Dear MEL Topic Readers,
How do we measure language fluency?
Do you speak your first language fluently, or
smoothly and efficiently? If you think you do, how fluently do you speak a
second language compared with your first language?
In fact, one can communicate with others fluently
without accuracy in grammar. For example, if someone wants to bargain at a bazaar
in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, where multiple languages are exchanged
between sellers and buyers, what matters the most is his or her understanding of
the numbers the other is bidding and the timely and accurate response. There,
it’s not the proficiency of one language but the fluency of multiple languages
that makes the ends meet and bring home the bread, and possibly the bacon.
But when it comes to proficiency, one needs
to demonstrate accuracy, the ability to produce grammatically correct sentences,
grammatical range, vocabulary, pronunciation, and so on. While a certain level
of language fluency can be obtained if a person lives in an environment where the
language is spoken for some time, these language skills cannot be learned without
effort. Indeed, language acquisition varies from one learner to another
depending on their motivation, aptitude, and effort.
Enjoy reading and think to what degree you
want to learn a second or third language.
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