How to Reach Native-like Fluency - Luca Lampariello at the Polyglot Gathering 2014

[@kevinbennett7232]

1. Attack every language from multiple directions -Speaking -Listening -Reading -Writing 2. Interaction with people and Exposure helps you achieve near-native like fluency rather than achieving C2 title. 3. Practice and make language study apart of your daily life 4. Learn proper pronunciation by studying languages from sentences then learn individual words 5. Study body language, intonation, and surrounding yourself with the target language

[@kenrock6136]

Thanks appreciate that

[@gigibolani4712]

Excelente Tnx browh

[@Almightservant]

Good job, Kevin. Thanks a lot.

[@juancpgo]

Good talk, Luca is one of the best I've found, cause he really seems to speak well several languages, not just communicate (which the majority of polyglots get stuck into). I love to get deep into these subjects. However, I think one doesn't really need to get that much into it to achieve fluency. For example, I don't think you need to learn intonation or pronunciation separately from content, as Luca mentioned around 47:00 ("super segmental features" or something). I think this is all knowledge embedded into the language. IF you are very enthusiastic about that type of strategic studying, DO IT, because when you're excited you learn a lot. But if you like a more natural approach, if you just hear a LOT your brain figures that stuff out. You're in no disadvantage imo. Some people with great talent pick up these details much quicker (that's why some people pick up decent pronunciation early on, their brains are good at picking up those tiny details), but I believe anyone with enough time/input will get there. Some people though live like 10 YEARS in their target language country and still don't achieve good pronunciation. I think it's because they don't want it, they shut their brains to that, cause they're not interested or maybe they gave up too early. But if you ARE interested, then your brain picks it all, bit by bit. At the end, it's just input and interest.

[@spanishonlinetutor8124]

+Juan P I guess interest plays a very essential role in language learning

[@juancpgo]

Jaja Mama Personally, interest is essential in anything I do. Without interest it’s death to me.

[@spanishonlinetutor8124]

Juan yes, well said :)

[@msjennable]

Is it maybe a contradictory opinion to be impressed with his speaking well and not just communicating when in fact...if they are doing it for fun and naturally soaking it up...isn't communication the main goal?

[@msjennable]

And may I ask how many languages do you speak?

[@DelNegro10]

Lucas, the Best of the very best!

[@fernandoibica2665]

God has given he talent, this man was born for this

[@azzteke]

given HIM talent.

[@learnlanguageswithyogee9509]

I agree that passing the highest level of exam, namely C2, does not mean one has achieved native like fluency

[@bobadams179]

This would have been better if the camera was placed closer to the power point screen. I could not see any of the visual information being presented. As a visual learner this is very important.

[@kaczynskis5721]

Perhaps the display was considered unimportant. But basically we have the backs of a lot of heads, easier to see than the display.

[@einarabelc5]

@@kaczynskis5721 Polish Humor!! Dobry!

[@einarabelc5]

A simple output capture recorded from the laptop would have worked.

[@kv6639]

You aren't a visual learner. Learning styles = myth.

[@languageoffootball]

K V what is your theory then?

[@TheFamous35]

Luca is the most adept poly out there. He speaks at least 5 languages with native level pronunciation and fluency.

[@jjsih8821]

There are people who speak many more languages at higher levels but they choose not to make a career out of it but I agree, out of the ones posting on youtube and promoting themselves, he is the most legitimate and knowledgeable about the cognitive processes involved in language learning,

[@azzteke]

???

[@hotstep777]

American Writer really dude? Really? Lets see you do a presentation like him in just ONE different language.

[@imirish4702]

American Writer If you are American you are the last people on Earth to be critical of polyglots. It’s rare for a non Hispanic American to achieve a C1 in Espagnol despite sharing a land border with Mexico.

[@rudymelo880]

vladimir skultety is very good as well. Watch the video of him speaking 19 languages

[@doctorj7112]

This is a great presentation, thank you. Learning a new language is painful but pushing through is rewarding in the end.

[@Dude-ln8pe]

How to push through?

[@alessiomarin1218]

His English has improved since this conference.

