Learning many languages at the same time

Firstly, it's not a good idea, because "all the --- all the time" is the best way to learn a language. If you could, you could sit with one language for a year or so, and then take on the next one, otherwise you could get your "language core" muddled up.

But, in Finland, the kids are started off with their first second language on third grade (about 10 years old), the second comes on seventh grade (about 13) and the next on 8th grade, and then on 10th (gymnasium/high school 1st - about 16) some add one or  more new ones. As the education is now-a-days (or was when I was in school), in practice that is studying more than one language at a time. We went from the Swedish class to English to German to Russian to Latin to French to... some the same day, some different days. I don't feel I got them mixed up.

Another reason for focusing on one language at a time is that you learn faster the fewer things you try to learn at a time. Just imagine learning to type with your toes while learning to play piano with your fingers... no can do. :-D

Luca gives a great example of two students who get the challenge to learn 10 languages in 10 years.
Now... I am just a dabbler... I am not doing this seriously enough, so I haven't been doing what I tell people to do :-D So I do not speak all the languages I have ever studied. :-D But... I find the challenge very attractive. I would like to try, first try to learn 10 languages in 10 years all at the same time; give all the languages 15 minutes a day, every day... and have at least 1/2 hour between languages.
Then I would try Luca's way of doing it. After all, it takes just 20 years. I'm 46 now. I would be 66 with 20+ languages. :-D (According to Luca, though, I would be 66 with 13 good languages and 10 messy ones on top of the mess I have at the bottom :-D)

Luca gives the following guidelines:
(he explains more on his page. If you are interested, go read it there.)

1) Choose a maximum of TWO languages at any given time.

2) Choose two languages that are distinct from each other. (Preferably from two different families)

3) Try to choose an “easy” language and a relatively “difficult” one

4) give the difficult language 70-80%, and give the “easy” one 20-30%.

5) Study both languages every day.

Niels have a bit more to say about this, he has 9 rules

he adds to this:

6. learn a language you are more familiar with and a language that is totally new to you

7. treat them as the priority language and the side language

8. manage your study time!

9. give your languages clearly separate identities.
     From color coding and using different letters to dressing up to a different persona
     and have a beverage typical to the culture of your language at hand.
     Like, study English wearing a bowler and drinking tea from a teacup with saucer and spoon
     and Japanese wearing a kimono drinking green tea from a bowl.

10. Use your two languages as L1 and L2 - study Chinese in Spanish and Spanish in Chinese :-D

11. Shuffle your flashcards and study them together
     paradoxically enough this actually helps your brain to keep the languages separate!

12. Study the same theme in both languages at the same time

Lindsay reminds of a couple of important things here, that go for all language learning and not just learning more than one language at a time:
- be kind to yourself and be realistic. It's not bad to adjust your schedule or plan to match the reality when you notice you were a bit idealistic.
- have fun
- all the --- all the time. "Languagify" your everyday. Use the Hidden Moments. Find a way to add language to what you do every day any way.
- find a way of sneaking in languages to the things you do for fun and relaxing and rewarding yourself. Watch your movies and tv series in a language you know but with foreign subtitles. Listen to music in your goal language when you exercise. Try foreign candy. Cook something delicious after a foreign recipe. Watch foreign cooking shows. Go to a foreign restaurant. Change the default language at Facebook and Pinterest to your target language. Read comics in your target language. Learn to praise yourself in the target language. Read blogs written in your target language about your hobbies and interests.

But - bilingual kids learn both languages at the same time. Doesn't harm them in any way. So why wouldn't you?
I remember one little tidbit; there was a man who thought everyone has their own language when he was little, because he spoke one language with his father, another with his mother, the nanny had her own language, the gardener yet another and the cook spoke a fifth language... :-D

P.S. When I was researching to write this blog entry, I happened to see a Korean word... and usually I'll just jump over letters I don't know that well... but this time I tried to read it. And I did. And I understood what I read...
Wow...
There are a few feelings that are as good as that *_*

Learn ten times faster

So, how to apply this to languages?

1. make the milestones smaller

The final goal is to learn a language. Now, from not knowing a word to knowing some 10.000 words and sentences is a journey of 10.000 steps :-D
Make a list of those steps and take one step at a time.

