So you’re an advanced English speaker! You can speak fluently, you can say pretty much anything you want, you can even discuss politics, economy and other social issues intelligently and even eloquently. Congratulations. Many native speakers can’t do that with the language. You would be amazed to see how limited some native speakers’ vocabulary is, and that is also true in the case of non-English speakers. As great as that sounds, being the perfectionist you are, you are still not totally satisfied with where you are. No one can even understand why you are not satisfied with your English skills. Only YOU know why. Only YOU can hear something in your English that is “UN-ENGLISH”, but you don’t know what it is and so you don’t know how to fix it.
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You turn on the TV, you watch an American movie, you attempt to follow the speed of some actor, you realize that the actor’s speaking almost twice as fast as you are. You try again, this time, you practice a little bit more before trying, but you’re still way behind. After several failed attempts to follow the actor’s speed in English, you give up, and then you reassure yourself that if it is not only you who can’t do it but all English learners.
Then again one day, you come across a couple of native speakers sitting at a cafe, you can’t help listening to how they talk, they’re so comfortable, so spontaneous, they hardly breathe during the conversation, you can’t hear any pauses, their conversation is incredibly smooth to the point that it starts to make you feel frustrated again. Unfortunately, you still don’t know how they do it, why YOU can’t do it and who can help you do it.
Most advanced speakers of English don’t even try to take on that final challenge and go beyond what actually seems to be the ultimate attainment in language learning. After all, who are they to argue with linguists repeatedly claiming that achieving native-like proficiency in English (or any other second language) is impossible after the age of puberty (usually 13)?
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Look, I absolutely agree that it is EXTREMELY hard to achieve native-like proficiency in English as a second or foreign language and I also agree that the age factor is INDISPUTABLY CRITICAL to it but it DOESN’T make it IMPOSSIBLE. Attaining native-like proficiency IS possible provided that learners are willing to undergo a radical social, cultural and behavioral (including physical) transformation, which most of them consciously or subconsciously fear. It is scary to step out of your comfort zone and be someone you think you are not. It is exceedingly difficult to depart from what you perceive as your cultural identity.
I would argue that in order for someone to achieve the native-like English level, one would have to be willing to let go of one’s cultural identity (at least during during the acquisition period), be intensively trained to build a new muscle memory and finally be willing to completely and utterly immerse and assimilate oneself into an English speaking community. Again, that is incredibly difficult to do and very few learners see any need for it. Well, that’s because, for many, there is very little need for it anyway.
Let’s take a look at the behavior of adult English learners in Sydney, where I taught English to both international students and migrants for 7 years. International students often live or study in Australia for a year or two. During this period, they live, work or socialize with students of the same background. They maintain strong contact with their parents and family back home through social networks, phone and email (in their mother tongue). They seldom strike up a friendship with native speakers due to the language barrier or other factors. It is no one’s fault, it’s just the way it is.
Immigrants also live in communities that speak their native language, the Chinese live where other Chinese live, and the Vietnamese live where other Vietnamese live and the Mexican live where Mexicans live, so basically, they never have to speak English if they don’t want to. They listen to their home country’s music, watch their home country’s TV programs, and also keep regular contact with friends, family and relatives through social networks, phone and email. So as you can see, age is no longer the only factor here.
Okay. To recap, there are 3 factors to achieving native-like proficiency in English (or to any other second or foreign language):
1-Departing from your cultural identity and undergoing a radical cultural, social and behavioral transformation.
2-Building a new muscle memory and eliminating the impact of your mother tongue on English (or the target language).
3-Immersing and assimilating yourself into an English speaking society.
Unless we find learners willing to do all of the above, we cannot claim or empirically prove that it is IMPOSSIBLE to reach native-like proficiency in English.
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