tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116153.post5331803363497482927..comments2023-07-24T03:55:02.978-07:00Comments on Greg's Reflections: Language LevelsGreg Hullenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16720604327299886491noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116153.post-22795529022765116152016-10-03T08:29:59.452-07:002016-10-03T08:29:59.452-07:00I just reviewed the CEFR materials carefully and t...I just reviewed the CEFR materials carefully and translated them into simpler language. Bravo for finding movies easy! I'm the other way around. I can read novels in four languages, but movies only work for me in English. I can get the gist of a Spanish movie, but it's not much fun. (Obviously this is a place I should invest some time and effort.) But my conversation is good enough that when I was in Spain this summer, locals would quickly abandon attempts to speak to me in English. <br /><br />If you don't live immersed in a language, I think you're likely to wind up "lopsided" in favor of reading. If you participate in online forums (as many students of English do), you can end up lopsided in favor of reading and writing. If you live in a place like Japan, where the writing system is challenging, it's easy to end up lopsided in favor of conversation. Odds are, almost all students of foreign languages end up lopsided for one reason or another.<br /><br />Being good enough across the board to earn that C1 certification is really hard. Perhaps one of the big value-adds of certification is that it forces you to face up to the areas where you need work.Greg Hullenderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16720604327299886491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116153.post-15152180065788070342016-10-03T00:50:12.411-07:002016-10-03T00:50:12.411-07:00Hi Greg, really appreciated your post, and found m...Hi Greg, really appreciated your post, and found myself re-evaluating my honest level in my languages. Would you be able to clarify the movie watching bit of it, though? Where do you get your standards for "Can watch movies without too much difficulty." for C1? I'm in the C1 level for German right now, but haven't tested yet. I find movies extremely easy to understand, without any difficulty. My bigger challenge is the reading/writing at a true C1 level. <br /><br />Have you done any research into lopsided language learners, who for instance learned speaking/listening at advanced levels but whose reading/writing is not up to par?Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07593172198486676106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116153.post-5647252076609178302015-08-25T08:10:01.602-07:002015-08-25T08:10:01.602-07:00Thanks you so much for this! I never knew about th...Thanks you so much for this! I never knew about the L1 Heritage, which is probably my level in Spanish (my parents are Argentinian and are speaking to me only in Spanish, and I respond mainly in my native language). The only thing that's still different is that I do know how to speak it fluently (at least C1), only without rolling my R, because my first native language does not have the same R sound, and also because I never learned Spanish properly I understandably have tons of spelling mistakes. Any idea how's that classified? Sorry for the long comment and any errors I did in English.Shirleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07093724775827979542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116153.post-76361046763168600522015-08-24T12:13:49.252-07:002015-08-24T12:13:49.252-07:00In Wales, there is a jokey way of describing what ...In Wales, there is a jokey way of describing what you call the Heritage speakers as dogs, they understand everything addressed to them, but don't usually respond, or do so in English. This is maybe just my friends and family, but I've heard it a lot. e.g. "Dad's like our dog in Welsh, he listens to everything, but never speaks" The dad in question probably went to an English medium school in an urban area in the years when Welsh wasn't always taught, so never went beyond toddler-speak, even if it was spoken at home. His kids went to Welsh or mixed-medium schools, and were encouraged to speak, so have a different set of skills. <br /><br />It is interesting to see how easy it is to lose a language, even when it is all around.Malhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03874708539746570017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116153.post-46063890725106161642015-08-11T09:13:37.215-07:002015-08-11T09:13:37.215-07:00Immersion is great, but if at all possible, you wa...Immersion is great, but if at all possible, you want to reach B1 before you go. A B1 speaker who puts out the effort will gain an enormous amount from a few weeks of immersion. Lower-level students will gain from immersion as well, but the B1 who comes back a B2 can honestly claim to be "fluent," and that's an awesome feeling.Greg Hullenderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16720604327299886491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116153.post-22999140053394473002015-07-26T17:03:13.007-07:002015-07-26T17:03:13.007-07:00Great article, I have been learning Spanish on and...Great article, I have been learning Spanish on and off over the last few years and would say I am probably an A2, I did have hopes of eventually getting to C1 but reading this article would be happy with B2. But definitely need more practice and probably throw in an immersion course.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16532136923066018858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116153.post-89742916338911894682015-07-25T13:36:36.474-07:002015-07-25T13:36:36.474-07:00Sure. As long as they say "I can speak a litt...Sure. As long as they say "I can speak a little X." A1 might say "I have a smattering of X." <br /><br />Obviously B1 should say "I can speak some X, but I really need more practice!"<br /><br />Of course the truth is, we all need more practice. :-)Greg Hullenderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16720604327299886491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8116153.post-77154339917083105762015-07-25T10:54:35.570-07:002015-07-25T10:54:35.570-07:00Very helpful. I did a two week course in Italy re...Very helpful. I did a two week course in Italy recently and was a bit disappointed to be labelled B2, but they were right. I certainly fall into the category of talking away quite happily and then running into a wall.<br /><br />Would you say that someone who is in the upper As can claim to speak the language?Babbanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06612285557706681021noreply@blogger.com