For example.
1) learn to say the alphabet
2) learn to count
3) learn the common greetings and wishes
4) learn the 10 most common words of the language
5) learn a couple of sentences where these words are being used
6) learn how to tell the time
7) learn how to talk about the weather
8) learn to tell 10 things about yourself
9) learn to shop
10) learn the restaurant/café speech
etc.

2. Do one thing at a time

When you study a language, study A language.
Of course, as he says on the video, learning and producing are two different things, so using a language is not going to take time from learning another language, so you can upkeep your other languages by using the language; reading, speaking, writing, watching television and movies, listening to songs and radio.
Also, commit to your steps 100%. When you are studying the numbers, you study numbers and nothing else. Learn to count from 1 to 100, learn it backward, learn to count to hundred in fives and tens and from hundred to 1 in fives and tens... Move on only when you are totally confident with numbers.

3. Be constant.

it's better to use 5 minutes to study every day in a week than one hour once a week.

Richard Burton (and Paul Pimsleur) said that 15 minutes in a pass is the absolute maximum, the brain gets tired, bored and quits if you study longer times. You notice this in that when you are studying for hours at a time, you will spend a lot of time doing other things like thinking about something else when you are supposed to listen or read, or doodle something while you watch a movie etc. Your attention is not 100% for more than a couple of minutes.

4. Don't put all the eggs in the same basket

You don't know which "vehicle" will get you there. Try all the methods. Stop doing what doesn't work, do more of what works.

5. Debrief

When you make a mistake, ask what you did, and find out why you did it.
Ask opinions, ask people to critique you, ask people to suggest improvements, listen to people's explanations and practice the correct way of doing things.

CORRECT THE FAULT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND WORK IN THE CORRECTION UNTIL YOU KNOW IT.

It took me a lot of time to separate nous and vous. Because of "we", I thought of "vous" as we. I had to intentionally remind me of "notre dame", "our lady", "nous is we, we, nous, we, nous, we, nous..." to get my brain to change it.

Other things to mention here.

- practice all four parts of a language every day in all available ways. Make sure that every day you listen to the language, you write in the language, you read the language and you speak the language. Even if there is no-one to listen, speak it. Not just in your mind, not just whispering.
In the beginning, you can hide in a closet and repeat after some video online, but it would be better if you found a sparring partner from the first day and practiced.
If nothing else, you can film yourself with the computer camera and upload the video to YouTube. I bet there's plenty of people ready to correct your pronunciation, especially if you title your video challenging... like "a polyglot counts to 100 in ---sh" or "I bet you can't catch my error". :-D
A bit kinder way is to find a sentence or poem or so, written down and read out loud, and record yourself reading it and then compare your recording to the proper way of reading it. You could also do it with songs, but a couple of sentences from a book would be better. It's not possible with all the languages, but try to find something. If nothing else, maybe you can find a recording from the Bible. Or on Omniglot there might be a sample sentence.

Project 52 in 52: Cambodian

"I have seen other incorrigible cases, like the Army sergeant who was sent back to school at age fifty to learn Cambodian. He did miserably and soon decided to retire from the Army rather than stay in the language school. This was too bad. The sergeant, like many supposed "no language talent" people, was probably as capable as most of learning a language if the circumstances had been right. If he had parachuted into a Cambodian village, he might have learned the language very quickly."
- Paul Pimsleur

Cambodian, huh... Interesting.

Khmer or Cambodian is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. With approximately 16 million speakers, it is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language (after Vietnamese). Khmer has been influenced considerably by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious registers, through Hinduism and Buddhism. The more colloquial registers have influenced, and have been influenced by, Thai, Lao, Vietnamese, and Cham, all of which, due to geographical proximity and long-term cultural contact, form a sprachbund in peninsular Southeast Asia. It is also the earliest recorded and earliest written language of the Mon–Khmer family, predating Mon and by a significant margin Vietnamese, due to Old Khmer being the language of the historical empires of Chenla, Angkor and, presumably, their earlier predecessor state, Funan.

