How good can you speak a language if you take it in college?

Question

If you majored in a language could you almost speak fluently.

Answer 1

depending on who u are and what country ur from whether it be a foreign speaking country, your ability to speak fluent english can go both ways. there are people raised in english speaking countries and should be able to master the language but there are 30 , 40 + year olds who dont speak well. the english majors that i have come across at my college all speak very well and have an intellectual streak about them. everything depends on who u are and what kind of student u are,

Answer 2

Ideally, yes. But not always. Fluency comes from contact hours--how much time you spend using the language--speaking, listening, reading and writing both in and out of class. To become fluent, you'll need to:

1. participate actively in class--answer questions, speak only in the language, be a leader in group activities, ask questions when you don't understand. And go to class. A lot of students feel like they can learn just as well at home out of a book as in class. Not true with languages! Class is where you get the most practice speaking, and the most feedback so you can fix your mistakes.

2. spend time outside class on the language. Keep up with your homework daily and when you have extra time, read things in the language, watch movies, join a conversation club, etc.

3. if you can, study abroad. If not, at least take advantage of every opportunity to speak with native and fluent speakers at the college and in the community.

It also depends on your program. If it's not very good, you're at a disadvantage. Also, take note that most "language" majors--Spanish, French, German, etc.--are actually more literature-based than purely language. After the first year or two, most of your major classes will deal with literature in that language. They still improve your fluency (class is also usually conducted in the language), but just be prepared--you have to also enjoy literature and be able to write papers on it.

Answer 3

To my experience, you have to spend extra time outside the classroom for practicing the language you are learning. In most cases, the hours in the classroom are spent mostly on theory on how to use the language. It is true that some time is spent to speak the language. However, it is frequently drilled exercise, and therefore limited to certain aspect of the language. To speak fluently integrated aspects of the language, including the culture, have to be covered. And, this is allowable by spending extra time in a language meeting club.

Answer 4

It depends on the college, and it depends on the language. Japanese, for example, is pretty hard to speak fluently unless you actually go there. Spanish OTOH, is very similar to English in a lot of ways, and you can find places in the US where there are a lot of native speakers (not to mention Spanish TV shows). Oh, and of course, it depends on how hard you work.

Answer 5

You would be fluent, because if it's your major, and you were not learning it well, you would either flunk out, or change your major.
I signed up for French in college, and the teacher said she would only speak english the first day, and never again for the rest of the semester, so i ran out of that room and dropped the class :(
So, they take it very seriously in college.

Answer 6

If you majored in it, I would assume they would expect you to be pretty much fluent.