Fluent in English with right grammar equivalent to intelligence?

Let's just face it. People with good English do have an edge over those who don't. And it does follow that if you are fluent with English, it's easier to understand lessons using English as medium of instruction. But I agree with you that it doesn't mean that fluent English speakers are automatically smart. I admit I could breeze through my English exams but could truly suck when it comes to Mathematics. (except geometry. I love geometry) People should not discriminate people by fluency. I know a lot of "Ingliseras and Ingliseros" who are just as empty-headed.

Definitely not!.. They are good in english because they read a lot. That's what I observed with those who speak english fluently. Try to read an english pocket book or a dictionary everyday, then you will see it yourself how easy it is to be fluent in english. I actually have lots of classmates way back in high school and college who were really doing great in english but can't even solve a simple algebraic expression.

I would really like to speak fluent English but all schools i've attended gve absolutely no attention to pronunciation. Believe me if my pronunciation would I've been better my confidence with spoken and written English would have been better and I would have looked a bit smarter too! The fluency of one's English does have effect on someone's reputation.

absolutely...language has nothing to do with intelligence,skills and calibre that cannot be measured in command over a particular language. languages do make an impact, when people are totally incapable of expressing the,selves. in those cases, even if they are intelligent, since their ideas can't be communicated, their presence looses the value. so as long as ideas are communicated, language should never matter.. but i wonder why GRE has much to do with knowledge of english than technical elements.

Hi metatronik, I wouldn't link the ability for English, or any language for that matter, with intelligence, some people are just naturally more linguistic than others. I believe for non-native speakers we can master a language if we practised hard enough, it takes effort to learn new vocabulary, correct the grammar and learn the correct pronunciation.

This is an age old question and the answer is that NO. You cannot equate intelligence with fluency of a certain language such as that of the English language. English is just a mere tool to communicate your thoughts. Same is true with the Filipino language. Languages were develop to communicate the thought of one person to be transmitted to another person. This concept is the first topic of the first English subject or communication arts subject in school. Intelligence however is the depth of knowledge an individual. It also includes how this individual uses different tools to communicate his/her thoughts including the English language. I don't find fluent English speakers to be intelligent. They might be good in the speaking aspect but still what matters to me is the content and depth.

from Dictionary.com, intelligent means, 1. having a good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend 2. displaying or characterized by quickness of understanding, sound thought or good judgment 3. having the faculty of reasoning or understanding in answer to your question, it could be but it could also not be equivalent to intelligence. it could be said that eloquence in the English language requires intelligence because to be able to have the command of the language and articulation requires high mental capacity, too, and quickness of understanding. but not all who are eloquent in the English language has good judgment and sound thoughts. there are many people who speak in the local vernacular who can decide and think better about issues or matters. i had an experience before with a child who had grown in a family that speaks English. one day, the child received his report card indicating a 90+ grade in English and a 75 in math. now, do we say that the child is not intelligent because he has 75 as grade in math?

Hiya metatronik, Do I believe it can make them sound smart and intelligent. Well no not really because English is my native language and I have known a few of those what we call "fancy Talkers". In my School I met up with them and just sighed a little and turned my Head to other things. Now I think all that is quite funny what I used to hear from them. The other Month I had to phone England for something official and this Woman spoke to me in English but an English I nearly had to ask her "pardon me"? She was using a kind of English language "posh" style but almost so that you could not understand a word she was saying. I just had to guess most of it. Sigh yes I have come across those ones before and I suppose I still will at some time or another but now I will find them funny.

Hi "kababayan", I'm a Filipina and I believe that intelligence is not measured by being fluent when communicating in English and also by just using a right grammar. I think people who are good in English study hard for that language. For me, intelligence is measured by too many factors; it is measured how you fared in different fields not just English language.

English should be a requirement no matter where a person lives as it is a global language that can assist with advancements. However it does not make a person more intelligent, it could perhaps make a barrier but not necessarily intelligent.

