I think you probably could, but it would take insane effort without any significant benefit.
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Thatās pretty much it. My effort at the beginning was insane. But at some point you have to stop studying and start living.
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I think thereās also a different kind of skill thatās more about casual integration, and the only way to do that is to give yourself that distance. So more like as long as you stay fluent, being casually fluent is a skill all its own.
I think the only way you become truly fluent is that when you are speaking in a language, youāre thinking in that language.
Probably the best thing he could to reach the relatively useless goal of becoming native-speaker level fluent (and I would say having an accent doesnāt preclude this) is just not speaking, reading, or writing in English at all for like 5 yrs. Iād be surprised if that wasnāt enough.
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Good point. I think you know youāre fluent when you start dreaming in that language. Assuming it didnāt only make sense while you were asleep lol
Thinking & dreaming in the languageāthose are a given for fluency. When speaking Japanese I never ātranslateā in my head. Itās 100% thinking in the language. Plenty of dreams in the language as well.
But thereās a difference between being fluent and being a native-level speaker. Iām definitely the former and definitely not the latter.
(We should probably continue this conversation elsewhere in the forum.)
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Whatās the difference? I think that native-level is just a higher degree of fluency.
I donāt think itās that big a deal. I think weāre pretty close to the end.
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The best way I can describe the difference is to say that a person who didnāt know Japanese listening to me speak would not be able to tell the difference between me and a native speaker, while a native speaker would definitely notice a difference. Mainly, slight trip-ups in grammar & pronunciation from time to time, and a vocabulary less expansive than that of a native speaker.
Itās still possible to be/sound fluent while having relatively poor pronunciation, a limited vocabulary, and even while making some grammar errors. All of which a native speaker would never do.
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I donāt like this standard because your accent could easily give you away to a native speaker, even if your Japanese is technically flawless. I see that a lot in the US with English. I know lots of people for whom English is their second language or even third. They speak it flawlessly. Zero grammatical errors. Understand most common slang and idioms. But they have an accent that makes it clear that they are not native speakers. Sometimes itās subtle and sometimes itās obvious, but itās nearly always there. However, they probably have a better command of the language than a large percentage of people who speak nothing other than English.
I would put people like this in the native-level category, even if itās obvious that they are not truly native speakers.
15 minutes into the Christmas episode of The Bear. Somebody get me a fucking xanax
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Well you just said it yourself. The accent difference (in this case) differentiates them from native speakers. In other cases it may be slight grammar trip-ups. Or using a word or expression that conveys the proper meaning in the situation, but is colloquially different from what almost any native would use.
Once again, a non-speaker of the language listening in wouldnāt be able to pick up on these differences. But a native speaker would.
In your example, the non-native may have better command of English than many natives (my own Japanese instructor was such a person). But they (and she) are still not native speakers from the perspective of a native.
Fluent? Yes. Expert? Yes. But native? No.
Seriously. Why am I not watching these episodes high?
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Oh also, this guest cast is unbelievably stacked
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Thereās certain vocal sounds that each language has and otherās donāt. You can be fluent and be able to approximate those sounds but you canāt always get them to be as good as a native speaker, hence an accent.
ROI for RBIs!
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JLC absolutely taking home an emmy for this episode, right?
Iāve only watched that one once. Itās great stuff, but itās not exactly one to play on a loop. I canāt totally remember the ins and outs of her performance even though I obviously remember the broad strokes.
Fucking John Mulaney off the top rope with the worst grace of all time.
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Throw the fucking fork is surely Emmy worthy.
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