The vast majority of Khmer speakers speak Central Khmer, the dialect of the central plain where the Khmer are most heavily concentrated. Within Cambodia, regional accents exist in remote areas but these are regarded as varieties of Central Khmer. Two exceptions are the speech of the capital, Phnom Penh, and that of the Khmer Khe in Stung Treng province, both of which differ sufficiently enough from Central Khmer to be considered separate dialects of Khmer. Outside of Cambodia, three distinct dialects are spoken by ethnic Khmers native to areas that were historically part of the Khmer Empire. The Northern Khmer dialect is spoken by over a million Khmers in the southern regions of Northeast Thailand and is treated by some linguists as a separate language. Khmer Krom, or Southern Khmer, is the first language of the Khmer of Vietnam while the Khmer living in the remote Cardamom mountains speak a very conservative dialect that still displays features of the Middle Khmer language.

Khmer is primarily an analytic, isolating language. There are no inflections, conjugations or case endings. Instead, particles and auxiliary words are used to indicate grammatical relationships. General word order is subject–verb–object, and modifiers follow the word they modify. Classifiers appear after numbers when used to count nouns, though not always so consistently as in languages like Chinese. In spoken Khmer, the topic-comment structure is common and the perceived social relation between participants determines which sets of vocabulary, such as pronouns and honorifics, are proper.

Khmer differs from neighboring languages such as Thai, Burmese, Lao and Vietnamese in that it is not a tonal language. Words are stressed on the final syllable, hence many words conform to the typical Mon–Khmer pattern of a stressed syllable preceded by a minor syllable. The language has been written in the Khmer script, an abugida descended from the Brahmi script via the southern Indian Pallava script, since at least the seventh century. The script's form and use have evolved over the centuries; its modern features include subscripted versions of consonants used to write clusters and a division of consonants into two series with different inherent vowels. Approximately 79% of Cambodians are able to read Khmer.

The letters and writing in Khmer are very interesting and beautiful.

All in all, it sounds like an easy, nice language to learn :-)

How can you start speaking a new language quickly?

Really easy, open your mouth and speak. I mean, you don't need to care about understanding the language or even correct pronunciation, to "speak a language"... now, people don't usually mean that.

If you want people to actually understand you, you need to practice a little in the "repeat after me"way. There's plenty of places where native language speakers say words and sentences for you to parrot.

If you want to be a bit more than a parrot - or an actor who learned e's lines by heart - it is necessary to actually also learn what it means that comes from your mouth.

If you want to be able to express your thoughts, ideas and feelings in another language than your mothertongue... it won't happen quickly.

There is no magic pill that makes you go from "I no spiik inglis" to advanced fluency in a week or so.
It is actually possible... to some extend ;-)

No, you won't master a language in a week or a month.
If you never sleep, it takes about a year.
If you sleep, it takes two years.
If you study about 8 hours every day, weekends included, it will take about 3 years
If you study 4 hours every day, it will take about 6 years.

The good news are that you don't need that kind of mastery of a language to be able to "manage" using the language.  :-D
Just look at Benny Lewis. One can disagree about what is "fluent", but the thing is that he can manage. One can question his vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, width, but what cannot be questioned is that he is actually speaking the language. He has a good base to build on, if he wants to improve his language skills.

This is actually important. YOU DON'T NEED TO BE FLUENT.

I mean... I can walk. I wouldn't win any prizes for my speed or style or anything, but I can walk.
I can sing. I wouldn't sell any records or break any records either, I wouldn't be able to teach anyone to sing,or so, but I can sing.
I can ride a bicycle. I wouldn't manage to mountainbike a steep hill, probably not even ride down a hill on good road without breaking or falling, my balance is awful. But I know how to ride a bicycle.
So - languages... can anyone really claim mastery in second and third language or are all of us "just learning"?
I know a lot Finnish, Swedish and English, and a little Danish, Norwegian, French, Dutch, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, German, Italian, Spanish, Maltese, Albanian...:-D

How much is "a little"?

There is a Finnish song in which the lyrics are:
Osaan sanoa kymmenellä kielellä kiitos,
osaan hyvää uutta vuotta toivottaa
Mutta aamuöisin loistavaa tähteä en kiinni saa."

I know how to say thank you in 10 languages,
I know how to wish happy new year,
but I can't catch  the star shining in the "morning night" (the hours when it's no longer night but not yet morning. I don't know if that time has a name in English.)

I do know. I can also count to ten in several languages :-D I can wish not only happy new year, but good morning, good day and good night as well.

