The topic came up again in French writing class of the differences between the various IRFFLE levels., specifically what students who had been in level 4 last semester thought of it in comparison to level 5 this semester I know the very basics about these differences beyond the fact that I needed to be placed in level 4 or above to receive credit at VCU and that on the first day at the Université of Nantes I somehow managed to do this when a man pointed at me and said "niveau 5" - thus is my knowledge of IRFFLE levels 4 and 5.
But today the distinction the professor gave us was beautiful: At level 4 in the program a student is basically a machine. They can only understand French as a machine where they put in words and verbs and make sentences. But you in the level 5 have a strong understanding of grammar - you are no longer just plugging in words like a machine. And this is important because language is not a machine.
It may have just been a simple thought at the beginning of a 2-hour class at 9h00 on a Tuesday morning and most of us probably won't even remember it in a few weeks or even days, but at the moment it seemed important. It made me feel like like a person again.
It's okay that I don't understand all the words and grammar rules. It's okay that I still make errors every time I try to speak or write. It's okay - I am no machine.
But today the distinction the professor gave us was beautiful: At level 4 in the program a student is basically a machine. They can only understand French as a machine where they put in words and verbs and make sentences. But you in the level 5 have a strong understanding of grammar - you are no longer just plugging in words like a machine. And this is important because language is not a machine.
It may have just been a simple thought at the beginning of a 2-hour class at 9h00 on a Tuesday morning and most of us probably won't even remember it in a few weeks or even days, but at the moment it seemed important. It made me feel like like a person again.
It's okay that I don't understand all the words and grammar rules. It's okay that I still make errors every time I try to speak or write. It's okay - I am no machine.
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