing and listening. For example, here is what they say about intermediate speakers:
Intermediate-Low
Able to handle successfully a limited number of interactive, task-oriented, and social situations. Can ask and answer questions, initiateand respond to simple statements, and maintain face-to-face conversation, although in a highly restricted manner and with much linguistic inaccuracy. Within these limitations, can perform such tasks as introducing self, ordering a meal, asking directions, and making purchases. Vocabulary is adequate to express only the most elementary needs. Strong interference from native language may occur. Misunderstandings frequently arise, but with repetition, the Intermediate-Low speaker can generally be understood by sympathetic interlocutors.
Intermediate-Mid
Able to handle successfully a variety of uncomplicated, basic, and communicative tasks and social situations. Can talk simply about self and family members. Can ask and answer questions and participate in simple conversations on topics beyond the most immediate needs; e.g., personal history and leisure time activities. Utterance length increases slightly, but speech may continue to be characterized by frequent long pauses, since the smooth incorporation of even basic conversational strategies is often hindered as the speaker struggles to create appropriate language forms. Pronunciation may continue to be strongly influenced by first language and fluency may still be strained. Although misunderstandings still arise, the Intermediate-Mid speaker can generally be understood by sympathetic interlocutors.
Intermediate-High
Able to handle successfully most uncomplicated communicative tasks and social situations. Can initiate, sustain, and close a general conversation with a number of strategies appropriate to a range of circumstances and topics, but errors are evident. Limited vocabulary still necessitates hesitation and may bring about slightly unexpected circumlocution. There is emerging evidence of connected discourse, particularly for simple narration and/or description. The Intermediate-High speaker can generally be understood even by interlocutors not accustomed to dealing with speakers at this level, but repetition may still be required.
You are fluent, not when you don't make any mistakes any more, they are made by natives too, but when nobody would even guess you are not a native
This would include accent, vocabulary, colloquialisms, slang, idioms...difficult
