G'day mate, it's been yonks since I wrote my blog here. I apologise because I've been subject to a torrent of new things in terms of teaching and other tasks. Thus, I haven't had ample time to write anything at all. Anyway, I'm back here, but I might be vanished again; nevertheless I will try my best to make an effort to write something which is pertinent to English learning tips or news for those learning English or being interested in English per se. Today, I am going to be briefly touching upon "What's the difference between native speaker of English and fluent speaker". Let's get into it, shall we?
First of all, despite having some exceptional circumstances, native speakers of English rarely make critical or silly mistakes regarding collocation or word choice in comparison with non-native speakers of English or fluent speakers. So, whether you are considered to be a native or non-native should be dependent upon how often and how many silly basic collocation errors you might make. Of course, native speakers do make mistakes as well, but obviously the frequency of such mistakes is much lower than non-native or fluent speakers.
Another aspect that I want to focus on is grammar and pronunciation. Apparently, native speakers might have grown up in an English-only environment, which means that there may have been no foreign language interference before their linguistic and phonetic mind being established and fixed. Therefore, the vast majority of native speakers of English could subconsciously pronounce and enunciate various words in a correct way. But of course, they have learnt grammar and pronunciation during their primary schooling period. So, in a sense, the accuracy of them should be dependent upon their educational level. But nonetheless their pronunciation slips can rarely be seen as opposed to that of non-native or fluent speakers.
In conclusion, when it comes to the difference between native-like and non-native or fluent speakers of English, you can take into account the number of collocation or word-choice errors and the slips of grammar and pronunciation. This is how I normally reckon. How about you? What do you think? Of course there may be more hidden or indiscernible elements involved as to whether she or he is a native or non-native speaker. Please let me know.
Thanks for reading today! I'll see you guys soonish. Bye.
English Management Strategist (Masato)