You know, my definition of "knowing a language" is being able to do what one wants to do with the language. If one wants to read books in original language, that has one set of skills and requirements. If one wants to sosialize and make friends all over the planet, that's another set of skills. That is why it is so important to DEFINE YOUR GOALS FIRST. You could easily ignore whole parts of a language if it isn't that essential for your goal. People who just read and write, don't need to be that particular about pronunciation, people who just talk everyday stuff with friends don't need to know much grammar, and so on.

Things I find fascinating might not be that to others. I love grammar and parsing languages, I love etymology and the little whys behind idioms. I like writing paper flashcards and using them. I like color co-ordinating things :-D So that's what I do.

Bah. Now I'm just babbling. I'll go and watch some Kdrama :-D

Kató Lomb's Polyglot: How I Learn Languages - Excerpt

I have removed quite a lot, and it is interesting, so get your hands on this book and read it. It is full of anecdotes of Kató's life as a language lover and interpreter/translator.

Excerpt from Chapter 20: How I Learn Languages from Kató Lomb's Polyglot: How I Learn Languages

--

Let’s say that I wish to learn Azilian. There is no such language, of course. I have made it up to emphasize the general approach I use to learn any language.

First of all, I try to get my hands on a thick Azilian dictionary. Owing to my optimistic outlook I never buy small dictionaries; I go on the assumption that they are a waste of money because I would fathom them too quickly.

If an Azilian-Hungarian dictionary is not available, then I try to get hold of an Azilian-English, Azilian-Russian, etc., dictionary.

In the beginning, I use this dictionary as my textbook.

I learn the rules of reading from it. Every language — and consequently every dictionary — contains a lot of international expressions. The bigger the dictionary, the more such expressions there are in it.

The words for nations and cities (that is, places that do not have language-dependent names) and scientific terms that transcend specific languages reveal to me the relationships between letter-characters and phonemes in Azilian. I remember that the first thing I looked up in the Russian - English dictionary I bought in 1941 was my own name: Eкатерина.

I do not memorize words from the dictionary; I just scan and study them as though they were some crossword puzzle to be solved. By the time I glean the rules of reading from the above-cited international words, the dictionary will have revealed a lot of other things about Azilian. For example, I can see how it morphs the parts of speech: how it nominalizes verbs, how it forms adjectives from nouns, and how it forms adverbs from adjectives.

This is just a first taste of the language. I am sampling it, making friends with it.

Following this first assay, I buy a textbook and some works of Azilian literature. Regarding textbooks, I always buy one with the answers provided for the exercises, as I am an average language learner: i.e., I mostly have to teach myself.

I go through the lessons and complete all the exercises in sequence, as they come in the book. I write breezily, leaving ample room for corrections. Then I look up the answers in the key and write them beside/above my own incorrect responses. In this way I get a visual representation of “the history of my folly.”

I scold myself for the errors made and then promptly forgive myself. (This is very important; see the 10th Commandment on page 160.)

I always leave enough space in my notebook to write five–six correct words or sentences for the ones I got wrong. This is very helpful in imprinting the correct formulas.

As all this is a bit tedious, right from the outset I start reading Azilian plays or short stories. If I get lucky, there will be adapted texts available. If not, I just start on any literature published before 1950. (I can have trouble understanding the style of modern novels, even in Hungarian.) I always buy books in pairs: this increases the chance that at least one will be comprehensible. I start on the comprehensible novel immediately.

To go from incomprehension to half-understanding to complete understanding is an exciting and inspiring journey of discovery worthy of the spirit of a mature person. By the time I finish the journey, I part with the book feeling that this has been a profitable and fun enterprise.

On my first reading of the book, I write words I understand into my notebook, that is, words whose meaning I have been able to figure out from the context. Naturally,
I do not write them out in isolation, but in sentences. It is only after a second or third reading that I look up words I don’t know. Even then, I do not look up each and every one.

For those that I record in my notebook, I include the context from the book or from a contemporary dictionary worthy of the name.

All this, however, does not teach one of the most important of the four aspects of language learning: verbal comprehension.
What’s more, I have not gotten an accurate picture of Azilian pronunciation, because the phonetic transcriptions of the textbook are always of somewhat dubious value.

