Uni students, how many languages do you speak?

I wonder what most people on here count as bilingual? Getting a good grade in a foreign language on a-level is usually nowhere near being bilingual in my eyes..
I can read Norwegian, and I can also understand a lot depending on what dialect it is, but I would never call myself fluent in it though.

This.

Threads like this always infuriate me as people claim to be able to speak a language after only having studied for the GCSE and A Level. These in no way prepare anyone for regular, everyday conversations.

Hell, I study French at uni and I'm even moving there in two weeks but I wouldn't say that I can fully speak the language. I don't even expect to be bilingual when I graduate - it's very rare for a language grad to be able to claim fluency.

This.

Threads like this always infuriate me as people claim to be able to speak a language after only having studied for the GCSE and A Level. These in no way prepare anyone for regular, everyday conversations.

Hell, I study French at uni and I'm even moving there in two weeks but I wouldn't say that I can fully speak the language. I don't even expect to be bilingual when I graduate - it's very rare for a language grad to be able to claim fluency.

I've been living in France for two years and wouldn't class myself as truly fluent yet.

It's interesting to read about the people who were raised bilingually and inspiring to hear about people who have learnt a language to fluency, but the masses of 'I got a French GCSE 5 years ago' posts are pretty irritating. To be fair, though, language classes are so far from the real world that you don't always realise how limited your skills are. It was only when I went to France that I realised I was missing really basic vocabulary because in class we just talked about global warming and irrelevant crap.

All the best for your year abroad

I was raised bilingually as my parents spoke both English and German fluently but I'm not actually German, just pure English lol XD
You were saying about language classes being far from reality, it depends what level you are at and what degree course you choose.


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In my opinion, language classes are far from reality whatever level you're at. A classroom is an artifical environment - my uni classes are great at teaching us the theoretical knowlege of grammar etc but you need an everyday situation to really be able to improve and put your knowledge into practice. Hence the compulsary year abroad included in degree courses.

In my opinion, language classes are far from reality whatever level you're at. A classroom is an artifical environment - my uni classes are great at teaching us the theoretical knowlege of grammar etc but you need an everyday situation to really be able to improve and put your knowledge into practice. Hence the compulsary year abroad included in degree courses.

İ don't think they are far from reality. All student go to school to learn grammar and other aspects of language. Language classes are tools to direct you. Surely, in language classes they teach you vocab, it is "book" in English, and in Spain for example they say "libro" is book ( not the "paper that was written information in" ).

Language is not maths. Language classes teach you to vocab, use of language and directs you, and it's your job to go home, watch TV in that language, listen to songs in that language, go to student forums of that country to improve it (examples).

Moreover, if you did A level language and got B/A/A* , and when you go this country you should be able to communicate. It is not like "omg reality is different". Some people fail GCSE English despite the fact that they are English.

I did A level Russian and Turkish ( I'm fluent in both and not bilingual ), they were not that hard for me, however the aspects which were examined were useful and related to real life and it is possible to survive with A level language in that society. If you gonna move there one day, it will take you a year (maybe less , maybe a bit more) to be fluent.

And definition of fluency for me is that:
1. You don't feel any difference if you watch a movie in your mother tongue or in that language.
2. People do not say "excuse me" or "sorry" every 2 mins when you speak in their language.
3. You don't say "excuse me" or "sorry" every 2 mins.

While I totally agree with your point about independent learning, your definition of fluency seems pretty low. Being able to watch a movie and talk for more than a couple of minutes is nowhere near fluency in my book.

Someone on another thread suggested that fluency was where you can hold a conversation on any topic in the target language that you can in your native one, with no issues in terms of expression or comprehension.