Re:I used the internet to painlessly relearn a foreign language
by pessimizer on Wednesday September 30, 2020 @10:56AM
(#24639349)
I have friends that make one or more grammatical mistakes in virtually every sentence they utter in English, and have very few problems expressing any thought in a way that is quickly understood (often at fairly high-level jobs.) Plenty of those people have English as their first language.
As you've communicated, a major difference between native speakers and non-native speakers is that native speakers usually don't know or care about the grammar of the language they speak. They learn it through a series of dopamine hits they get from successfully understanding or being understood. If people who regularly and naturally use the subjunctive don't know the word "subjunctive" and can barely understand or repeat an explanation given of it, how important could it be to fluency?
As you've communicated, a major difference between native speakers and non-native speakers is that native speakers usually don't know or care about the grammar of the language they speak. They learn it through a series of dopamine hits they get from successfully understanding or being understood. If people who regularly and naturally use the subjunctive don't know the word "subjunctive" and can barely understand or repeat an explanation given of it, how important could it be to fluency?