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- please include language profi…
please include language proficiency in the profile
when reading the forums it would be very good to know what languages someone knows well
sometimes natives write something in the forum often in broken english but they know the subject very well. it would be great to look at their profile and confirm he knows that language
usually the languages that you know well are not the languages that you are studying..
35 Comments
I agree. Sometimes in the French forum, French native speakers get ignored because people don't see a level 25 in French below their name, and so assume they don't know what they are talking about. It would be great to know what someone's native language is.
I agree, but I would like that not only for French, but for other languages as well.
I'm sorry to say but just because you have a level 25 or have 1 Billion crowns in a language doesn't mean it your native tongue. It just some silly little indicator that Duolingo has created to keep user excited and craving more time on their platform.
I would be okay with saying, if someone has achieved the highest level possible than I can say there is a high confidence that they know what they are talking about. Can't say I would go any farther than that though.
Then maybe it should show what their native language is below their name. That way if they are a native French speaker or whatever else, it shows and it's not just a couple of crowns.
It won't do any good to put that in the profile because it will only be self reported. Unfortunately, many nonnative speakers of a language vastly overestimate their knowledge of a language that they are fluent in, thinking that makes them the equivalent of a native speaker.
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On the other hand, I actually think sometimes I'm better at explaining something in French than in English (my native language). At least, simple things that I'm really quite confident on. Because I actually learned it. English? I can tell you "this is what I say" but I usually can't really explain why.
I think what I'd like is something that shows your native language(s). Not "proficient", but native. So if some really feels they are native speakers of both English and Spanish, for instance, they can put that, but most people would only have one. And you could know to take with a grain of salt anyone who put more than say 3 (plenty of people are proficient or even fluent in more than 3, but I can't say I would buy that it's really "native").
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I agree with you, Betsy. I would be leery of someone stating they're a native speaker of three languages. I believe you would gravitate towards one more than the other(s). As stated, words are different in certain regions of the U.S.; for instance, I'm from Michigan and we refer to "soda" as "pop". When I moved to Florida, I asked my co-worker to hand me my "pop" and received a blank stare!
I will agree that often a nonnative speaker could be better at explaining a certain facet of the language especially if they have a natural gift for teaching or a lot of experience/training with teaching or else if they are a native speaker of the language of the person to whom they are doing the explaining so they can understand the thinking of the learner.
But I won't agree that the nonnative speaker will understand all the nuances of a language better than a native speaker. The native speaker would have to be mentally deficient (I am not being funny here) or there would need to be some extremely unusual circumstances. That was the point I was trying to make but perhaps did not do well.
part of that is the differences between how the different langauges are set up and the differences between regions because for example in the northwest, USA there are dozens of ways of describing how the rain is falling but not nearly as many for how the snow falls because we don't have as much snow fall.
Yes, I would like to show people that I can speak English, Spanish and Portuguese fluently, becuase when people go asking for language-practice help, they kind of ignore me when I ask for help...
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+1 vote.
The native language + 1-2 second languages on a higher level (conversational, fluent/advanced, intermediate, etc.) shall be customizable and be represented in a user profile, why not.
www.bliubliu.com does it IMHO right to ask the user for the existing knowledge in ALL languages (to guess about language similarities).
Duolingo does it a bit wrong.
Those user settings (per language) could be used to adjust sentence complexity, (customizable) translation ratios, question or lesson length (e.g advanced vs intermediate vs true beginner); the very complex crown level 1-5 system is not really needed.
usually the languages that you know well are not the languages that you are studying..
Well, not so on Duolingo! :-)
Example: Because of my PT-DE reverse tree (to learn Portuguese writing in translations, see more advanced Portuguese sentences, different vocabulary, etc.) I have a lower German level even I am a native speaker.
Same applies to the English-German reverse tree (if I will ever find the nerves to continue/test-out it).
Even English does not show level 25, where I have more than 23 years experience in this language, but because of my DE-EN completed (tested-out) course the English flag is still shown with a lower level.
Yes, language levels 1-25 are strictly about gained XPs.
They are simply not the right markers to guess someones proficiency in that language or what to expect from a user in a forum comment in specific sub-language forum.
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I have known non-native speakers who were tutoring native speakers in English writing. It happens. There are class dialects throughout the English speaking world, and college level classes require a different register than most of his pupils were used to using. They had grown up during a period when kids were encouraged to just write, whatever they produced was OK as long as it wasn't complete nonsense, and had never learned that they had to switch gears when writing more formal papers.
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Native speaker of American English here. I might have earned a DL level 25 in Spanish, but I'm far from fluent in Spanish. I need more formal grammar instruction, especially with direct and indirect pronouns, verb endings, and para vs. por. I also still have a frustratingly small vocabulary. I agree it would be nice to know how expert a commenter actually is in Spanish.
Greetings! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Here’s the thing - you can be born wherever. Having language code written in your blood makes you native speaker by practicing and learning about all specifics. It’s a process with a differeence that kids are not aware of it, usually, and adults are, usually. However, good society point is to have one of official diplomas of possessed language knowlidge so one can staple badge for fluent proficiency & all knowledge about it necessary (native speaker). Or label it as a certain level of knowledge etc. A1, A2, B1 and so on.
I'm a Spanish native speaker and I agree - albeit I admit not having bothered to try unlocking all levels for it.
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I am very impressed with your correct use of "albeit" , a lot of native english speakers wouldn't use it! I am always amazed by the proficiency of so many non English native speakers use of English in discussions on Duolingo ! I hope I wrote that OK........I speak Australian so I can be forgiven if I am wrong as lots of people don't think we speak English over here!!
