Level of Difficulty of Russian

[Michael Denner]

An interesting fact about Russian progress rates that is not reflected in
the FSI chart: I remember seeing an ADFL chart that detailed the number of
hours to get to a given stage of facility with a language. I don't remember
the exact numbers, but, for instance, it took about a year (100 contact
hours) to reach level 2 (on the DOD scale) in French, and an additional 100
hours to reach level three, etc. Russian was demanding, but not the most
demanding: For those studying difficult languages like Arabic and Chinese,
it took significantly longer to reach levels 2 and 3 than it took for
Russian learners.

However, what was very interesting was that this rate difference between
Russian and the most difficult languages all but disappeared when it came to
the highest levels of facility -- that is to say that the time it takes for
a learner to reach level 5 in Russian is THE SAME as the time commitment it
takes for a student of Arabic to reach level 5. I remember that Russian was
unique in that the progress rates dips precipitously at the highest levels
of proficiency.

I can personally attest to that!


<|><|><|><|><|><|><|>
Michael A. Denner
Russian Studies Department
Campus Unit 8361
Stetson University
DeLand, FL 32720
904.822.7265
http://www.stetson.edu/organizations/russian_club/mypage.htm
<http://www.stetson.edu/organizations/russian_club/mypage.htm>

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