[@brendon2462]

Improved, if so that's very impressive. Because he already has great English speaking skills here. I'm a native of America and he sounds like a native. His vocabulary is excellent.

[@TopSpinWilly]

His English is fine.

[@baronmeduse]

Not that much really. I watched a recent video last week. At some points you settle into a position; I did it with French. With English it's so pervasive now that good mimics can home in on American English sound systems and if your level is fluent it fools people into believing you are native. But a native's ear is highly attuned to who is and isn't native. To my British English ear it always sounds like foreign English.

[@lorenzov.678]

@@baronmeduse I'm italian so I can't get a valuable opinion about his English pronunciation but since the beginning of his journey on KZbin (2008) Luca said that his goal was to speak with an American accent... So it's normal for a British person to hear foreign sounds with his way of speak.

[@baronmeduse]

@@lorenzov.678 Even with mimicry of a standard American English accent, it sounds foreign to me. There are give-away pronunciations of certain vowels/diphthongs, the prosody, etc. It has a slight singing quality like Latin Americans who speak English. His English is exceptionally good, but a lot of folk who claim native-like fluency will rarely fool a native speaker's ear, in any language. Even if they are initially fooled there will be clues eventually. Of course for the purposes of just speaking a foreign language this is largely irrelevant.

[@WeAreMiss]

Everything you said is just true! I always try to explain people that even though I speak several languages fluently (according to my very own definition), there is a huge difference in the vocabulary I know and in the way I can "imitate" facial expressions ansd gestures depending on where and how I learned the language.

[@hugmedonkey]

Présentation très intéressante. Beaucoup de remarques très pertinentes. Beau travail d'analyse Luca.

[@nathanpiazza9644]

I really like this video! I really wish we could see his slides more clearly, or have an outline in the video description.

[@drgeraldocostaassessoriaes5026]

Oh, my God| we are in 2017 and this video is amazing to watch. Thanks for sharing

[@nelsongonzalez4533]

The best way to learn new words is to group them into family groups or to learn them in context or in specific situations. Also, a lot of listening and reading.

[@niceleeuk]

Hi Luca, I'm English, I don't think many English people would know your not a native speaker, your English sounds perfect.

[@Emile.gorgonZola]

Sometimes he stresses certain syllables unnecessarily, which becomes obvious over time because he repeatedly does it. Especially when he stresses functional words, like "if", way too often for a stress-based language like English. Just being a native speaker isn't enough for you to pass judgement on whether someone else's English sounds perfect or not. I mean, you even used "your" instead of "you're". But yeah, his English is pretty good. Not perfect, though.

[@prothobs]

Maximillius your would be correct, I believe.

[@ilidionbeurkley]

Maximillius In the same token, being a native speaker often gives one the ability to ascertain how well a person does in a given language; I mean, speaking and writing in a specific language for the majority of your life gives you more than slight credibility when it comes to judging how well a person speaks. Yes, you may be able to hear the "overstressing" of words, but most of the time that is not an issue, and even if it is, who's to say that it's not found in among native speakers. Yes, paying close enough attention, one can hear a few grammatical and pronunciation-based "hiccups" in his speech, but again, that is often true of native speakers. The thing is, he speaks, reads and writes more than well enough to give advice on this subject. By the way, "especially" used in your sentence would, by many grammarians, be seen as incorrect; it should be "~~because he repeatedly does it, especially when~~". But, hey, "hiccups" happen to us all.

[@maia3420]

Yeah, it took me a few minutes when I first heard him speak to realize that he wasn't a native. But his grammar in my opinion is actually better than the average native speaker and his accent is not as strong as say an urban native .

[@ilidionbeurkley]

Mai A I would argue that his grammar is almost on par with the average native speaker, but falls a little short (though not so much that it warrants ridicule). And what do you mean by "urban native", if I may ask.

[@Bucherviews]

Great talk, but I wish I could see the slides.

[@aqynbc]

His French accent is really good!