For this reason, at the very beginning of my language study I set aside some time for scanning the Azilian airwaves. I figure out when and at what frequency I can hear Azilian speech on the radio. Somewhere, sometime, I am sure to catch it from the ether.

News bulletins generally present the most important international events of the day. Therefore, even if the news items are selected according to the probable interests of Azilians, they will likely be the same on different stations, in different languages. So I always listen to the news in some other, familiar language as well. Thus I am given a key — almost a dictionary — to what I can expect, in advance.

If an unknown word crops up along the way, I write it down. After the broadcast, I look it up immediately in my big dictionary. The reason for this is that right after the broadcast, the word is still resounding in my ear with its entire context. If I misheard it (which happens many times), the context, still fresh in my memory, helps me correct the error.

If I find the word in the dictionary, a little self-congratulation is in order again, and this makes learning a pleasant pastime instead of a burdensome task.

Then, not immediately, but after a day or two, I record in my glossary the knowledge acquired off the air. I recommend this temporally staggered approach because one is forced to revisit fading memories—unfortunately, quite often not for the last time.

Once a week, I tape the broadcast. I keep the recording for a while and play it back several times. On these occasions, I always concentrate on pronunciation. Alas, I must admit that based on the announcer’s native pronunciation, sometimes I have to reacquaint myself with words that I thought I already knew from books.

Of course, I try to find a teacher who speaks Azilian.
If I find a professional educator, I’ve got it made.
If there isn’t a bona fide teacher available, I try to at least find an Azilian who is in Hungary on a scholarship. Gender I confess that I prefer being taught by a woman. Perhaps this is because it is easier to chat with women.

---

Filler expressions, such as “well,” “of course,” “still,” “yet,” “only,” “also,” “on the contrary,” or “I tell you” get greater play. I cannot recommend learning these so-called diluting agents too highly to students of any language. These are “non-negligible negligibles” because they provide a little space to catch one’s breath and to recall the more important elements in the sentence. My recommendation applies not only to filler words but also to frame expressions: collect them and use them!

---

To return to my method of language study, what I expect from my Azilian teacher is what I cannot get from either books or the radio. Firstly, I ask the teacher to speak at a slower than average speed so that I can catch as many words as possible from the context; secondly, I expect him or her to correct my Azilian, mainly on the basis of written assignments that I diligently prepare for each class.

At first, I write free compositions because it’s easier. Often these are disjointed texts, made up of elements not connected with each other, just loose sentences that I use to hang new, just seen/just heard words and grammatical phrases on. From the teacher’s corrections I verify whether I grasped their meanings and functions properly.
When I reach a higher level of knowledge I begin to translate. At this stage, an already given text compels me to give up using well-practiced formulas and rely on my translator’s discipline, which involves strategies I am not so certain of.

Uncorrected mistakes are very perilous! If one keeps repeating wrong formulas, they take root in the mind and one will be inclined to accept them as authentic. Written translations pinpoint one’s errors ruthlessly, while a listening ear might be prone to just glossing over them. I know this from my own translations being “corrected.”

---

If I succeed in getting permission to travel to Azilville, then the trip’s effect on my Azilian may depend on two factors. One is the extent to which I am able to observe and record the natives’ speech. The other factor is the extent of my knowledge of Azilian prior to my journey.

It is a grave delusion that merely staying in a foreign country will allow you to absorb its language. I think people have been misled by the Latin proverb Saxa loquuntur, or “Stones talk.” Houses, walls, and buildings do not undertake the task of teaching. It may be that they talk, but their speech, alas, is in stone language.
It is quite possible to pick up a few colloquial, idiomatic expressions or clever turns of phrase from the locals, but these generally do not amount to any more than what one would have acquired anyway by diligently studying at home during the same time period.
Neither reminiscing in your native tongue with your émigré compatriots who may now live in Azilia (“Do you remember Alex from sixth grade?”), nor comparative window shopping (or Schaufensterlecken in German, meaning “shop window licking”) will do anything for your Azilian.

Frequent listening to spoken Azilian, however, will.

