@ djc Hear hear! Well said.
I recently took the C1 French exam and, although I thought it was very hard, it turns out that I passed (not by much though, 60%). I don’t think you can really fake it in this exam. The listening comprehension was by far the hardest part for me (even though this is the area where I focus the most). Also, for the writing I only got 14.5/25 even though I thought that was my strongest section.
I would say that someone could have the required level but not the required exam passing skills, and therefore they might fail the exam. I don’t think someone could pass the exam without having a solid level in the language (no matter how well they know the exam structure, tasks etc.).
Also, there’s nothing wrong with guessing our approximate level, is there? The C1 French exam was my first ever language exam, and I guessed (from my own self-evaluation) that that would be the appropriate level exam to aim for. Guessing one’s level in a language is kind of fun, and motivating, IMO.
I my view, the leves are arbitrary, the tests are arbitrary. I prefer beginner, intermediate and advanced. The use of B1 or C2 conveys a degree of finality on these levels which I do not think they deserve. B2, which is high intermediate, qualifies as fluent, in my view.
@Odiernod: In many cultures, if not most, you will be praised for your fluency as soon as you reach B1, and certainly by B2, and if you are in East Asia they will praise your skill with chop sticks in the bargain.
Left-handed male here. Well, I write with my left hand, but I do everything else with my right; use scissors, play ping-pong/tennis, guitar etc. Is that what you call ambidextrous? Also, I wouldn’t call myself a “grammar-lover”, though I do think it’s a very important part of learning languages (I know some will disagree). Yes, I’m musical.
Ambidextrous is when you can use either hand indiscriminately. The situation you describe is very common: most people do some things with one hand, some things with the other. I’m left-handed but I could I never play baseball well because I throw and catch with the right hand.
Vonk wrote
"My personal belief is that hyperpolyglots usually have three things in common. They have better-than-average memories, they remember sounds and can reproduce them more easily than other people, "
From my perspective this is true. Previously I used to be teased that I could hear tiny differences in the way people spoke but later realised other people could not hear the same things. But it is possible I have to work a lot harder at grammar.
duplicate
"I could I never play baseball well because I throw and catch with the right hand.
Very minor point: How does this impede your baseball fielding? I am right handed for everything except maybe lifting heavy objects… when I was a waiter I was the only one on a team of about 10 who lifted large oval trays with his left hand,… but I do not see how right handedness is an obstacle to baseball fielding.
Male: Yes
Grammar-loving: Debatable. I’m not obsessed by grammar, and not allergic to it either.
Left-handed: I write with my right hand, use the computer mouse with my left, play music instruments the normal way (but fully symmetrical instruments such as simple system flute/tin whistle either way), in martial arts I’m fully ambidextrous (either side forward, techniques work just as good/bad on both sides, legs included). As en experiment, once upon a time I used to switch main hand every week (including handwriting - with bad results!).
It’s all very interesting how things work isn’t it? I mean, whether left-handedness/loving grammar means you can pick up languages quicker or not is debatable, but just the fact that we’re all so very different intrigues me a lot! Some people write with left and lift with right, some write with right and lift with left (wow, that was hard to type, let alone say out loud!).
In the end, though, I think it’s all a matter of how you prefer to learn a language. Sure, if grammar is what helps you the most in learning languages then it helps to love grammar, but if you’re more of a listener then loving grammar won’t help.
With regards to jeff_lindqvist’s martial arts, I too have noticed that I often only train techniques to the right side (especially judo throws) but then turn around and execute them flawlessly to the left side in tournaments. I doubt this helps my language skills in any way however.
If left-handedness and language learning somehow involves the same brain hemisphere (the right one?), does that mean that you and I can use logic AND feeling when we’re learning languages? 