University Wiki:Babel/Levels

From University Wiki

This page lists expanded language level descriptions from the main University Wiki:Babel page. The level descriptions are listed below.

xx-0

This level has three main uses:

• You might be expected to understand a language (e.g. if you often contribute to articles about it, or contributed to articles in this language), but don't actually understand it at all.
• You live in an xx-speaking country, but don't know its language at all; or you live in a multi-lingual country with this language, but don't know it. For example, you live in Belgium, but don't know any French.
• You may have dabbled in a language (i.e. learned basic grammar and the writing system), but have a very limited vocabulary and understanding of the language, to the point that you cannot say you understand it at all.

You do not need to use xx-0 for every language you do not know.

xx-1

You can understand a language well enough to use an article as a source for writings in your own language, but are unable to significantly contribute to an article in that language. You can also use this template if you have only started to learn a language, but already know a similar language (e.g. you know Spanish and have just started learning French).

xx-2

You can contribute to articles in a language to some extent, but are not confident in writing in it. Someone using this template will most likely not be fluent in a language but will understand the general idea as well as many details in an article (although a poorly educated native speaker may use this template). This template might be used by editors who have a sizable vocabulary as well as good understanding of the grammar of the language in question, but who might have trouble creating new articles or writing in an encyclopedic style. You would most likely be able to coherently translate most articles using a dictionary.

For learners of East-Asian languages (e.g. Japanese, Chinese), this means knowing enough Chinese characters to read simplified texts, but probably not an encyclopedia.

xx-3

You are confident in writing in a language, but may make minor mistakes, and have minor trouble with specific language quirks, such as idiomatic expressions. You will likely be fluent in speech and oral understanding. You should probably only need a monolingual dictionary to understand any non-technical article.

For learners of East-Asian languages (e.g. Japanese, Chinese), this means having mastered the majority of widely used characters, and having the ability to read Japanese and Chinese encyclopedic texts to a fair extent.

xx-4

You can write articles in a language at the level of an average educated native speaker. You should be able to thoroughly understand any article (except ones considered too technical), with no reference other than possibly a monolingual dictionary.

xx-5

You have a "professional" proficiency in a language. You should be able to confidently tell whether a sentence is structurally correct, find the most appropriate word for a given concept, and understand literary and technical language. Note that level 5 is only available for English, French, German, Icelandic, Danish, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and American Sign Language.

xx

For native speakers. You should use this template if you employ a language in all everyday situations and have a perfect grasp of it, including colloquialisms.

This means that if you moved from an xx-speaking country to a yy-speaking country at age 6, and have never again spoken xx, you should classify yourself as a native speaker of yy and not of xx, even if you used to speak nothing but xx as a child.

Should you have moved as an adult, you should decide by yourself, according to your own "feel," and thus might have several "native" languages.

Used alone, this template indicates a written-language xx-4 proficiency; if it isn't, you should use both xx and xx-3 (or xx-5). If your written-language proficiency is only xx-2, however, it would be a good idea to explain the reason in your user page.

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