[@ИванПетров-б1ч7о]

There many great ideas for using, thank you

[@rushyrushy7207]

Firstly, I want to compliment the presenter and say that I value very much his advice. Second, I want to say that being a polyglot does not mean that one knows ever nook and cranny of a language. Third, writing and reading a book is something that very few people are good at and that, usually, takes years of study and knowledge of a language. The two years' polyglot learning strategy is okay to, let's say, interpret, but reading and writing is not for everyone. Lastly, C2 level exams are TOUGH and anyone who has attained or is at that level, even without an official Cambridge or Oxford certification, usually is considered a native speaker, theoretically and practically.

[@franklinalexanderColmenarez]

es una gran pena que los coordinadores de Polyglot Gathering no hayan puesto las diapositivas al menos al lado de lucas para mejor efecto educacional ..... !

[@jeanenviedapprendre]

When I was learning French I really like having the IPA in my dictionary. Once you learn the range of sounds used in a language the IPA can clarify pronunciation in a language where the relation between spelling and pronunciation is difficult or inconsistant. With Italian or Russian all I need to know is which syllable to accent.

[@bilbohob7179]

And spanish is easier. The accent syllable is marked...

[@khanhthien2095]

Really really appreciate your time!

[@francegamble1]

I think the police one is very important, too. When we messed up in Hokkaido, my friends didn't trust their Japanese to speak with the police who responded. I realized their was a slight accent issue (I had a Tokyo accent), but we were able to communicate. I got us out of the ticket. Able to explain that we forgot the time due to the sun still being above the horizon in July, and that we were so sorry for disturbing the locals. I got the train schedule, and permission to camp on the beach for the night. As my friends joked and we had fun that night camping with the ocean, I realized that my Japanese was a lot farther along. I sometimes think about attending the polyglot conference, but I am still scared to meet others.

[@annmax7786]

bravo, Luca! Excellent as always!

[@thekschannel8563]

When I began listening this polyglot I taught English was his first language 👏

[@trollforaliving6857]

dont wanna nitpick but i hear an accent.

[@trh917]

There are analysts and commentators on television that don't speak proper english during popular sporting events. I would be happy just to be able to comunicate confidently in a foreign lanquage.

[@TheFernando9999]

1.A growth Mindset makes the difference 2.Being aware of Neuro-Science is an asset

[@Mau24ef]

Así quiero vivir mi vida! #inspiring #Respekt

[@valeriadabruzzo8458]

Thank you so much, it was very interesting, congratulations for the chanel , i love it

[@AngelFlores-bi5xw]

Excellent!

[@ulisesfonseca7937]

was Great , you use the audio awsome to get the answers as well , thank you

[@spirititi2303]

Even if you didn't say a lot in french , i heard your accent in really nice !!! for a lot of people acquiring the 'right' accent is really hard, could you make a video about that maybe?

[@Ploppism]

Is there any way to get the slides?

[@irenemcnamara9699]

Lucas sounds native. Its amazing!

[@micheledorigatti6082]

Are the slide available?

[@weewooweewoo906]

Another amazing amazing presentation by Luca. Very helpful. And he definitely speaks better than many native English speakers honestly...

[@ilidionbeurkley]

Um...That's a bit of an overstatement, in my opinion. He speaks rather well, and obviously at a near-native level, but saying he speaks better than many natives...that's a (linguistically) slippery slope of a conversation.

[@weewooweewoo906]

Marcus Scott You haven't heard the kids who live around here. Lol.

[@shaolin89]

+Marcus Scott No

[@ilidionbeurkley]

+Frederik Rasmussen No...what? No extraterrestrial sailor soldiers with moon crystal powers?

[@ilidionbeurkley]

+Xiao Mei Way late in responding, I guess, and am only doing so because I see someone responded 7 hours ago to something I wrote nine months ago. (KZbin commenting: it's either as fast as lightning or as slow as a corpse.) It depends on what the kids in your neighborhood are speaking: if it's a sociolect like AAVE (African American Vernacular English) or some other similarly derived sociolect, then there is technically nothing wrong with how they speak. I myself grew up speaking both Standard American English and AAVE, and employed code-switching depending on my situation. Now, people may deem AAVE incorrect because it doesn't strictly adhere to Standard English norms...which is the whole point: if it did, it wouldn't need to be classified as a sociolect. However, it has its own consistent grammar and structure (i.e. you just can't say things all willy nilly and hope they make sense; at best, you'll get an eye-roll--at worst, you'll be made fun of.), However, I don't know if AAVE applies in your situation, but am more than sure that if they are and were raised in an English-speaking area, then more than likely they know "proper" grammar when it comes to Standard English; they may just prefer to speak in the vernacular, which often allows for much more fluidity (yet still requires adherence to certain grammatical norms).

