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Something I read long ago: English has 1 million words College graduates have a 30,000 word vocabulary High school graduates have a 10,000 word vocabulary T
by WalterBright 1y ago
Something I read long ago:
English has 1 million words
College graduates have a 30,000 word vocabulary
High school graduates have a 10,000 word vocabulary
TV vocabulary is 2,000 words
What this means to me, is that I can get along in another language by learning only 2,000 words.
- layer8 1y agoEven assuming that’s true, speaking a language requires much more than just vocabulary.
- WalterBright 1y ago> Even assuming that’s true Read a transcript of the words used in a typical TV show. Then read a book written for adults (not the pulp fiction ones). I sometimes discover that I mispronounce words. The problem is I'd only read them, and assumed they were phonetic. > language requires much more than just vocabulary The vocabulary is all you need to "get along". I did not claim that makes you a native speaker, or enables subtlety in word order. I've traveled in foreign countries, and make an effort to learn a few words. It's surprising how far you can get with just a handful. (P.S. making an effort to communicate in the local language wins lots of friend points! I highly recommend it.) Pick up one of those phrase books for various languages. They aren't that deep, and they work.
- watwut 1y agoI do not know why this is downvoted. If you know tv 2000 words and can use sentences like they do in TV, you are already in pretty good situation. You wont be able to discuss complex topics, but you will be able to get by and communicate more of what you need. Of course there will be a room for improvement ... but you will be able to get along in foreign language speaking environment and bootstrap from there.