Local papers usually publish information on what museums or galleries offer guided tours.
Also, there should be an Azilian branch of the Society for Popular Science Education (or whatever organization you’re interested in); they usually offer free lectures to educate the public. Whenever I am abroad, I frequent all these types of events and take copious notes every time.
Going to the movies can help you learn a language.
The ideal solution, of course, is to maintain active relationships with native speakers of one’s ilk and interests, with lots of shared activities—especially if these natives are willing to correct your mistakes, and if one is resolved not to get mad at them when they do.

The other factor that decides the impact of a trip on one’s knowledge of a language is one’s level of mastery at the time of departure. “A” and “F” students will benefit the least from trips. Those who know nothing at the outset will probably return with virgin minds. For those at a very advanced level, improvement will be difficult to detect. The best results will show - given the ideal conditions listed above — at the intermediate level.

* * *

My thoughts on language learning are organized into the little compendium below.

I.
Spend time tinkering with the language every day. If time is short, try at least to produce a 10-minute monologue. Morning hours are especially valuable in this respect: the early bird catches the word!

II.
If your enthusiasm for studying flags too quickly, don’t force the issue but don’t stop altogether either. Move to some other form of studying, e.g., instead of reading, listen to the radio; instead of writing a composition, poke aboutin the dictionary, etc.

III.
Never learn isolated units of speech; rather, learn them in context.

IV.
Write phrases in the margins of your text and use them as “prefabricated elements” in your conversations. Even a tired brain finds rest and relaxation in quick,
impromptu translations of billboard advertisements flashing by, of numbers over doorways, of snippets of overheard conversations, etc., just for its own amusement.

VI.
Memorize only that which has been corrected by a teacher. Do not keep studying sentences you have written that have not been proofread and corrected so mistakes
don’t take root in your mind. If you study on your own, each sentence you memorize should be kept to a size that precludes the possibility of errors.

VII.
Always memorize idiomatic expressions in the first person singular. For example, “I am only pulling your leg.”

VIII.
A foreign language is a castle. It is advisable to besiege it from all directions: newspapers, radio, movies that are not dubbed, technical or scientific papers, textbooks, and the visitor at your neighbor’s.

IX.
Do not let the fear of making mistakes keep you from speaking, but do ask your conversation partner to correct you. Most importantly, don’t get peeved if he or she actually obliges you—a remote possibility, anyway.

X.
Be firmly convinced that you are a linguistic genius. If the facts demonstrate otherwise, heap blame on the pesky language you aim to master, your dictionaries, or this book — but not on yourself.

As seven of the biblical Ten Commandments are in the negative, let me now list what not to do if you aim to achieve an acceptable level of linguistic mastery within an acceptable time frame.

1.
Do not postpone embarking on learning a new language — or restarting such a study — until the time of a prospective trip abroad. Rather, try to gain access to native speakers of your target language who are on a visit to your country and who do not speak your language. They could be relatives or friends. If you accompany them and show them around, they will help you solidify your knowledge of their language out of gratitude; they will enrich your vocabulary and excuse the mistakes you make.

2.
Do not expect the same behavior from your compatriots. Do not practice with them because they will be prone to giving prime time to your errors — or at the very least, they will be inclined to employ meaningful facial gesturens— to demonstrate how much better they are at the language than you.

3.
Do not believe that a teacher’s instruction, no matter how intense and in-depth it may be, gives you an excuse not to delve into the language on your own. For this reason you should, from the outset, start browsing through illustrated magazines, listening to radio programs and/or prerecorded cassettes, watching movies, etc.

4.
In your browsing, do not get obsessed with words you don’t know or structures you don’t understand. Build comprehension on what you already know. Do not automatically reach for the dictionary if you encounter a word or two you don’t recognize. If the expression is important, it will reappear and explain itself; if it is not so important, it is no big loss to gloss over it.

5.
Do not miss writing down your thoughts in the foreign language. Write in simple sentences. For foreign words you can’t think of, use one from your own language for the time being.

6.
Do not be deterred from speaking by the fear of making mistakes. The flow of speech creates a chain reaction: the context will lead you to the correct forms.

7.
Do not forget a large number of filler expressions and sentence-launching phrases. It is great when you can break the ice with a few formulas that are always on hand and can help you over the initial embarrassment of beginning a conversation, for example “My French is kind of shaky” or “It’s been a while since I spoke Russian,” etc.