Non sequitur. If your mother tongue is English (not only when you live in English-speaking countries but also when your parents accustomed you into speaking English), then you SHOULD be fluent in English. If fluency in a language is the gauge of intelligence, then shame on those Filipinos who are not fluent in Filipino. It's not what you speak but how you speak. Do you speak with sense? Is your grammar correct? Those and many other considerations should be taken into account.

Being fluent in English definitely does not equal and intelligent person. English has been my primary language as long as I could speak, as has it been for most of those who have surrounded me in my community, and ignorance is also rampant! I know way too many who speak before thinking, and butcher the English language DAILY. So, my answer is no, being grammatically correct in English is not the equivalent of intelligence.

Those people who think that it is being smart or intelligent when you can speak English flawlessly are the ones who are not smart, in the very first place.

Those people who think that it is being smart or intelligent when you can speak English flawlessly are the ones who are not smart, in the very first place.

To say that there was no correlation between intelligence and good English (or good use of any language) would be wrong. Intelligent people are, on the whole, able to express themselves better than many others but that doesn't mean to say that someone who can't express themselves well - especially in a language that is not their first language - is not intelligent! Intelligence (or 'smartness') is a very misunderstood thing, anyway. Language (or the ability to use it) is only one of the things by which it can be measured. The trouble is that it is often the most obvious standard, especially online, where nearly all that we can know about someone comes from how they write. If we read something online, it is perfectly natural to mentally give plus points to those people who write readably (or even impressively). We tend to lose interest very quickly in people who don't engage us by the way they write. What we often think of as 'intelligence' is actually no more than an ability to communicate and what they are actually saying may be nothing out of the ordinary. I know many artists, mathematicians, computer experts, gardeners, builders (and many more) who are brilliant in their own field yet could not pass on their knowledge to others to save their lives! I know many people, too, who have a deep and instinctive understanding of other people but are, themselves, people of few words. It is always wise not to be too hasty in judging someone's intelligence: they may just be one of the strong, silent majority.

Hi Metatronik, I don't think that people who don't have good English and Grammar are lacking in intelligence but rather they just have not learned the language as well as some others. I agree that it would be wise for everyone who lives in the States or those who are working for call centers for the US to learn the language clearly and fluently. It is really very frustrating to try to communicate with people that you can't understand.

Absolutely and definitely not. What makes an intelligent person is not from his correct use of the English language, or any language for that matter but from what comes out from his mouth.

I think some people just have better language skills than others but it does not necessarily make them smart. As you said, words may be coming out of their mouth but they make no sense at all. The best examples are our politicians . But I think it is an important means of imparting what is on your head especially since the world is now flat. However, there are other languages like our native tongue with which to communicate, and speaking in English fluently does not make you smarter.

Metatronik. I don't think that people that can speak English fluently is intelligent nor smart. It takes practice. Here in the Philippines, school is not enough medium of learning on how to speak conversational English. I don't think you have to be really fluent in order to converse in English. I never learned conversational English at school and yet I've been getting above average scores in English Communication Exams. I would like to say thank you to those call center recruitment offices who evaluated me. I learned to converse in English first at home. Yes we speak English at home. Read books. That's is very important. No need to read the dictionary. Just make sure that you have a pocket dictionary handy while reading. Upon encountering a word that you do not know, look it up. This practice will enhance your vocabulary. Watch English/American movies. I suggest that do not try to imitate the accent. It will just make things worse and hinder your learning. Lastly, for those who are in the age of watching cartoons, watch them in English. Especially those who have cable tv at home. I hate when local channels dub those cartoons that are in English. The last suggestion is very effective at a young age. Example, my little sister is now 14 years old. When she was three, she does not speak Tagalog. She perfectly can converse in English at that age. Why? Because of watching cartoons in Cartoon Network, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. She spoke Tagalog fluently at the age of six. If a three year old kid can, everyone can.

I don't think that those who speak English fluently are intelligent or of higher level than those who are not. It doesn't mean that a person who doesn't know how to speak English isn't as intelligent to someone who is very fluent in speaking English. Although I can say that to be able to speak in English is an additional asset, but it should not be used to measure the intelligence of a person. There are even some americans who speak English but the content is very poor.