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Fluency in English

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

I was reading up on fluency and these definitions made me wonder just how fluent we are in the English language.

How fluent are you?

How fluent are people you know?

Novice

A novice has extremely limited vocabulary and grammar, understands very little of the language when spoken normally, has difficulty making self understood by native speakers, and thus has serious problems in an immersion situation. A novice may be able to order food in a restaurant, buy a train ticket, and find lodging for the night, but only with great difficulty.

Survivor

A survivor converses using basic vocabulary (time, date, weather, family, clothes); uses the present, past, and future tenses more or less correctly; and is aware of difficult grammar topics (e.g., subjunctive, relative pronouns), but either uses them incorrectly or awkwardly rearranges sentences in order to avoid them. Still needs to tote a dictionary and/or phrase book around, but can survive in an immersion situation: order food, give and receive directions, take a taxi, etc.

Conversationalist

A conversationalist has the ability to converse about fairly abstract ideas, state opinions, read newspapers, understand the language when spoken normally (on TV, radio, film, etc.) with slight-to-moderate difficulty. Still has some trouble with specialized vocabulary and complicated grammar, but can reorganize sentences in order to communicate and figure out the majority of new vocabulary within the context.

Debater

A fluent speaker can participate in extended conversations, understand the language when spoken normally (on TV, radio, film, etc.), figure out meaning of words within context, debate, and use/understand complicated grammatical structures with little or no difficulty. Has good accent and understands dialects with slight-to-moderate difficulty.

Native speaker

Someone who has spoken the language from at least the age of 5 (this age limit is subject to some debate: I've heard theories that a native speaker can have started learning the language as late as any time up to puberty). In theory, understands essentially everything in the language: all vocabulary, complicated grammatical structures, cultural references, and dialects. Has a native (i.e., invisible, "normal" in his/her region) accent.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

If thats true, then London and most other major cities have no native speakers of English then.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"If thats true, then London and most other major cities have no native speakers of English then. "

there's still some of us about

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound


"If thats true, then London and most other major cities have no native speakers of English then. "

I think I may have met only a handful of truely fluent native English speakers.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

My point exactly, whats normal and invisible, about the way someone speaks in the 21st century.

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By *reelove1969Couple
over a year ago

bristol

eh .. cum again ??

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Taxi!!!

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By *rightonsteveMan
over a year ago

Brighton - even Hove!

I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'.

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound


"I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'. "

Do the locals understand you and your funny short 'a'?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'. "

Yes, but only because it's pronounced by the Valet or Maid, as in "Your barth is ready, Sir/Madam"

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"If thats true, then London and most other major cities have no native speakers of English then.

there's still some of us about"

actually that's bollocks. i have the same accent ad my brother and he lives in Thornton heath. my kids who grew up in Sidcup have the same accent as us but his kids don't.

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By *iamondsmiles.Woman
over a year ago

little house on the praire


"I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'.

Do the locals understand you and your funny short 'a'?"
excuse me, and what is so funny about our short "a"s?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

was born and raised in Essex so English is a foreign language to me

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By *ce WingerMan
over a year ago

P.O. Box DE1 0NQ

*flicks through phrasebook*

ahem, My Hovercraft Is Full Of Eels

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By *londeCazWoman
over a year ago

Arse End of the Universe, Cumbria

Native speaker in both English and Bullshit

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"*flicks through phrasebook*

ahem, My Hovercraft Is Full Of Eels "

is a bugger when that happens

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound


"*flicks through phrasebook*

ahem, My Hovercraft Is Full Of Eels "

I start a serious thread and you bring eels into it.

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By *rightonsteveMan
over a year ago

Brighton - even Hove!


"I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'.

Do the locals understand you and your funny short 'a'?"

They have a right 'larf'

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound


"I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'.

Do the locals understand you and your funny short 'a'? excuse me, and what is so funny about our short "a"s?"

Sorry, Miss. Nothing funny at all, Miss.

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound


"I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'.

Do the locals understand you and your funny short 'a'?

They have a right 'larf' "

And you only 'laff'?

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By *rightonsteveMan
over a year ago

Brighton - even Hove!


"I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'.

Do the locals understand you and your funny short 'a'? excuse me, and what is

so funny about our short "a"s?"

Diamond: I bet you sound like I did 20 years ago! I was surprised at how 'northern' people sounded last time I was up there. A waitress said 'lunch' and somehow managed to pronounce the 'u' with more emphasis. I liked the sound of it so much I asked her again. She must of thought I was hard of hearing.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I have been in this country since I came here to do my O Levels in 1979, was informed by my EFL teacher to get rid of my accent and to speak like I am announcing the news, as this would enable me to climb higher on the socio-economic ladder.

That was the teaching of the day.

I cannot claim to be a native, as I was not born here.

I failed my English O Level 4 times by the time I left school in 1983, and I failed my English Lit by getting only a D in 1981.

Luckily, I had gained sufficient qualifications, one of them being a "B" in General Papers which was an A/O level exam that required one to write 3 essays on general topics in 2 hours, to demonstrate proficiency in English and got myself into uni, and I had not looked back since.