[@Janganoid]

have the organizers of the polyglot gathering considered taking one of these conferences to Jamaica?

[@Sprachprofi]

Jenoye Stewart That's beyond our capabilities unfortunately. We are just hobbyists and we have never been to Jamaica. Organizing a conference in a place you don't live is too difficult. Have you thought of coming to the Polyglot Conference this October? It will take place in New York, may be easier to get to. www.polyglotconference.com

[@ivanduvok]

Would this bring about a big crowd in Jamaica?

[@langstonmorrison1850]

I’d love to organize with you on this tho. I am Jamaican (not currently living there but go back frequently).

[@annakazelov973]

Good talk

[@dotdotMitch]

Hey, I'm an english 19 year old looking to learn dutch, can anyone help me please! I've done a few courses already on memrise

[@fastfowler]

duolingo. really helpful I am learning Italian and using it for German revision

[@meriotheart]

You can see if you're able to find someone to speak/write with. Just wondering, but why do you want to learn Dutch?

[@dotdotMitch]

Would like to some day move there + my girlfriend lives there

[@meriotheart]

***** Nice, well good luck with Dutch then. (If you already speak a bit of Dutch you can try using HelloTalk.)

[@swinxfee]

Read in dutch, watch a dutch tv show and listen to and learn dutch songs. Look up: Ronnie Flex, lil kleine, broederliefde, jonna fraser. These are the big dutch hip hop artists. It's a fun way of gaining vocab, fluency and to help your pronunciation.

[@elyam.9752]

Very interesting ✌🏽

[@benalexender3046]

Thanks from Egypt:)

[@MrsKoldun]

Sir at 32:00 what usually helps with the police is to pretend to not understand if it is a minor offence. :D

[@k0dzer0]

The lecture is interesting but I can't see sliders((

[@kaczynskis5721]

The actual educational level of native speakers is variable. At first I used to take the native speaker as gospel but found that I might for example spell the L2 better than some L1 speakers do.

[@ihavenoname6724]

You can *easily* pass a C2 exam without having anything remotely close to a native-like fluency. The latter, you can achieve (to some degree at least) only by residing long enough in a place where the target-language is spoken.

[@mauryagupta6024]

Audio is not good. Video is not either because I cannot see the PowerPoint.

[@diegowilsonhuamanrodriguez492]

I hope to be there as soon as I have finished memorized Le RObert dictionnaire_ :D

[@spirititi2303]

thanks for the tips, I study russian too. it's so hard ! reading and listening are not a problem, but writing and speaking is soooo hard, It's discouraging. but I really want to learn it !

[@Llllllllna]

Is it really possible to achieve full fluency in any foreign language for someone who started learning at a later age? I mean, I've never once come across someone who did that unless he'd lived in a country where the language is actually spoken at an early age.

[@NathanClingan]

+Yonny Lee "Full fluency" is hard to define. I've definitely met people who started learning English late in life and speak it better than I, a native speaker, do. So that is possible.

[@shaolin89]

+Yonny Lee It is possible as long as you put the time into it. It really does require a massive amount of time.

[@wmwvic]

+Yonny Lee I have been watching some utube videos of polyglots recently. Apparently they do. I mean Luca will also make mistakes in his good second languages which are fluent. For me, that's good enough if I can reach that level. I also believe a lot of people never get that level with one second language because it requires massive amount of time. but once they do, the next second would be easier.

[@shaolin89]

Denise Varez Yes "they" can get a native accent as adult. I literally meet people like that all the time, so please stop making a statement like this about stuff you clearly don't know enough about.

[@shaolin89]

Oh yeah? Then how come I meet those people all the time? How come Ive been told literally hundreds of time that people can't hear my foreign accent when speaking Chinese with them when on the phone? You can search for "Julien gaudfroy" and you will see a french guy speaking Chinese more standard than many Chinese people, he started at the age of 20 if im not mistaken.

