Re: Language Fluency

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 13:54:00 -0400, David H <olen_outo_otus@...> wrote:

>Hi. I was wondering about how many languages you think it is possible for
>a person to achieve fluency in, one who has only been brought up speaking
>one language, and would have to learn the others from scratch.
I don't think there's an answer to this question, since different people
have a very different language gift, I mean, ability of acquiring languages,
and because people have a very different exposure to foreign languages.

>Also, is it possible for a person to become fluent in a language, without
>living in the country of the target language?
If that language is English: Yes, it is! (With English movies and music
everywhere.)

I believe it's possible to acquire a deep knowledge of a language without
ever having been among people who speak it as their mother tongue, but a
fluency gained in this way will stay 'artificial'. You won't ever learn any
colloquial speech, but speak rather a literary language, which may cause you
some troubles once you get in touch with natural speakers of that language.
They'll think you are talking like a book and you'll have a hard time to
understand them.

kry@s:
j. 'mach' wust