Can we learn to sound native in another language?

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  As adult language learners, can we learn to speak like a native, sound like a native, achieve native-like fluency?

• 00:08

  Right up front, I will say that my answer is no.

• 00:12

  I think overwhelmingly, it's not a realistic goal.

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  It's not something that we can achieve as adult language learners, and I can explain why.

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  First of all, let's be realistic.

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  Overwhelmingly, if there are, according to some estimates,

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  1.2, 1.5 billion language learners in the world today, 80% of them never get past A2.

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  B1, which is sort of the beginning of some degree of ability to comfortably communicate, might add another 15 to 20%.

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  So most people never get past that.

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  And if we look at.

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  The number of hours that are required to achieve these levels, once you get to B1, you have lots of hours ahead of you.

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  You have a long way to go.

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  Or if we look at it in terms of the number of words that are required to be at this B2 or C1,

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  C2 level, again, lots of words.

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  And to be like a native suggests that you are at that upper level of C1 and C2.

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  Granted, there is a difference between sounding like a native,

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  saying a few phrases where your accent is very good and you sound almost native-like,

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  versus having such a high level of vocabulary that you can read, you know, post in French and understand it.

• 01:31

  We 've all seen the example of the university professor who has probably a very high level in,

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  say, English, but who has a strong accent.

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