Native or near-native speaker of English?

[Curious]

Hi,

What do you think, is there a distinction between native and near-native or native-like speakers of English? Can a non-native speaker of English achieve native-like abilities (indistinguishable from those of native speakers) in English? I find it especially interesting to ask myself the question: who knows more, a native speaker of English who just uses it in his/her everyday life and without a higher education, or a non-native Professor of the English Language? This is nothing but my personal assumption, but I would certainly think that the latter is likely to have a vaster vocabulary and stronger theoretical background in grammar, etc. Please don't hesitate to share your views concerning this question with me.

[Tom]

Hello Mr. Curious.

I liked your question! But the sad part is that it does not have any cut- and- dried answer. It varies from person to person. It sheerly depends on the amount of effort one puts in to meet one's target.

Tom

[Jan]

Hi ,
I have to addmit that I like your questions very much and personally I have asked myself more or less the same.

As far as I know ,a man who had written alot about Polish
Grammar and Polish vocabulary and had done so much for
development of the Polish language had never achieved in pronounciation even a half of a native level speaker.
(A German who had been born in Torun/Thorn , historicaly Polish-German or German-Polish town and who had been fascinated by his neigbours speech what coused him to spend his entire life studing their language)

I knew few people who were studing/learning English something like 15-25 years long and still were even not in the middle of the way??
Language for me is divided on five parts and to master just one like speaking (more or less without accent) is possible
but to achive that simply means working and working sometimes maybe like mad but nothing else then that.
(or be borne in the same language group family at least).
Common mistake in my opinion is the believe that a reading
is the best solution, the reading without translating very precise translating would certainly course to learn with many mistakes and may be as well help to absorb a meaning of the text but without real progress in langauge or with minimum progress.
If somebody has started as a adult the situation is almost hopeless.
Some persons may be better talented but it is small percentage of entire population.
We have definitly a big problem (or oppurtunity )specialy that English is to much "flexible"to study alone without profesional help.
Regards
Jan
Taxi drivers in states have quite big knowledge about tracking the foreign accent in English.

[Conchita]