How to Achieve Fluency A Learner Perspective

Abstract

In the scholarly literature on fluency in languages learning there is a preponderance of work which dissects fluency into a range of measurable indicators such as accuracy, speed, range of vocabulary, etc. What is not discussed very often is what learners who achieved the holy grail of fluency think about themselves as language users. Crucially, what is lacking is a clear understanding of how these learners arrive at fluency. In this preliminary study, I will describe a small set of case studies of young adult fluent speakers of Italian and their accounts of how they became fluent. I will draw out implications for the teaching and learning of languages on the basis of these accounts.