0:00:00.000,0:00:08.527 [MUSIC] 0:00:08.527,0:00:10.011 Hi, there language learning aficionados. 0:00:10.011,0:00:12.591 This is Keith Swayne at Five Arrows again. 0:00:12.591,0:00:17.573 I've been talking in my previous[br]videos about the difference 0:00:17.573,0:00:23.048 between proficiency and achievement or[br]proficiency and fluency. 0:00:23.048,0:00:28.239 Today, I wanna talk about different levels[br]of proficiency and what those look like. 0:00:28.239,0:00:32.032 When you think of yourself[br]speaking another language, 0:00:32.032,0:00:36.792 you'll find some of these descriptions[br]are helpful to peg the level at 0:00:36.792,0:00:40.759 which you are able to perform[br]certain tasks in a language. 0:00:40.759,0:00:45.996 When people are learning languages,[br]they always move through 0:00:45.996,0:00:51.350 a particular series of levels of skill and[br]this is very helpful. 0:00:51.350,0:00:53.212 When I have people joining our classes, 0:00:53.212,0:00:56.956 I asked them to take a look at a chart on[br]a website which I'm gonna be referring to. 0:00:56.956,0:01:01.457 You'll see my eyes looking over on other[br]parts of my computer screen here as I look 0:01:01.457,0:01:03.121 at some of the descriptions. 0:01:03.121,0:01:08.754 But I ask students to take a look and[br]see what describes them the best. 0:01:08.754,0:01:11.881 With a chart like the one[br]that's on my website, 0:01:11.881,0:01:15.723 you're able to figure out[br]exactly what level you're at. 0:01:15.723,0:01:18.563 It also helps you figure[br]out what you need to do or 0:01:18.563,0:01:22.910 what you need to be able to do in order[br]to speak at a new proficiency level. 0:01:22.910,0:01:25.317 So if you're a beginner in Polish, 0:01:25.317,0:01:30.064 what would it look like if you were[br]an intermediate speaker of Polish? 0:01:30.064,0:01:33.236 And what should you be doing in[br]order to reach that next level? 0:01:33.236,0:01:36.831 It hardly matters what you study or[br]what kind of a program you use. 0:01:36.831,0:01:40.660 You will progress in the same[br]order of development. 0:01:40.660,0:01:43.264 So let's take a look at a few of these. 0:01:43.264,0:01:48.005 And again, as I said, I'm referring[br]to something else on my screen. 0:01:48.005,0:01:52.380 First, let me talk about the very[br]first level of proficiency and 0:01:52.380,0:01:57.337 this is describing something between[br]absolute beginners and a novice. 0:01:57.337,0:02:01.881 There's various levels of novice, but an[br]absolute beginner is a person who doesn't 0:02:01.881,0:02:05.804 really have any ability at all in[br]their target language and that's fine. 0:02:05.804,0:02:09.521 That's the starting point for everyone[br]at some point including in English. 0:02:09.521,0:02:14.797 That's where you're at, but[br]a person who studies a new 0:02:14.797,0:02:20.305 language will soon move to[br]a novice level of proficiency. 0:02:20.305,0:02:24.880 And a high novice level speaker of[br]a new language can use maybe 50 or 0:02:24.880,0:02:30.513 100 words in their new language, they're[br]able to do some really basic things. 0:02:30.513,0:02:35.511 They're able to survive in[br]the most predictable situations 0:02:35.511,0:02:38.747 by using rehearsed words and phrases. 0:02:38.747,0:02:41.498 There can't be any surprises for a novice. 0:02:41.498,0:02:45.678 And if there are any surprises,[br]they are quickly lost. 0:02:45.678,0:02:50.375 It doesn't take very long to move from the[br]novice level to the intermediate level. 0:02:50.375,0:02:53.822 And an intermediate student[br]of a new language looks very 0:02:53.822,0:02:55.443 different from a novice. 0:02:55.443,0:02:59.808 An intermediate student can start[br]a conversation and end one, 0:02:59.808,0:03:05.258 can order food from a menu, can tell time[br]and the days of the week and the dates. 0:03:05.258,0:03:10.407 An intermediate student is able to make[br]purchases in their target language. 