Do you think that it is worth it to be able to speak a language but not write it?

Question

I'm just wondering, because some languages would be much easier to just learn to speak, and you can still communicate. What's your opinion?

Would you still consider yourself fluent if you can understand and speak it but not write it?

Answer 1

Reading/Writing is an important part of learning a language. If you can speak it, then reading and writing shouldn't be difficult anyway, because you already know the words, so you just have to learn how they are written.

If you are learning a language right now and are thinking about not learning how to write (like if you are learning Japanese or Chinese) then I'd say that's a mistake. If you learn the writing along with the vocabulary, then each will help to reinforce the other. Sometimes you may remember how to say a word but not write it, or you'll remember how to write a word and know its meaning, but not know how to say it, but it is easier to bring these together while you learn them as opposed to learning to speak and then trying to learn to write later.


Also, there are many languages that have simple writing systems. Many people are unaware that Korean is said to be the easiest written language to learn in the world! Cyrillics is not difficult either. Japanese hiragana and katakana are simple (kanji takes more time). And, of course, languages like French, Spanish, Indonesian, Swahili, etc. that have most of the same letters as in English are easy to learn to write.

Answer 2

You wouldn't be fluent since fluent means all aspects of the language. But I have lived in many foreign countries where I could have a decent conversation but could barely read a word of a the language since it wasn't a Latin alphabet. For what I needed, it was fine because I just needed verbal skills. I also found that being somewhere and having basic verbal skills was very helpful when a few years later, I decided to take a course and actually study the language -- reading, writing, etc. (Arabic).

Answer 3

Well, to be fluent, you have to be able to speak a language completely, as well as understand it completely.

If you learn a language in a class, you learn how to write and speak concurrently; I have taken two language courses and it always works this way.

As to whether or not you need to learn to write it, you really don't. It's helpful to understand sentence structure and things like that, but if you were to visit a foreign country, you would be speaking to the natives, not carrying around a whiteboard and writing everything down, right? :)

Answer 4

Consider this: many Americans, born here, speak Am. English but are illiterate.

I speak bits of several languages and can write and read in French and English. Not being able to read makes it difficult but as long as there's another person around, you can ask for help with signs. I learned some Tagalog to help someone who was *driving* across another country and couldn't read the signs. So, yeah, it can be done but you'll need help with some things.

Answer 5

The language I most need to learn is almost never written, so yes. I think it would be problematic in most cases though, because you'll probably want to look things up in the dictionary and write them down to remember them. (Also it's REALLY REALLY hard to learn a language that no one writes! Argh! Unless you're a kid.)

Answer 6

No, so much persons want 4 years of sophistication German plus 2 or extra years of whole immersion--you pass and are living in Germany--with the intention to emerge as fluent in a language and truthfully be competent to keep conversations. You will nevertheless be competent to learn it and write it relatively good. You will most likely gain knowledge of elementary conversational knowledge, nevertheless it will depend on how your trainer comes to a decision to coach it.

Answer 7

yes, of course! You will be able to talk to people in this language and maybe one day you will learn to write. Besides , it is always worth to know more.

Answer 8

sure.