8.
Do not memorize any linguistic element (expression) outside of its context, partly because a word may have several different meanings: e.g., the English word comforter may refer to someone who is consoling another, or it can mean a knitted shawl, a quilt or eiderdown, or yet again a baby’s pacifier. In addition, it is good, right off the bat, to get used to the practice of leaving the vortex of meanings around the word in your own language alone and reaching out to its kin words in the new language (or to the context you have most frequently encountered it in).

9.
Do not leave newly learned structures or expressions hanging in the air. Fix them in your memory by fitting them into different, new settings: into your sphere of interest, into the reality of your own life.

10.
Do not be shy of learning poems or songs by heart. Good diction is more than the mere articulation of individual sounds. Verses and melodies impose certain constraints; they set which sounds must be long and which must be short. The rhythm inherent in them helps the learner avoid the intonation traps of his native language.

Kató Lomb (Pécs, February 8, 1909 – Budapest, June 9, 2003) was a Hungarian interpreter, translator and one of the first simultaneous interpreters in the world. Originally she graduated in physics and chemistry, but her interest soon led her to languages. Native in Hungarian, she was able to interpret fluently in nine or ten languages (in four of them even without preparation), and she translated technical literature and read belles-lettres in six languages. She was able to understand journalism in further eleven languages. As she put it, altogether she earned money with sixteen languages (Bulgarian, Chinese, Danish, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Ukrainian). She learned these languages mostly by self-effort, as an autodidact. Her aims to acquire these languages were most of all practical, to satisfy her interest.

how to measure fluency

Am I a polyglot?

I don't think I am... I am fluent in only three languages, and I am not even 100% certain of my mother tongue anymore :-D

Language skills are very subjective... there isn't really any good definitions or measurements... It would be wonderful if one could test one's skills and be verified by other language speakers, but that really isn't a good proof... because one could get lucky and know the answers but nothing else. So even when *I* count myself as fluent in Finnish, English and Swedish, I'm sure there are people out there who would disagree. :-D

So, do I know French? 
I say "no", but I received a C2* language fluency in an internet test. I don't think I am "proficient" in French. I wouldn't even grade myself as A1 yet :-D Maybe my expectations are too high :-D

Why do I consider myself fluent in Finnish, English, and Swedish?
* I am not aware of which of these three languages I'm using.

"When you have mastered all, I emphasize all, the nuances contained in a given cuss word, and know when and when not, to deploy the word, so that you obtain the precise effect you want, not more, not less. This you do a native speaker of the language."

Nah... I haven't even heard some of the Finnish swearwords and I, most definitely, don't know "all the nuances" of them, and my knowledge of "when and when not to deploy the word" is basically, "Ladies don't swear. Ever." There really is no need for such. Because ladies never lose their temper, they never get overpowered by their emotional responses to a situation, they are always cool, calm and collected, and when you are, you don't have the need to swear.

"if you can make a joke or be humourous in a certain language, it's fair to say you can speak it."

This isn't a good criterium either. Some people can't joke in their mother tongue, some can joke even when they are just learning. But understanding jokes, especially jokes based on wordplay, do demand some mastery of the language.

Can I do my job in the language in question?

This is actually a very good definition. Because people who don't need much language skills to work aren't most likely using much of their mother tongue either, whereas people whose work demands high verbal skills are better at their native language also. One must remember that "native speakers" skills are not equal... so if you can use a language as well as a native speaker... are you talking about an uneducated person who is only interested in one thing, and who doesn't read books nor newspapers, or a journalist?

Do I think or dream in the language?

Yes. But my mind works that way. I dream of languages I have just heard, I think in languages I know I don't know that well, like French and German. When I hear someone speaking a language in the train or bus, I repeat the words in my head and adopt the accent, so that I think in Finnish with Portuguese or Russian accent etc.
So, no, this doesn't count. It only means I have a good ear and I think of these languages a lot.

I still sometimes think in one language and then translate it to another when it comes to Finnish, Swedish and English. "What is it in ANY language?" is something I say often :-D

And then there is this word... Chèvrefeuille. Kuusama. What is it in English? Can't remember. What is it in Swedish? Can't remember. I know the word but can't remember. The funny thing is that I can't ever remember it in the language I a using... only the others :-D

Anyway, this is only a sign of that there are words that I use most often when speaking one of the languages, and not so much with the others.