0:03:10.407,0:03:14.026 Maybe get directions on foot or[br]in a vehicle, can introduce themselves and 0:03:14.026,0:03:18.290 get some personal information about[br]the person they're speaking with. 0:03:18.290,0:03:22.986 And they are able to distinguish[br]between formal and informal address if 0:03:22.986,0:03:27.612 you're speaking Spanish or French,[br]or Portuguese, or something. 0:03:27.612,0:03:30.355 You'll know there's a difference between[br]the way that you speak to somebody that 0:03:30.355,0:03:31.679 you know well and somebody you don't. 0:03:31.679,0:03:35.888 They're able to maintain[br]very simple face to face 0:03:35.888,0:03:40.502 conversations with lots of mistakes,[br]that's fine. 0:03:40.502,0:03:42.988 But now, they're beginning[br]to function this language. 0:03:42.988,0:03:45.281 That is an intermediate student. 0:03:45.281,0:03:50.828 But again, they're looking at[br]predictable uses of the language. 0:03:50.828,0:03:55.356 What you'll find is that the time that[br]it takes you to move from a novice to 0:03:55.356,0:03:59.826 an intermediate is doubled when you[br]go from intermediate to advanced. 0:03:59.826,0:04:03.806 And when you move from advanced to[br]advanced plus or to superior or 0:04:03.806,0:04:08.447 to distinguished levels of proficiency,[br]each level takes twice as long or 0:04:08.447,0:04:10.375 more than the previous level. 0:04:10.375,0:04:11.632 So that's helpful. 0:04:11.632,0:04:16.650 So sometimes you'll say, I feel like[br]I'm at a plateau in my target language. 0:04:16.650,0:04:17.961 That's completely normal. 0:04:17.961,0:04:20.496 It just takes longer to get to[br]the next level of proficiency. 0:04:20.496,0:04:22.515 And keep going, you're gonna do fine. 0:04:22.515,0:04:27.267 It's impossible to keep working on your[br]languages and not become bilingual if 0:04:27.267,0:04:32.172 you're just following a few basic rules,[br]and that's another video to come up. 0:04:32.172,0:04:34.871 Let's talk about advanced[br]levels of proficiency. 0:04:34.871,0:04:39.819 An advanced student, this is not[br]a perfect speaker of the language. 0:04:39.819,0:04:43.694 And sometimes when people are calling[br]me about advanced Spanish classes or 0:04:43.694,0:04:46.953 French classes,[br]they'll say I don't know if I'm advanced, 0:04:46.953,0:04:49.673 because they're freaked[br]out by the term advanced. 0:04:49.673,0:04:51.581 Advanced doesn't mean perfect. 0:04:51.581,0:04:56.298 Advanced means someone who has a pretty[br]good idea of how the language works. 0:04:56.298,0:05:00.073 If you are an advanced student, you have[br]probably worked through some kind of 0:05:00.073,0:05:03.152 a textbook and you know the basic[br]structures of your language, 0:05:03.152,0:05:05.676 does it have genders like masculine and[br]feminine. 0:05:05.676,0:05:06.848 How did the verbs work? 0:05:06.848,0:05:09.045 What's roughly the word order? 0:05:09.045,0:05:11.871 Are there any weird[br]sounds in this language? 0:05:11.871,0:05:15.803 You got a picture, it doesn't mean[br]that you've mastered everything or 0:05:15.803,0:05:18.187 even that all the things[br]that you studied and 0:05:18.187,0:05:21.293 maybe tried to memorize that[br]you can use them perfectly. 0:05:21.293,0:05:25.766 That's a different thing, but[br]advanced means you've got a handle on it. 0:05:25.766,0:05:27.884 Your pronunciation is always intelligible. 0:05:27.884,0:05:28.643 It's not perfect. 0:05:28.643,0:05:32.872 You might be easily recognized as[br]a native speaker of something else. 0:05:32.872,0:05:38.017 It means that you could exchange[br]a basic message over the phone. 0:05:38.017,0:05:39.465 Generally speaking, 0:05:39.465,0:05:44.502 you can understand maybe 80% of what's[br]going on in a simple conversation. 0:05:44.502,0:05:48.249 And the people who are speaking with you[br]can understand 80% of what you're saying, 0:05:48.249,0:05:51.040 but there's still mistakes and[br]there's still difficulties. 0:05:51.040,0:05:51.909 There's still challenges. 0:05:51.909,0:05:59.570 The communication works when[br]you're at advanced level. 