Reply to Talk to Me About Regret

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]NP here. Yes you can become fluent in Spanish without immersion. I am one. I've gotten jobs that require fluent Spanish.

There is also research on how second language fluency improves executive function. Have not read that about Montessori but it makes sense.

So many the LAMB model will be the best? I don't know.

[/quote]

You sound really nice, so I just want to make it clear that I'm not disparaging you.

I am a truly bilingual person having spent my childhood bouncing between the U.S. and my other country. My mom spoke to me in Spanish and my dad in English. I also work in a place that requires true bilingualism.

I have to say that most Americans who tell me they speak fluent Spanish don't. Not the use of the word "most" not "all". I very much doubt that it is as easy as just moving to Bolivia for 12 weeks. You can get a good grasp, and maybe a solid cultural understanding- but that trip plus some college courses will not make you fluent by any stretch of the definition. Languages are hard work. [/quote]

I don't honestly understand what your point was here. Yes, languages take time. However, there are plenty of adults all over the world (and yes, even in the US) who learn languages to high levels every year. And fluency doesn't mean perfect, error-free speech. It just means a rapid ability to understand and make yourself understood. Per the CEFR scales, you hit that level at around B2 and definitely by C1. Any dedicated and cognitively normal adult can reach those levels with enough time and effort in a couple of years at most with a level 1 language (e.g., a Romance or Germanic language for English speakers, not including German, which is a 1.5 language). The DOD and FSI train recruits to reach those levels in L1 languages in about half a year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages

Waxing at endless length about how difficult languages are to learn and how you don't believe most people who tell you they're fluent doesn't really advance the conversation. The ultimate test isn't whether anyone on DCUM thinks people are "true" bilinguals (a nonsense term) or "truly" fluent (more nonsense) or not; it's whether people can use their language skills to achieve their personal goals (work-related or otherwise). If they aren't up to snuff, people will find out.[/quote]

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