Questão FC700008
Leia o texto a seguir para responder a questão: So what languages do I know? I speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, a little French, and a little in a few others. But I would be a b
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VUNESP · 2026
Leia o texto a seguir para responder a questão:
So what languages do I know? I speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, a little French, and a little in a few others. But I would be a bit uncomfortable to say that I ‘know’ all of these languages. The reason for my discomfort is that language learning is such a slow, piece-by-piece process that it is hard to tell when someone has finally ‘arrived’.
In fact, this idea of ‘arriving’ in language is misguided. Language, you see, is more of a journey than a destination, and most learners never feel comfortable saying they have arrived when asked about how much they know. This is especially true because, as in all educational pursuits, the more you learn, the more you are aware of what you do not know.
To illustrate, many of my Asian English learning students studying here in Arizona, U.S., are quite proficient in English. However, when people ask them if they speak English, here are the answers I most often hear:
“I speak okay.”
“I’m not so good.”
“I don’t know.”
The truth is that even these excellent English speakers often feel the distance between them and native-like proficiency. They have accents, they do not know certain words, and they constantly second-guess their grammar. The question “Do you speak a language?” comes out sounding, in their ears, a lot like “Have you mastered the language?”
So how can my foreign students, who by all accounts are doing amazing things in the United States, still feel like they have not arrived? The truth is this: when we focus on mastering a language - perfect pronunciation, complete command of the vocabulary, ability to speak in any and every possible situation -, we are always going to feel insufficient, because by that measure, we all fall short. This way of learning a language is exhausting. A better question than “Do you know the language?” is this: “In the language you are learning, are you creating friendships and experiences?” What I am suggesting is that learners reframe their perspectives. If they are fueled by meeting others, trying new things, and making memories and friendships for themselves, they have a great shot.
I believe that language learning is, at its core, about relationships and experiences – about connecting and learning from those connections. It is my belief that every story (even those who fail) can teach us something about language learning.
(DIXON, S. The language learner guidebook: powerful tools to help you conquer any language.
[S.l.]: Wayzgoose, 2018. Adaptado)
The construction “the more you learn, the more you are aware of what you do not know” (paragraph 2) describes a relationship in which two elements change in proportion to each other.
A correct example of such double comparative is found in alternative:
- The more autonomous the language learner is, the farther they will probably get.
- The less hurriedly something is done, the less mistakes tend to be made.
- The least the attention given to an assignment, the worst the result.
- The fewer effort and time you dedicate to your learning, the fewer job opportunities you’ll find later in life.
- The longest the journey, the greatest the happiness in arriving at the destination.
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“The more autonomous the language learner is, the farther they will probably get.” exemplifica a construção correlative conhecida como comparative correlative, cuja forma típica é “The + comparative …, the + comparative …”.
Na frase, os dois elementos comparativos são more autonomous e farther. Eles estabelecem uma relação de proporcionalidade: à medida que aumenta a autonomia do aprendiz, aumenta também a distância/avanço que ele tende a alcançar.
O advérbio probably apenas qualifica a previsão, indicando probabilidade, sem alterar a relação proporcional. Sintaticamente, são duas orações coordenadas comparativas ligadas pela construção the… the…, típica para expressar variação conjunta entre duas grandezas.
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