0:05:59.570,0:06:03.863 So when you're at an intermediate level,[br]you can survive. 0:06:03.863,0:06:07.513 This is what we mean when we say[br]things like I can get by in. 0:06:07.513,0:06:10.349 I can get by in Greek. 0:06:10.349,0:06:12.618 It means I can survive. 0:06:12.618,0:06:15.192 I could handle basic situations. 0:06:15.192,0:06:19.214 I can combine the words and phrases that[br]I've learned before to get my way around, 0:06:19.214,0:06:22.611 and it's far from perfect, and[br]sometimes it's really confusing. 0:06:22.611,0:06:23.754 That's intermediate. 0:06:23.754,0:06:27.242 Advanced means I can[br]have a conversation and 0:06:27.242,0:06:31.019 I might not pass myself[br]off as a native speaker. 0:06:31.019,0:06:36.568 In fact, I can't quite at that level, but[br]I don't need a predictable situation. 0:06:36.568,0:06:41.276 If I run into somebody who speaks[br]my target language, we can talk for 0:06:41.276,0:06:44.013 a half an hour in connected discourse. 0:06:44.013,0:06:48.002 Meaning, sentence after sentence[br]without large pauses and hesitation. 0:06:48.002,0:06:51.800 And sure, you stop and you look for a word[br]and you mix up your word order and you say 0:06:51.800,0:06:55.567 some things that aren't quite right and[br]maybe make an embarrassing mistake. 0:06:55.567,0:07:00.225 That's still at an advanced level,[br]but getting beyond an advanced level 0:07:00.225,0:07:04.355 means that you're able to perhaps[br]work in your target language, 0:07:04.355,0:07:07.825 that you don't avoid certain[br]features of a language. 0:07:07.825,0:07:11.956 I know when I was learning Spanish, one of[br]the things that I did early on is I would 0:07:11.956,0:07:14.005 talk in the present tense all the time. 0:07:14.005,0:07:16.056 Everything was as if[br]it's happening now and 0:07:16.056,0:07:19.167 then I'd add in some words like yesterday,[br]I'm going downtown. 0:07:19.167,0:07:22.092 Two years ago, I am talking with my[br]friends and I'm doing this and that. 0:07:22.092,0:07:26.958 So I was avoiding certain structures and I[br]know that a lot of my advanced students in 0:07:26.958,0:07:31.769 Spanish will avoid the subjunctive,[br]because it's so different from English. 0:07:31.769,0:07:34.685 When you get to a superior[br]level in your target language, 0:07:34.685,0:07:37.497 then you don't avoid certain[br]grammatical features. 0:07:37.497,0:07:42.174 Another thing that differs[br]between advanced and superior. 0:07:42.174,0:07:44.786 Sometimes even when you're[br]an advanced level in language, 0:07:44.786,0:07:46.331 I know that this has happened to me. 0:07:46.331,0:07:49.759 You start a sentence and you get[br]halfway through it and you think, no, 0:07:49.759,0:07:51.236 I can't finish this sentence. 0:07:51.236,0:07:54.803 No matter what I do, I don't know how[br]I'm gonna find a way around this. 0:07:54.803,0:07:59.531 At a superior level,[br]you can finish any sentence you start. 0:07:59.531,0:08:03.500 Sometimes in an advanced level, you can't[br]finish it in anyway that you thought of. 0:08:03.500,0:08:07.377 And you have to step back and say, okay,[br]how will I say this in some other way? 0:08:07.377,0:08:08.646 Can I paraphrase this? 0:08:08.646,0:08:11.096 Can I find some other way around? 0:08:11.096,0:08:14.779 Can I draw a picture on[br]a napkin to get the job done? 0:08:14.779,0:08:16.931 That's called circumlocution. 0:08:16.931,0:08:20.466 Talking my way around what I[br]was trying to say directly, but 0:08:20.466,0:08:23.308 a superior student can[br]complete any sentence. 0:08:23.308,0:08:25.792 They can participate in a conversation[br]between native speakers. 0:08:25.792,0:08:28.288 Sometimes when we're speaking[br]with native speakers, 0:08:28.288,0:08:29.886 they adjust the way that they talk. 0:08:29.886,0:08:33.765 Because they recognize that we're[br]not really all the way there yet and 0:08:33.765,0:08:35.933 they'll slow it down a little bit, and 0:08:35.933,0:08:39.038 keep their word choices[br]a little bit simple or simpler. 