[@haroldbridges515]

I gather that Mr. Lampariello is a highly accomplished polyglot. Indeed, his English is near native. However, I thought this talk was useless. It offered nothing about the stated topic, how to reach fluency. It's just a bunch of generalizations that, in sum, are disappointing. But this talk was a long time ago, and maybe he's developed his presentation skills further since.

[@kv6639]

I wish Luca would have gone over some actual techniques or study strategies.

[@nictegki]

@30:00

[@viejitaaa]

Hey Luca, I’ve got a question for you-when you’re learning a new language (with the same script as your native language), which of these skills are the easiest for you to develop quickly and which of these are more difficult for you to master? Reading Writing Speaking Listening comprehension I have heard many people say, “I don’t speak __________, but I understand it well”. For me, it’s the opposite. I can write and read Spanish at a B2 level and speak at a high B1/low B2 level but my listening comprehension is more around A2/B1. Although I prefer writing over watching TV/movies, my plan is to focus almost solely on listening comprehension so that I can understand people better while conversing because it gets pretty frustrating and sometimes embarrassing when people realize I can speak but often times I don’t understand what’s being said back to me! I have been in Dominican Republic for nearly two months now in hopes of improving mainly my listening skills and also my vocabulary and speed of my speech but if you’ve got any other advice or comments to share on this topic, it’d be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[@antonioabruzzio]

República Dominicana,what an exotic accent ☺️

[@bilbohob7179]

Uff dominican spanish accent is hard for starters. They omit letters and speak very fast. You must try other slow-pace version of spanish like colombian peruvian or castillian. Ex: if i go to Scotland i don"t pretend understand their "english" at first time.

[@Almightservant]

He's really good! But he makes a subtle error using the contraction "wanna". Wanna = Want to. He's saying "wanna to". Seems to me it's not correct.

[@jjsih8821]

I wonder how Luca feels about all the polyglot frauds online given that he is really fluent in languages and do not give me that bs that fluency is fluid it is not, you need B2 or above

[@kenny5577]

@Chocolate Rain not fluent but a native speaker nonetheless

[@Barsik-M]

Let me tell you a joke. One famous polyglot had 20 years of experience and he spoke fluently 5 foreign languages. In some interview he was asked about it. --What was your main idea for learning languages? --I studied them one by one totally immersing myself into the foreign language culture. So It allowed me to learn Spanish and then French in 2 years. --Great job! What did you do next? --Next I felt the urge to learn Italian and I became totally like Italian in 1 year. --Excellent! 3 languages in 3 years. What was on your mind then? --After Italian I felt a really strong wish to study German and diving in German culture I became like a German in 1 year. --That's an absolutely amazing result! You have acquired 4 languages only in 4 years. What next language did you rush into? --After German I had an unbearable wish to study more and more languages and I heard that Russian language is a bit challenging so decided why not and rushed into learning it. --So in the next 16 years you have only learned 1 language,Russian? --Yes. --Why?!? Is Russian indeed hard language to acquire? --Nope. I learned it easily in 1 year. Having applied that method I deeply immersed myself into Russian culture... --Wow!! Why didn't you then study a new language in the next 15 years???? --А нахуй оно мне надо

[@martinet1985]

Russian is not hard if you're a native speaker of a Slavic language.

[@Barsik-M]

@@martinet1985 I better correct the joke a smidge so it wouldn't look so.

[@sonofcaucasus898]

Ахаха))))

[@fukpoeslaw3613]

I don't get the joke 😡

[@litlos1994]

Wow, Benny Lewis is an engineer too.

[@imirish4702]

litlos1994 except he’s never achieved any fluency in any language.

[@joelmeza9595]

Just one word, genius.

[@mementomori8685]

What is this about?

[@taeng0077]

언어들, 그리고 여러 언어로 쓰인 것

[@joelmeza9595]

that's so lit

[@Janganoid]

actually it would be more difficult for me to come there for Jamaican dollars aren't worth the same as U.S.

