How many languages?

[mudskipper]

Got taught Afrikaans at primary school, then French and then German at secondary.

I do not speak any of them with any proficiency at all.

[NotAllThere]

Pretty pointless. If schools teach anything other than English it should be Chinese and Indian.

Except the Indians all speak English and the Chinese are all learning English to speak to the rest of the world.

[yetanotherbob]

A young Indian girl in the business lounge has over the last 30 minutes swapped languages three times and been fluent in each.

Talking to me in English she then phoned India speaking Hindi, before swapping and speaking perfect French to the couple sat opposite. On chatting she is an under graduate undertaking languages & IT in India and can speak German as well.

You're all fooked, you know that don't you.

Most people in India with elementary schooling end up being bi-lingual if not tri-lingual.
Most states have their own language. Then there's Hindi and English (either English-English or the many peculiar mispronounced, heavily accented Indianised versionS of it).

I grew up studying in 3 languages - English for normal school work, Hindi - the national language and then the 'national' language of my ethnic group which is neither the main language used at the state or central/federal level (but forms one of the 25 odd official languages)

For me and many other colleagues from India, English is the only common language we have to communicate in even outside of the work environment.

[NotAllThere]

What I want to know is, if I'm going to speak to Gilgamesh, which language should I use? Will Urdu?

[bless 'em all]

What I want to know is, if I'm going to speak to Gilgamesh, which language should I use? Will Urdu?

Surely you mean "Will Urdu do?"

What will you do when Urdo won't do?

[yetanotherbob]

What I want to know is, if I'm going to speak to Gilgamesh, which language should I use? Will Urdu?

With that kind of grammar, avoid using English if you can.

[EternalOptimist]

What I want to know is, if I'm going to speak to Gilgamesh, which language should I use? Will Urdu?

Have you heard the one about the lady in Dheli who went into the hairdressers and asked for an 'Urdo in Urdu

[OwlHoot]

Anything more than two is just showing off!

(or two)

[stek]

Here's my guidelines FWIW...

1. Native - obvious - native - 100% perfect

2. Near Native - similar, but would be a second language but hardly any difference...

3. Fluent - Second plus language, grammatically perfect but with accent

4. Near Fluent - Pausing in speech but no mistakes or very few

5. What most people think is fluent - Knowing a bit of grammar and some vocabulary and going 'Err, I know that, let me think, err... Ooo, errr, Ich, err bin, eeer, doughnut? no, errr, genau? err, ein Berliner?'

6. Reality - just know a few words and 'Eerrrr......'

7. British - Just shout in English...

[NotAllThere]

I don't agree. Fluency and proficiency aren't the same thing. In any case, I think comprehension and comprehensibility are the important points. Can you understand and be understood? My German grammar is appalling, but I can be understood readily be the natives.

Many native English speakers have dreadful grammar - yet they couldn't be described as "not fluent". Fluent gibberish perhaps!