Languages
Like many linguists, if you ask me
“how many languages do you speak?”
my answer is
“well, it depends on what you mean by ‘language’ and ‘speak’!”
For me, language proficiency isn’t a static thing. It comes and goes depending on my life circumstances. I’ve come to embrace this, because you don’t need to be “indistinguishable from a native speaker” to use languages in a way that’s meaningful and useful for yourself and your community.
The idea of “native speaker” is pretty tricky anyway, so I avoid using that, but that’s another story!
Right now, the langauges I spend the most time on are English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Below is an overview of my language experience.
Full professional proficiency
These are languages I use all the time. I feel comfortable expressing myself about pretty much anything.
English
Mandarin
Working proficiency
I’ve studied these languages extensively, and have used them at work, in daily life, and in my community. I’ve taken the equivalent of advanced-level classes in these languages. If I haven’t used them in a while, I tend to get rusty, but they tend to come back quickly if my life circumstances require me to use them.
German
Japanese
Korean
Spanish
Limited working proficiency
I’ve studied these languages fairly extensively, although I haven’t many opportunities to use them recently. I’ve studied these languages up to the high intermediate level. I can understand other people and make myself understood, perhaps with some hiccups along the way.
Cantonese
French
Vietnamese
Intermediate proficiency
I have considerable understanding of how these languages work, and I can generally communicate, with some goodwill and patience on the part of my interlocutor. I’ve taken classes in these languages up to the intermediate level. I’d be eager to use these languages more, if needed.
American Sign Language
Arabic (Egyptian, Levantine, Modern Standard)
Hindi
Norwegian
Persian
Russian
Urdu
Novice proficiency
I have some linguistic understanding of how these languages work, and I’ve learned enough of the basics to make an impression on people who know the languages. I know what resources I’d use to learn more if I needed to.
Amharic
Bengali
Burmese
Dutch
Haitian Creole
Icelandic
Indonesian
Khmer
Lao
Malay
Min Nan (Hokkien/Taiwanese)
Pashto
Portuguese
Somali
Swedish
Tamil
Thai
Tigrinya
Turkish
Uyghur
Yoruba