[@langstonmorrison1850]

True

[@YonHill]

January 15th 2025 Listening Vocab Speaking

[@mothman84]

If you're facing the police, do NOT make it an opportunity to practice language. That's terrible advice. Obey lawful orders without question, make sure you do the bare minimum to qualify as cooperative, but do NOT use any language - let alone a foreign language - any more than you strictly need to. The cops are NOT a social experiment.

[@Beery1962]

I'm guessing you're an American. Police in many other countries are actually there to help you.

[@fukpoeslaw3613]

@@Beery1962 and again in other countries police are just trying to make a living, so you give 'm some money.

[@thiagoaugusto9262]

Does anyone want to practise Portuguese BR ? I'm Portuguese native speaker looking for a partner who is native English speaker.

[@videosdeunasperger1865]

habla español alguien digame cual es el punto de esto

[@TheodoreAnderson]

Habla del proceso de adquirir un nivel muy avanzado en cuanto a la fluidez en un idioma extranjero.

[@irenemcnamara9699]

I dont think Russian is hard. It has no articles to worry about. It also has the verb to be, but they dont really use it. I think French is much harder, because you always come back to the problem of pronunciation.

[@fukpoeslaw3613]

do you think French grammar is harder than russsian grammar?

[@tienglongmy]

Essential, non-optional 5th knight: accent reduction training.

[@Mike-sv2nu]

He seems to be confusing fluency with proficiency, fluency is related to fluid or flow. Proficiency aids fluency, but it is not the same thing.

[@ritajn1689]

True!

[@Beery1962]

I'm finding the entire presentation does not match with my experience. I'm sure he's good at learning languages. I'm just not sure he's good at communicating his experience.

[@kevinjoe1211]

as an Italian , he has trouble with some sounds non-existent in Italian, for example, th... he tends to be hesitant with "th".

[@bilbohob7179]

It is weird because his spanish is from Spain and he always uses "th" correctly. He is not tempted to change at "seseo" variant never.

[@MrC0MPUT3R]

Jag kan läsa mer svenska än jag kan prata eller förstå. Jag behöver att prata med en svensk person. :(

[@parahumanatara8321]

samma

[@lilyanna3009]

Det finns massor av appar som du kan koppla med en eller flera svenska person:-)

[@apoptose1558]

Det svåraste är att förstå vad de säger i telefon...

[@OsRmMd]

0:56 McDonlad’s 🍔😋

[@DrJosePedroGalindoMacias]

I am happy because I can tell that the speaker does not have a Native Accent. I always tell my students to be more aware of their pronunciation and less worried about their accent, because 'everybody' has an accent. In my culture, if you do not sound native, you do not speak English. I know, it is a nonsense.

[@yusufahmad5051]

I can't accept the idea of someone speaks a specific language and can't understand someone speak it

[@castrorolim6741]

Muito bom o vídeo, mas o foco no instrutor fica muito longe

[@m1r3o]

Anyone having a hard time following him? I don't know, maybe it's just the audio.

[@robertomartinez1807]

Is that just me who wants Luca to slow down? He makes me get stressed. Fluency doesn't mean speed up, it means convey your ideas.

[@emilstorgaard9642]

Roberto Martínez Most native English speakers speak faster than he does

[@ВладимирГрушко-й8ж]

Yep, his flow is quite natural mate, just listen carefully, practise))

[@MisterGames]

Lol, as a slow speaking Aussie, I watched at 1.5x speed cause I thought it was too slow 😎

[@jeffreyd508]

19:52 I tell people this all the time. Russian gets harder, not easier. So if you think its hard in the first three months....just quit now!

[@swabby429]

The fiddling around with the slides is distracting.

[@jsbuser]

This is ridiculous, a talk on being able to communicate and you cant read the slides on the screen. Although Luca is engaging, this is not a good presentation for that reason.

[@johnkirton2534]

Awful maths Luca! Try 157,680 instead of 78,840!

[@theatisgr]

That's a nice presentation, but it does not take into account the fact that some people do NOT want to sound like foreigners, either because they are very proud of their native accent, or because they are ashamed to use a foreign accent. For example, French sounds too feminine to many non-French men, so they think that they’ll sound sissy if they pronounce all those nasal vowels, stressing words on the last syllable to boot!