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By *rightonsteveMan
over a year ago

Brighton - even Hove!

Lickety: I'm a right laff. All you need to is pull my hipsters down to be in hysterics.

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By *iamondsmiles.Woman
over a year ago

little house on the praire


"I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'.

Do the locals understand you and your funny short 'a'? excuse me, and what is

so funny about our short "a"s?

Diamond: I bet you sound like I did 20 years ago! I was surprised at how 'northern' people sounded last time I was up there. A waitress said 'lunch' and somehow managed to pronounce the 'u' with more emphasis. I liked the sound of it so much I asked her again. She must of thought I was hard of hearing. "

I dont think i have an accent, well not a prounounced one anyway, quite a few people can never pinpoint it. But yes i guess i will sound like you did

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound


"Lickety: I'm a right laff. All you need to is pull my hipsters down to be in hysterics. "

I've only got little arms and I don't think they will reach to Brighton.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


".... excuse me, and what is so funny about our short "a"s?"

It's not ya short "a"s that's ya problem....

It's ya short "r"s....

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By *rightonsteveMan
over a year ago

Brighton - even Hove!


"Lickety: I'm a right laff. All you need to is pull my hipsters down to be in hysterics.

I've only got little arms and I don't think they will reach to Brighton."

Don't worry. I'll take them off for you

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By *B9 QueenWoman
over a year ago

Over the rainbow, under the bridge


"I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'. "

Lots of people confuse being able to speak fluently using correct grammar and vocabulary (dialect) with how words are pronounced (accent). It is possible to speak fluently in any accent. The BBC (or Received Pronunciation) is merely an accent. I have a Mancunian accent and I speak fluently.

I love to hear different accents - it all adds to the lovely mix of these fair isles!

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By *ruitWoman
over a year ago

near kings lynn

I am fluent in rubbish and jibberish but do have cracking boobs tho

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By *rightonsteveMan
over a year ago

Brighton - even Hove!

[Removed by poster at 18/03/13 22:24:40]

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By *icketysplits OP   Woman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound


"I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'.

Lots of people confuse being able to speak fluently using correct grammar and vocabulary (dialect) with how words are pronounced (accent). It is possible to speak fluently in any accent. The BBC (or Received Pronunciation) is merely an accent. I have a Mancunian accent and I speak fluently.

I love to hear different accents - it all adds to the lovely mix of these fair isles!"

The difference of a few miles can be heard in the accents. I wonder how long we will keep them with so much media and the bleedin' rising inflection?

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By *rightonsteveMan
over a year ago

Brighton - even Hove!

Dialect/accent....I got confused!

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By *B9 QueenWoman
over a year ago

Over the rainbow, under the bridge


"Dialect/accent....I got confused! "

A lot of people do - and they think if they have a heavy regional accent then they don't speak well when, in fact, they do!

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By *rightonsteveMan
over a year ago

Brighton - even Hove!

When I lived in the East Midlands, I could tell which village people were from by their very slightly different accent. No chance nowadays.

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By *rightonsteveMan
over a year ago

Brighton - even Hove!


"Dialect/accent....I got confused!

A lot of people do - and they think if they have a heavy regional accent then they don't speak well when, in fact, they do!"

Oi'm zorry.

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By *B9 QueenWoman
over a year ago

Over the rainbow, under the bridge


"Dialect/accent....I got confused!

A lot of people do - and they think if they have a heavy regional accent then they don't speak well when, in fact, they do!

Oi'm zorry. "

Yer welcome, chuck.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'.

Lots of people confuse being able to speak fluently using correct grammar and vocabulary (dialect) with how words are pronounced (accent). It is possible to speak fluently in any accent. The BBC (or Received Pronunciation) is merely an accent. I have a Mancunian accent and I speak fluently.

I love to hear different accents - it all adds to the lovely mix of these fair isles!

The difference of a few miles can be heard in the accents. I wonder how long we will keep them with so much media and the bleedin' rising inflection?"

i work with an aussie sometimes. everything he says sounds like a question

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I remember working with a group from Glasgow. They spoke English natively, but I didn't understand a word, and likewise for them.

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By *B9 QueenWoman
over a year ago

Over the rainbow, under the bridge


"I speak reasonably good English although my mild East Midlands accent (yes, there is one) has been watered down by living in Brighton for so long. It's an odd mixture. A bit like me really. I say 'bath' with a short 'a' whereas down here, 'bath' is pronounced 'barth'.

Lots of people confuse being able to speak fluently using correct grammar and vocabulary (dialect) with how words are pronounced (accent). It is possible to speak fluently in any accent. The BBC (or Received Pronunciation) is merely an accent. I have a Mancunian accent and I speak fluently.

I love to hear different accents - it all adds to the lovely mix of these fair isles!

The difference of a few miles can be heard in the accents. I wonder how long we will keep them with so much media and the bleedin' rising inflection?

i work with an aussie sometimes. everything he says sounds like a question"

Friends of mine who emigrated to Oz some years ago now speak like this but with a Northern English accent. Sounds very odd! LOL

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