0:08:39.038,0:08:41.217 But when you are at a superior level, 0:08:41.217,0:08:45.377 the people you're talking with[br]don't adjust their language at all. 0:08:45.377,0:08:49.590 Some people who speak your target language[br]don't know how to talk to foreigners and 0:08:49.590,0:08:53.621 that makes it really difficult for you[br]if you're at an intermediate level, and 0:08:53.621,0:08:56.116 sometimes even if you're[br]in an advanced level. 0:08:56.116,0:08:58.896 But at a superior level,[br]you might not catch everything. 0:08:58.896,0:09:01.956 But you're okay talking with[br]native speakers in the way that 0:09:01.956,0:09:02.983 they usually talk. 0:09:02.983,0:09:05.294 You're able to understand[br]the information over the phone. 0:09:05.294,0:09:09.171 You're able to take notes when[br]you're listening to somebody talking 0:09:09.171,0:09:10.031 the language. 0:09:10.031,0:09:14.245 You're able to communicate[br]clearly with a group of people, 0:09:14.245,0:09:16.567 even on professional subjects. 0:09:16.567,0:09:19.701 There's some technical subjects other[br]than just sort of the day to day stuff. 0:09:19.701,0:09:25.212 You're able to get through[br]common blunders and mistakes. 0:09:25.212,0:09:26.423 That's super helpful. 0:09:26.423,0:09:31.268 Learning how to handle the problem[br]if you can't finish a sentence or 0:09:31.268,0:09:34.243 if you don't know how to say something and 0:09:34.243,0:09:37.984 you've really blown it[br]knowing how to handle that. 0:09:37.984,0:09:42.987 A superior student is able to understand[br]conversations between native speakers and 0:09:42.987,0:09:47.647 can serve as an interpreter for people[br]who don't speak that target language. 0:09:47.647,0:09:49.357 Again, it might not be quite perfect. 0:09:49.357,0:09:53.353 But at a superior level,[br]your knowledge of your native language and 0:09:53.353,0:09:57.419 your target language is good enough[br]that you can handle exchanges for 0:09:57.419,0:10:01.366 other people and you're able to[br]carry out job responsibilities. 0:10:01.366,0:10:02.950 You could actually work[br]in your target language. 0:10:02.950,0:10:04.866 There's another level yet, 0:10:04.866,0:10:08.782 which is the distinguished[br]level of language proficiency. 0:10:08.782,0:10:14.300 This is a person who practically never[br]makes mistakes in the target language, 0:10:14.300,0:10:19.582 is always understood by native speakers[br]when they're talking with them. 0:10:19.582,0:10:23.575 A distinguished speaker is able[br]to understand jokes and puns. 0:10:23.575,0:10:28.269 That's a tricky thing, when you can[br]understand jokes and puns spontaneously 0:10:28.269,0:10:32.548 without preparation, without reading[br]them in advance or something. 0:10:32.548,0:10:36.803 And somebody's making a joke or[br]wordplay and you can follow it. 0:10:36.803,0:10:41.322 A distinguished person is able to convey[br]exact meanings on various subjects, 0:10:41.322,0:10:45.703 including professional things and[br]talking about feelings and opinions and 0:10:45.703,0:10:46.875 that sort of thing. 0:10:46.875,0:10:51.157 It's one thing to be able to explain[br]anything that happens in your life in 0:10:51.157,0:10:53.063 tangible, physical objects. 0:10:53.063,0:10:57.902 But when you start talking about your[br]feelings and emotions and your opinions 0:10:57.902,0:11:02.979 about politics or the way your business[br]should run, that's a higher level yet. 0:11:02.979,0:11:05.775 That's more what we would call[br]distinguished proficiency. 0:11:05.775,0:11:10.798 There is a significant understanding[br]of target language culture and 0:11:10.798,0:11:15.561 that's one thing that is really[br]important to your development in 0:11:15.561,0:11:18.430 proficiency in your target language. 0:11:18.430,0:11:22.890 A distinguished speaker is also[br]able to adjust their speech to 0:11:22.890,0:11:26.329 accommodate whatever situation they're in. 0:11:26.329,0:11:30.264 So for example, if you are involved[br]in explaining a legal position before 0:11:30.264,0:11:33.500 a judge, you talk differently[br]than the way that you talk with 0:11:33.500,0:11:36.822 your buddies when you're having[br]a coffee in the coffee shop. 0:11:36.822,0:11:39.293 There is a different register. 