Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
near
English answer:
almost
Aug 4, 2004 15:05
20 yrs ago
5 viewers *
English term
near
English
Art/Literary
Linguistics
British English - CV
as in 'near fluent' when talking about knowledge of a foreign language. Is 'near' OK in such an instance or would you choose another word?
I know that people say 'near native', but am not sure about 'near fluent'...?
I know that people say 'near native', but am not sure about 'near fluent'...?
Responses
4 +7 | almost / virtually | IanW (X) |
4 +3 | near-native fluency | Kim Metzger |
5 | mention an exam you passed, with grade | Paul Dixon |
4 | good, excellent | Armorel Young |
3 | almost fluent | Saleh Chowdhury, Ph.D. |
3 | leave it out | David Moore (X) |
Responses
+7
1 min
Selected
almost / virtually
I would say "almost fluent" or "virtually fluent" - the second one is closer to perfection
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Vicky Papaprodromou
30 mins
|
agree |
Eva Karpouzi
7 hrs
|
agree |
eccotraduttrice
9 hrs
|
agree |
Ramesh Madhavan
10 hrs
|
agree |
Lizandra da Silva
21 hrs
|
agree |
Jacqueline McKay (X)
1 day 23 hrs
|
agree |
Alfa Trans (X)
9 days
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "I would like to thank all who answered my question, especially Kim, David and Armorel. Unfortunately, I will go for the 'almost fluent' as described in the application pack. Although, it is not my favourite expression here, as it does not properly describe someone's knowledge of a foreign language (as you all have demonstrated it on the below mentioned examples). Thank you ALL very much!"
2 mins
almost fluent
How about almost fluent?
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Note added at 9 mins (2004-08-04 15:14:42 GMT)
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Well, google search for \"near fluent\" got 1540 hits, \"almost fluent\" got 1650 hits and \"virtually fluent\" got 100 hits.
So, you can use either \"near fluent\" or \"almost fluent.\"
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Note added at 9 mins (2004-08-04 15:14:42 GMT)
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Well, google search for \"near fluent\" got 1540 hits, \"almost fluent\" got 1650 hits and \"virtually fluent\" got 100 hits.
So, you can use either \"near fluent\" or \"almost fluent.\"
+3
26 mins
near-native fluency
Another possibility.
Monterey Institute of International Studies
Instructors:
All instructors have native or near-native fluency and experience with the methodology of intensive language learning.
http://www.miis.edu/lang-ilp-langs-russian.html
Monterey Institute of International Studies
Instructors:
All instructors have native or near-native fluency and experience with the methodology of intensive language learning.
http://www.miis.edu/lang-ilp-langs-russian.html
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Kurt Porter
59 mins
|
agree |
Rajan Chopra
1 hr
|
agree |
humbird
9 hrs
|
neutral |
sylvie malich (X)
: Comment: This is interesting, I would qualify someone who speaks the language as a native but is not a native to have near-native fluency. However, the fact is that the person describes themself as being "near fluent" tells me that he/she is not.
1 day 21 mins
|
29 mins
leave it out
MIGHT be the best answer. To qualify fluency, which means the ability to speak (and be understood!) and understand other speakers in a language not your own rather tends to devalue your "fluency". I do agree there are grades of fluency but I feel that in a CV the expressions "outstanding/excellent/very good/ good" might go down better.
37 mins
mention an exam you passed, with grade
I would say that grammatically you should say "nearly fluent" rather than "near fluent". On the whole, as the concept of "nearly fluent" is somewhat subjective, I would prefer something like: Proficiency level English. passed with distinction. This would be an equivalent to "nearly fluent".
Another option in use in Brazil is "native-like" but I would not use it here, as I take this to mean someone with native fluency but not actually a native speaker.
Another option in use in Brazil is "native-like" but I would not use it here, as I take this to mean someone with native fluency but not actually a native speaker.
19 hrs
good, excellent
Why not just say that you speak good French (or whatever) - or excellent French, if you want to impress even more. To me, fluent is a dodgy term to use - as others have said, it is hard to tell exactly what it means. Is fluent supposed to mean that you can barely be distinguished from a native speaker (that would be the near-native fluency that has been proposed), or simply that you can speak it well enough to manage fine for all practical purposes? If one takes the second interpretation (as some people will if you use the term), then "almost fluent" could be interpreted as somewhat disparaging and not particularly good. Rather than say something with slightly negative connotations ("not good enough to be fluent"), it would be better to say something entirely positive, which is why I suggest good or excellent.
Discussion