"if you speak to a person in their native language and they respond in that language" is a great sign of fluency :-D

Some other points:
* you can translate with ease between the languages, have a discussion with one person in one language and with another in another language about the same time.
* you can express emotions and your opinions on any matter with ease
* you can read anything without any help
* you understand song lyrics, radio and television shows and movies without any help
* being functional, managing your life and any situation that might appear as well as when using your native language.
* being able to communicate over the telephone

* European standard for grading language proficiency

The Common European Framework divides learners into three broad divisions which can be divided into six levels:

    Basic Speaker
        A1 Breakthrough or beginner
        A2 Waystage or elementary
    Independent Speaker
        B1 Threshold or intermediate
        B2 Vantage or upper intermediate
    Proficient Speaker
        C1 Effective Operational Proficiency or advanced
        C2 Mastery or proficiency

The Common European Framework describes what a learner is supposed to be able to do in reading, listening, speaking and writing at each level:

A1 - Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

A2 - Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment, and matters in areas of immediate need.

B1 - Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst traveling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
   
B2 - Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

C1 - Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
   
C2 - Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations.

How many words do you need to speak a language fluently?

My take on this:

The short and absolutely correct answer is "no-one knows".
But - because I myself am asking this question, I know it's not about what people usually think it is.

Let me quote from an earlier post on this blog:

"...there are thousands of words in every language. About 200.000-300.000 is about normal... (well, frankly I don't know how many. People say English has somewhere between 500.000 and 5.000.000 words. Considering that if you know the 2000 most commonly used words of English, you master 75-80% of the language... and almost all with mere 15.000. I would say half a million is closer than five million. But - I don't know. It's a lot of words.)

Another juicy little piece of statistics, and I don't know anything about the veracity of this:

age 2 - 200 words
age 3 - 1000 words
age 6 - 4.000-20.000 words
age 14 - 10.000-25.000 words
adult - 30.000-60.000 words

A typical toddler learns 10-100 words a day... 100 words a day doesn't sound possible. (but I can do that in two hours, so I suppose it is possible :-D)
Considering that a 6 years old is some 2000 days old, that would make it 5 words a day since birth to reach 10.000 words, which is a good vocabulary for a 6 years old. It's not so that the kids don't learn words before they start using them... some theories even claim they learn words and sounds already before they are born.
Anyway, the point with this is that this is the rate children - those "natural sponges" learn languages... so if you get fluent in three months... that means you'll learn some 2000-10.000 words in 3 months... 22-100 words a day. Adults do NOT have it harder to learn than kids. It's all in one's attitude."

This is basically what people asking this question want to know.

other relevant facts:
At testyourvocab.com they have these statistics:
Most adult native test-takers range from 20,000–35,000 words, most foreing test-takers have about 4,500 words vocabulary, foreigners living in an English-speaking country reach 10.000 words.

"the Reading Teachers Book of Lists claims that the first 25 words are used in 33% of everyday writing, the first 100 words appear in 50% of adult and student writing, and the first 1,000 words are used in 89% of every day writing! ...it has been said that a vocabulary of just 3000 words provides coverage for around 95% of common texts (such as news items, blogs, etc.)"

- How many words do I need to know? The 95/5 rule in language learning, Part 2/2

Now, I don't count singular and plural forms different words. Neither do I count any other form of a word as a new word. (See the definition of lexeme: How Many Words Do You Need to Know in Spanish (or any other foreign language)? And WHICH Words Should You Be Learning?)

There is also a "hierarchy" in words. It's more important to know the word "red" than "armadillo".

Common European Languages Framework (CEFR) and Vocabulary Size

CEFR level     Vocabulary size: English

A1                   <1500

A2          1500 – 2500

B1         2750 – 3250

B2         3250 – 3750

C1         3750 – 4500

C2         4500 – 5000

But - shortly put, if you learn by heart the 3000 most common words in your target language and their different forms and other necessary details, like gender and so on, you will be in a great spot to acquire a good language by reading books.

Now, Benny Lewis spits on people learning languages by reading books, I myself am in the Kati Lomb camp, and my goal is being able to read books and blogs in many languages. I also know that I am pretty good at catching up the pronunciation, and totally confident in that if I could read books in a language, I would be fluently communicating and expressing myself in the language very quickly if I needed to.