This all rather amusing. I haven't been around lately, as I've been "rockin' up a storm" with my band(look out for our CD "Welcome to Aeroflot" sometime soon ). But I could throw in a sarcastic comment or two.Originally Posted by EffMah
BTW, Effmah, speaking of spelling, perhaps you mean you don't know of anyone who has become fluent in a single year.
I think Jasper described me very well. You could say I'm good for someone who's never attended a day of Russian classes, but I couldn't compare to someone who's been at it for 4 years in university. And they're probably not fluent either.
I wouldn't say that after 40 years speaking a language you're not fluent just because you discover new things about it. I can speak....er...passing English, but as Dogboy said I hear about new words and expressions every day. But I'm fluent in English, if I do say so myself. Heh. It's always funny when people say "if I do say so myself..."
But of course you can't get fluent after 1 year of self-study. The best of them(Jasper) after 1 year of self-study usually end up being able to read and write at an intermediate level(S-2+ to S-3 if you use that US government scale thingy), speak about a level or so below that, and their listening comprehension usually sucks. Badly. Unless they get to be immersed in the language. Of course, if that is enough for you, that is enough, especially if you never really plan on using it other than in tourist situations.