0:11:39.293,0:11:44.320 Register is a reference[br]to a level of formality. 0:11:44.320,0:11:49.626 A distinguished speaker[br]recognizes that and adjusts. 0:11:49.626,0:11:51.920 A native level speaker is, 0:11:51.920,0:11:57.918 this is the holy grail of language[br]students and we all hope to get there. 0:11:57.918,0:12:00.311 The real truth is that as adults, 0:12:00.311,0:12:05.616 most of us will not become native level[br]proficient in a foreign language. 0:12:05.616,0:12:10.593 Although some of us get pretty close,[br]depending on how early we started and 0:12:10.593,0:12:14.785 our motivation level and[br]the amount of time that we put into it. 0:12:14.785,0:12:16.821 And of course, if you take my classes, 0:12:16.821,0:12:19.920 you have a better chance than[br]whatever else you're doing. 0:12:19.920,0:12:24.121 But native level proficiency[br]means that you are treated 0:12:24.121,0:12:26.809 like a native by outside speakers. 0:12:26.809,0:12:29.049 You're in a conversation and[br]you're one of the gang. 0:12:29.049,0:12:33.001 They don't adjust things to[br]treat you as a foreigner. 0:12:33.001,0:12:37.383 You feel more or less at home in your[br]target language as you do in English and 0:12:37.383,0:12:42.334 sometimes you feel you're at home more[br]when you're speaking your second language 0:12:42.334,0:12:43.973 than your first language. 0:12:43.973,0:12:46.280 You're really an insider at this point. 0:12:46.280,0:12:48.543 Another test, this is a tricky one. 0:12:48.543,0:12:52.694 If you can do mental math in your target[br]language, if you can sit there and 0:12:52.694,0:12:55.837 do calculations in your head[br]in your target language. 0:12:55.837,0:12:59.465 Wow, you've really accomplished something,[br]because that is not a simple task and 0:12:59.465,0:13:01.213 most language students can't do that. 0:13:01.213,0:13:03.319 When you are a native speaker, 0:13:03.319,0:13:08.678 that's when you would say that you[br]are completely bilingual and bicultural. 0:13:08.678,0:13:13.113 You function in this language[br]just like your own language. 0:13:13.113,0:13:17.821 In real life for most of us as[br]language students we're somewhere 0:13:17.821,0:13:21.928 else on the proficiency scale[br]other than native level. 0:13:21.928,0:13:26.792 If you grew up with two languages,[br]if you're the the child of a missionary or 0:13:26.792,0:13:30.060 if you were a diplomat's[br]kid in another country and 0:13:30.060,0:13:35.456 grew up with a couple of languages, then[br]it's very possible that you might be very, 0:13:35.456,0:13:38.357 very native like in in two or[br]more languages. 0:13:38.357,0:13:43.566 But if you're a person like me who[br]grew up in a mono lingual home and 0:13:43.566,0:13:49.172 spoke only English in your home and[br]then started to pick up languages. 0:13:49.172,0:13:51.159 Especially as an adult as I did, 0:13:51.159,0:13:55.223 then you're probably somewhere[br]else in the proficiency scale. 0:13:55.223,0:13:58.993 And of course, your proficiency in[br]various languages will be different. 0:13:58.993,0:14:02.839 In some languages,[br]you'll have a high level of proficiency. 0:14:02.839,0:14:04.824 And in other languages, it will be lower. 0:14:04.824,0:14:08.574 But it's very helpful for[br]describing your language skill. 0:14:08.574,0:14:12.921 And when you're talking with somebody else[br]and they tell you that they speak another 0:14:12.921,0:14:15.749 language fluently,[br]you don't know what that means. 0:14:15.749,0:14:19.958 So using a proficiency scale is very[br]helpful andat the bottom of the screen, 0:14:19.958,0:14:25.340 I'll put a reference to the chart on my[br]website that describes proficiency levels. 0:14:25.340,0:14:29.810 I hope this was helpful for you and[br]I look forward to talking to you again. 0:14:29.810,0:14:30.470 Thanks, bye, bye.