Khloud
What are the steps that can i follow to be native in English?
Jul 31, 2014 3:10 AM
Comments · 22
8

You cannot become a native English speaker, no matter how good you become in this language. Native means you are "born" English or raised in an English environment, so that as a child you could speak English fluently. 

Native speakers are not necessarily excellent in their langauge proficiency. A kid or a person with less education background may not pass even a B2 language exam.

July 31, 2014
6

The following step is necessary to be a native English speaker:  Learn to speak English during your childhood. 

Nacir is correct.  By definition, a native English speaker is someone who learned to speak English throughout childhood.  It's possible for you to become fluent in English, but you will NEVER become a native English speaker.    

July 31, 2014
5

My goodness, a joke taken so seriously!

 

Khloud is a learner of English that used a word incorrectly. It happens! She didn't realize that what she really wanted to express in English was "fluent" instead of "native". People explained that to be native you have to learn it from childhood. 

 

Nacir made a joke with my language that I thought was brilliant! It was linguistic acrobatics, not about religion per se nor did it need to start debate. Born again has so many meanings in English that it was a fantastic response. It has several religious meanings as in born again Christians, but also in terms of reincarnation, it has meanings in terms of psychology and it has colloquial meanings like I started a new job and feel like I've been born again. It can mean, just to have started a new kind of life, gotten a new start in life. In that last sense in particular it was a brilliant response to a simple misuse of a word by a learner of my language. He put a smiley!!!! Perhaps all you have to do is FEEL like you have been born again to become native? It was a highly evolved joke of English usage even if he didn't realize or intend all the ways in which it was so smart. Bravo Nacir! That was a really great joke.

 

As for Steveh, I hope he was just being over the top sarcastic in response to a joke to take the joke further? It wasn't necessary though as the joke stood so well on its own. 

 

Nacir's response was not offensive, not against the rules, not changing the subject and really impressive!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 2, 2014
5

Dorothy, you understood my post correctly. 

Steveh, the only possibility for an adult to go back to his/her childhood is to be born again. It is just a co-incidence that it is also a religious term and I am not discussing anything religious. However, mentioning a religious term does not make any post a "religious discussion". 

August 2, 2014
3

Steve, you are also born again on italki. Earlier, you took part in religious and political debates and later you apologized publicly for hurting people's sentiments. You are  completely changed. Now you ask other italki users to follow the guidelines. You are doing a good job in creating an awareness in the users about the italki rules.

And thanks for your remarks. I still need to improve my English. May be one day I can write and speak like a native English speaker :)

Wishing you a late Happy Ramadan :)

August 3, 2014
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