How Fluent are you in your language?

Question

I see many people who say they can speak many different languages, but i have a feeling that the term "fluent'' is tossed around rather loosely. So, how fluent are you? Can you talk about the complexities of world politics or watch a news program and understand the whole thing? I think it is better to be fluent in one foreign language then know the basics of four.

For me: Italian - native fluency, although i am american
French- Collegiate Level (currently enrolled in 202)
German- Just started learning

Answer 1

Very, my wife is school teacher.

Answer 2

Good question. I agree about the term "fluent" so often being over-used. At least in my opinion. But it's hard to tell. When I write e.g. applications for a job I'm often asked to state how good I know and speak and write languages. I know people writing in their applications that they are fluent in languages when they definitely are not. I see a lot of people here on Yahoo answers saying that too, when it's obvious they can't write properly in that language. (And I don't mean spelling mistakes, I mean much worse mistakes.)

So what can you do when there's no real classification of what fluency is or not? Well, if your at the same level as a six year old native speaker of the language, you're probably not really fluent. And I think it's better to underestimate yourself rather than saying things that are not true and be revealed as a fake over and over again.

And since you asked:
Swedish-native
English- well OK, close to fluent, am I not? :)
French- At least I'm understood while speaking. I can read a newspaper and understand most.
Norwegian/Danish - I can read, I understand, but will never learn how to speak since those languages are so close to Swedish.

Answer 3

Conversational in all... Even though I have claimed to be "fluent" in the past, I suppose it is more something that I hope to one day become... I am trying, and will get there, so I say "Fluent" as in a wishful, hopeful, aspiration I suppose? It is a hobby that is taking time. Heck, I have more problems with english than anything else!

I am self taught, so by no means a true linguist but I can manage to hold a decent conversation and also understand most people in their native tongues when they speak. I can only write in some of them but not all, and I have yet to learn Kanji. That just blows my mind!

Some languages I actually understand better when spoken to me than I myself can speak and the opposite for others. Italian being one.

I was raised hearing Italian but taught Sicilian so it varies...
I speak and understand Japanese best.
Some Latin but mostly in text translation
Some Dutch enough to converse but I do make mistakes frequently...
same with German but conversations are slow but not hard
same with French.
Taught myself Hebrew, Ancient Aramaic and some Cyrillic and Greek, some Gaelic and can understand Spanish better than I can speak it... but Latin and Italian and Spanish are mostly common sense if you ask me?

And I can manage Elf languages too... *smiles...

Answer 4

It's always quite useful to know some languages (when you are on holiday, when you meet someone...), even if it's only the basics. But when you got friends who speak a language or talk a lot in a language, you automatically will be fluent in that language. So your basics will evolve into a fluently spoken language.
I can speak Dutch (my native language), French and English fluently. I've just started to learn German at school, so I'm not that good in it. I can also speak a bit of Esperanto.

Answer 5

French is my second language, but I'm not fluent in it. I can understand abstract conversations in French but not deeply abstract conversations, my vocabulary is limited too. However, I can watch a film in french and understand what's going on even if I can't understand some of the jokes, puns, or nuances. Fluency is about knowing the living language and all of its complexities, and so I don't believe anyone can achieve fluency without actually living inside the culture in which the language is spoken.

Answer 6

I’m bound to agree with you. I always raise my eyebrow at people who say they’re fluent in lots of languages, when they actually don’t seem to command their own language properly. From my point of view, being fluent in a language means not only being able to understand a great range of discourses, but also being able to talk and write properly.

That’s why I don’t consider myself fluent in English. I’ve never been to an English speaking country, how can I be sure that I would make myself understood by native speakers?

So, here is my “fluency list”:

Portuguese – impeccable.
English – trying to be fluent...
Spanish – Enough to survive in a Spanish speaking country (but it’s not fair... Portuguese and Spanish are very similar languages).

Answer 7

It depends on what you mean by fluency.
Languages were developed and evolved in various cultures.
Therefore, they are various languages which are not developed for various uses. For example, several native tribes that reside in the Amazon jungle of central America have dozens of words for the color "green", on the other hand some eskimo languages have as much as a hundred words describing "snow".
Therefore, a West African language like Yoruba would not be conducive for a discussion on global politics or technical discussions because it borrows a lot of words in those fields from other foreign languages like English and French.
Therefore, I dont think fluency in a language necessarily requires fluency in certain areas/fileds.

Answer 8

I think you're wrong. Fluency should not be measured in how well you can talk about politics but how well you can talk about the complexities of your emotions and how deeply you can express your feelings. For me that is true fluency and why I can say that i'm fluent in English but not fluent in French. Despite the fact that I can express views in complex language on politics in French.

Answer 9

Fluency in a language depends on the use of it. You cannot become fluent just by learning it throught books. You must practise it. By the way who cares about fluency if you are able to communicate your views and ideas even though not like a native speaker.

Answer 10

"fluency" is a somewhat variable term...
I tend to think of fluency as the ability to live a normal, daily life completely immersed in the language without any major difficulties. Once you are fluent in the grammar and structure of any particular language, it's all just vocabulary from there :)

So ok, you asked, so here's mine:
English is my native language, and I'm fluent.
French: fluent, lived in France 2 years, excellent vocabulary.
Japanese: fluent, lived in Japan 1 year, excellent vocabulary.
Spanish: conversant -- structural knowledge excellent, somewhat lacking in vocabulary.
Tagalog: fluent. Can converse on any subject, structural knowledge excellent, excellent vocabulary.
Chinese: conversant -- good structural, somewhat lacking in vocabulary.

Answer 11

I am extremely fluent in Greek, English and French, to the point of teaching it or writing a University level essay. My Italian is quite good, I can follow any conversation or read a book, but I don't write correctly. And I can barely communicate in German and Spanish.