One of the biggest oddities of human perception of language acquisition and learning is the idea of its finity. When it comes to une langue in all of its global enormity and multiplicity, there is no place for completeness.
No other statement is more ridiculous than I know a language. I have always corrected my students when they would say something of the sort about any language they were in the process of learning. In fact, one can never know a single language, even their mother tongue. Why? The oversimplified answer is akin to O tempora! O mores! In 70 BC Cicero very accurately formulated the underlying dynamics of life processes and the self-replicating generational belief in the deteriorating of the every “new” time. And although one can philosophize about the subject matter and productivity of such a reproach to the time one gets to live in, the mere fact that the phrase has not lost its relevance indicates the eternal flow of time. Every generation finds new ways and things to be profoundly unhappy about and naively presupposes that once everything used to be much better. What does it have to do with a language? The flow and the constant speed of life are always reflected in a language. Always. Hence, even the language you think you know is not fully there anymore. It never was and it never is – for language changes with time constantly, better or not.
Think of the many tech gadgets (でんわ, logiciel, das Ladegerät, grabadora, magnetofon etc.) that were never there hundred, fifty or ten years ago. They were never in the language as well. Moreover, some of them are not even in use anymore. Their memory together with the record of the human intellectual achievements lives in the language. However, the concept of knowing a language would presuppose that every single word, denoting anything – both old and new concepts – is within the paradigm of one’s language ability.
Consider of all the new slang words that your parents used to not “appreciate” and the ones you stumble upon now or, perhaps, you don’t. Perhaps, you use them every day without ever registering the exact circumstance and date of these newcomers’ appearance in your Sprache. Such examples are endless, their flow is natural and invisible. One can’t notice, remember and know everything. Hence, saying you know a language is akin to stating that you are the one who does know it all. It is not about self-confidence or arrogance, it is about respect. When I hear someone saying that they know German perfectly (because they attended language courses and got a certificate in 2001), I can’t help congratulating them on being a genius of cognition, especially if, ironically, I am aware of their limitations; that the individual doesn’t practice or indulge in German. Language is something you have to practice in order to maintain. It is the same as music (And we don’t say we know music, we say we can play it or not). What does it have to do with respect? Downplaying and belittling the skill of language proficiency, as if 30 classes can put basic French in your head till the rest of your days. Jamais au grand jamais. As everything extraordinary in life, knowing a language means respecting it enough to acknowledge that there will always be gaps and things to work on regularly. It is not like riding a bike. Butthat is the beauty of it. Don’t just learn, know, and move on, but continuously get to know it better by showing up and being curious.
The good news is that with languages you can do almost everything else but knowing completely – learn, read, exercise, forget, speak, enjoy, listen, feel, etc. You can even create a language if you wish. Language is an experience. It is a free flow of creative energy, and a never ending journey of collecting and processing knowledge – an infinite voyage.
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