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Why do people lie about being fluent? | ||
Tags: Fake Reviews | Fluency | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| Haukilahti Triglot Groupie Finland Joined 4968 days ago 94 posts - 126 votes  Speaks: Finnish*, English, Polish | Message 33 of 88 28 April 2011 at 12:54pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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There are example certification exams out there, identical to real ones. The listening & reading comprehension as well as grammar parts, that require choosing an answer or writing a single word, are easy to self-assess with the provided answer key. The assessment of the writing and conversation parts is obviously not so precise, but you should be able to objectively decide whether you'd pass such a certification exam or not.
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| JamieJoseph Newbie United Kingdom Joined 4963 days ago 1 posts - 1 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, French | Message 34 of 88 28 April 2011 at 1:28pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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I just think that in a generalistic sense it sounds a whole lot better than "i'm learning". As there is some word association with learning, as though you haven't got a grasp of something. So people declare themselves fluent before they truly are. Edited by JamieJoseph on 28 April 2011 at 1:45pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| s_allard Triglot Senior Member Canada Joined 5434 days ago 2704 posts - 5425 votes Speaks: French*, English, Spanish Studies: Polish | Message 35 of 88 28 April 2011 at 1:31pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
Just to show how this question of the definition of fluency perverts our judgment, I'd like to return to the opening statement of this thread. Can a person speak Spanish fluently after a few semesters? Why not? Ah, it all depends on how one defines fluently. I certainly think one can speak fluently after, let's say three semesters (Is that about a year?), according to my understanding of fluently. Here I get the impression that the OP is using fluently to mean "like a native". Is it clear that the person is lying? I don't think so because fluently can mean so many different things. Why do people feel the need to lie about fluency?, the OP asks. First of all, we really don't know what fluency means here. Are we to assume that it means "like a native" or "can get by"? Secondly, I don't people are lying. I think they are just overestimating their ability. Actually, this debate is essentially the same when we talk about people saying they speak a language X. Most people here speak multiple languages. Are we to assume that they speak all these languages equally well? Of course not. Are people lying about their linguistic skills here at HTLAL? I really don't think so. In fact, I think people are usually quite modest because they are in company of serious language enthusiasts. To say that you speak 10 languages is perfectly all right if you are willing to qualify how well or badly you speak them. Edited by s_allard on 28 April 2011 at 1:58pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Naomi Chambers Newbie United States thepolyglotexperienc Joined 5075 days ago 23 posts - 30 votes Speaks: Spanish Studies: FrenchC1, Swedish | Message 37 of 88 28 April 2011 at 4:15pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
I am very surprised at the number of replies this post has gotten already! I was looking for some different opinions from people that did not go too much into, ¨What does it mean to be fluent.¨ If people can make their own definition of the word fluent, then fluent will not have any universal meaning anymore. Imagine what life is like when we change the definition of any word in the dictionary just to suit our own agenda. What value will a dictionary even have anymore? Not much. That being said, without divulging too much information about the woman in question, I can tell you that she did not even earn an A in Beginning Spanish. She has only taken a few semesters total. She is not close to fluency. With her abilities, I would say she is at least 2 years away from fluency. ( Without living abroad ) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Naomi Chambers Newbie United States thepolyglotexperienc Joined 5075 days ago 23 posts - 30 votes Speaks: Spanish Studies: FrenchC1, Swedish | Message 38 of 88 28 April 2011 at 4:17pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
The woman who lied about being fluent in Spanish also boasts about how intelligent she is. I wish this was a joke, but it isnt 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Naomi Chambers Newbie United States thepolyglotexperienc Joined 5075 days ago 23 posts - 30 votes Speaks: Spanish Studies: FrenchC1, Swedish | Message 39 of 88 28 April 2011 at 4:22pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
If everyone gets to make up their own definition of the word fluent, then what meaning can the word have anymore? Not much. Imagine changing any word in the dictionary, or altering their meanings just to suit our own personal agenda. What is a dictionary worth after a while? Not much. There has to be some standards. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5013 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 40 of 88 28 April 2011 at 4:28pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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That is worse. But for her only. Around her are most probably much more people able to easily find out whether she is inteligent than those able to judge her language skills. :-)
edit:Was a reaction to post above the one above me. I typed slowly this time. And just out of curiosity, I opened my Macmillan's English dictionary for advanced learners and found this: fluent: 1.able to speak a foreign language very well 1a. spoken well and without difficulty 2. expressing yourself in a clear and confident way, without seeming to make an effort The rest of definitions (points 3 and 4) didn't apply to languages. Edited by Cavesa on 28 April 2011 at 4:33pm 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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