Flawless English
an Essay on Flawless English
I've seen many Europeans who think their English is quite good. Living in Flanders, Belgium, I encounter many Europeans daily. I work at a university where students and professors come from various countries across Europe. Some of them do speak flawless English, but many do not. Still, most believe they have sufficient knowledge and speak fluently.
The truth is, they focus on the pragmatic use of language, not grammatical perfection. In my opinion, language exists to communicate, not to be endlessly analyzed. If you spend too much time trying to make every sentence grammatically perfect, you might as well study linguistics.
The brutal fact we have to accept is that we will never be perfect unless we were raised by native speakers from early childhood. According to Noam Chomsky's theory, after a critical period in youth, acquiring a new language becomes significantly harder.
The Correlation between age and language acquisitionYet, we shouldn't be disappointed because this hypothesis is legitimate for everyone without exception, which means that, in a way, we are all handicapped.
I dare to say that the most important factor in acquiring a language is not cognitive strength but the willingness to try, regardless of your language level. It’s about challenging yourself and being as confident as Europeans. Even if they speak English at an A1 or A2 level (basic proficiency), they genuinely believe they can speak English well—and that confidence makes a difference.
I personally believe that we have already learned a higher level of English by the time we finish Korean high school. The key difference lies in confidence and self-belief. What if we all tried to speak without the anxiety of making mistakes?
Some time ago, I wrote an essay : 발로라도 하세요.
https://brunch.co.kr/@gochujangwaffle/106
I stressed the importance of the willingness to try, as it stands above everything else.
Language learning is not much different form other things.
Try, Try and try again, you are already good!
