I usually take the assertion that someone speaks 7+ languages fluently with a large grain of salt. You rarely hear it said about someone that they speak languages X and Y fluently, and Z, W at an advanced intermediate level. It's always so and so speaks all these languages fluently. Acquiring fluency in Arabic for example is extremely hard for someone from Europe, unless they live in an Arabic speaking country for several years. There are definitely many people who speak 3 or 4 languages fluently, but when you get to 7 or 8, it's just an extremely difficult skill to even maintain once you achieve it.
PolyamorousAmphibian20 karma
I usually take the assertion that someone speaks 7+ languages fluently with a large grain of salt. You rarely hear it said about someone that they speak languages X and Y fluently, and Z, W at an advanced intermediate level. It's always so and so speaks all these languages fluently. Acquiring fluency in Arabic for example is extremely hard for someone from Europe, unless they live in an Arabic speaking country for several years. There are definitely many people who speak 3 or 4 languages fluently, but when you get to 7 or 8, it's just an extremely difficult skill to even maintain once you achieve it.
View HistoryShare Link