Quote Originally Posted by charlestonian
Quote Originally Posted by ReDSanchous
Quote Originally Posted by charlestonian
Quote Originally Posted by ReDSanchous
I probably misunderstood your question. I asked you that question because I was interested in how good your Russian and English is. Well, for example, your Russian/English may be perfect or it may be very, very good but not perfect. That's why.
Nobody's language is perfect And that includes native speakers. And, how do you define "perfect?" Perfect South African, or Australian, or even British English may sound strange to Americans... Perfect language of the US South sounds funny to northerners..., and vice versa. Same in Russia. Go figure...
I normally distinguish between a native speaker's command of a language and that of a learner. Since you have lived in the US for long, you may be classed as almost a native speaker. It's all subjunctive and I don't think we should try to define what each of us means by the word 'perfect'. If you don't have any problems whatsoever getting your ideas across to people speaking the same language as you and at the same time you make very few mistakes, then your grasp of a language may be regarded as 'perfect'.
I am fine, I don't have any problems. But, keep in mind that just living in some country for a long time does not guarantee that they speak the language of that country fluently. Some people can live in another country for many, many years, and they still can barely speak the language. I know some Chinese, and Russian close-knit families who have lived in the US many years, but their English really sucks, because they continue to use their native language within the family, and thus learn very little.
That's exactly what I was talking about! You're correct that there are people who have lived in another country for many years and haven't gained much. I think that it's very stupid to live in a foreign country and don't even attempt to learn the language of that country. If I had an opportunity to live in an English-speaking country say for one year, I'd try to make the most of my stay.