Language learning myth: I need to speak perfectly

Few of us bother breaking down what perfection means in the context of language. Knowing all world capitals and flags by heart is a finite task, as new countries rarely appear; learning about all participants in a sports competition, too. “Perfection” is within reach. But what does perfection mean when we consider our own native language?

Are Donald Trump, George W. Bush, Marilyn Manson, Lady Gaga and others perfect speakers of English? Are they as perfect as contemporary and former intellectuals and writers? Or does language consist of a variety of open-ended scales for grammar, vocabulary, voicing, etc?

There are various estimates of how many words there are in different languages. The results vary a great deal, due to different methodologies of counting, and are often controversial in the scientific community and because superiority of language is often tied to nationalistic pride. What is not controversial is the fact that even university professors do not possess the “complete” standard vocabulary in their own native language, let alone the specific vocabularies in all fields of study and industry. (How well do you know terms used by pilots, ship captains, computer scientists, accountants, classical musicians, carpenters or rheumatologists?)

So you see, our quest for perfection will always lead to frustration. If even stellar intellectuals cannot achieve that in their own native language, who are we to self-sabotage  over falling short of this unrealistic goal?!

Instead, from the beginning we should set clear goals regarding what we are planning to achieve and why.

 

If you like the attitude of these articles, please check out my online courses : at the moment, German for Russian- and Romanian-speakers, as well as on goal-setting.

If you are interested in improving your English in the area of business presentations, I know of no better address than Tom Antion. Please check him out following this link.

Stay tuned!

Gerhard

About the GO Method

The GO Method applies research in psychology as well as principles of quality management to the language teaching process. It conforms to key elements of the ISO 9001 standard, while being more specific on teaching-related issues. Customers get access to easily adaptable document templates.

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About me

Psychologist and polyglot from Hamburg /Germany (*1979). Married with children. MA in psychology from the University of Hamburg. More than 15 years of experience as a university lecturer in psychology as well as a consultant for UNICEF, Terre des Hommes, IOM, the EU and private companies. Coordinator of the GO Method network, with representatives in more than 90 countries worldwide.

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