How do you describe one who has trouble speaking a language,but understands the grammar and has comprehension?

Answer 1

The usual term is "having a passive knowledge of a language". When you speak a language, you have an active knowledge of it.

Answer 2

I would describe him as someone who has trouble speaking a language yet he understands the grammar and has comprehension.

Answer 3

This person has at least some degree of fluency receptively but not expressively. That is very common in those of us who have studied a language but never had the opportunity to emmerse ourselves in it (such as live amongst the people who are native to the language.)

Answer 4

Aphasic, particularly Brocan aphasic.

Aphasia is in its basic terms language loss due to damage on brain. There are mainly two lesions in brain called Broca's lesion and Wernicke's lesion. Damage to Broca's lesion results in Broca's aphasia in which the patient retains grammar but loses speech. In Wernicke's aphasia speech is retained but the patient has problems with grammar and comprehension.

Answer 5

someone whose receptive skills and theoretical level of a language is way ahead of their productive skills in the language

Answer 6

Inarticulate
1. lacking the ability to express oneself, esp. in clear and effective speech: an inarticulate public speaker.
2. unable to use articulate speech: inarticulate with rage.
3. not articulate; not uttered or emitted with expressive or intelligible modulations: His mouth stuffed, he could utter only inarticulate sounds.
4. not fully expressed or expressible: a voice choked with inarticulate agony.

Answer 7

I would give my own answer, but "Porch Monkey 4 Life" said it better than I could: inarticulate is the right word.

Answer 8

write but dont speak?

Answer 9

I would say it exactly as you've described it.

Answer 10

me speaking mandarin:)