I’m a native English speaker. I have a university degree in a complicated liberal arts subject, which required writing long complicated papers. Hell, I’m even employed as a writer. By all accounts, I am an “advanced user” of English.
And yet, I really couldn’t tell you much about the underlying structure of the English language. I can recognize what is correct and what is incorrect, but I lack the ability to explain the abstract, inner workings of my native language.
Has anyone had this realization in relation to learning foreign languages? I feel like I know more about French grammar than I do about English grammar. For that matter, I might know more about French grammar than a typical Frenchman. And yet my French is clearly inferior to a typical Frenchman.
I guess my point is - I’m starting to think that the idea of “speaking or knowing X language” is somewhat dangerous and misleading. That language textbooks with 10,000 word dictionaries and complex grammar tables are ultimately not particularly useful. Because, by many definitions, I don’t even “know” English.
Instead, the learning process might be better focused on achieving the specific goals you want to attain. Instead of textbooks, focus on immersion, real-world usage, and consuming relevant content. Personally, I’m interested in literature and film - I want to master French so I can read French books and watch French films. I don't care about the names of various farm animals or the complexities of obscure grammatical features - at least not for a long, long time.
Sorry for the rambling, but I’m starting to feel like slugging through yet another “Intermediate Grammar and Vocabulary” textbook will drive me insane.
Anyone else come to the same realization? How did you move forward?
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