Expressing difference between "fluent" and "native speaker" in Japanese


I want to explain the difference between the English linguistic terms "fluent"
and "native speaker". I could do this in English, but I'd also like to know if
it's possible to do so in Japanese. To be fair, I think it's not just native
speakers of Japanese who blur the lines between the two. (Related posts: [The
Workplace](https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/62770/should-a-
native-speaker-fluency-level-be-used-only-by-real-native-speakers), and
English Language & Usage
[1](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/87034/difference-between-full-
professional-proficiency-and-native-or-bilingual-prof)
[2](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/14582/meaning-of-native-
speaker-of-english?lq=1))

Is there a pair of terms in Japanese that correspond to the difference between
the two English terms, which are likely to be understood by the average
English learner or teacher?

In case context matters, I'm talking about English, rather than other
languages.

Post where I asked for how to express "native speaker" by itself in Japanese:
[Difference between 母語話者 and
ネイティブスピーカー](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/23202/difference-
between-%E6%AF%8D%E8%AA%9E%E8%A9%B1%E8%80%85-and-%E3%83%8D%E3%82%A4%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%96%E3%82%B9%E3%83%94%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC)




I think you have a couple choices.

For "fluent":

  * ペラペラ。 This is a slightly colloquial word (due to being an onomatopoeia sounding like quick speech), which can mean "fluent", both in the sense of (a) speaking uninterruptedly, and by extension, (b) being skilled in the language. This might be the most common word you hear when describing someone as "fluent" in everyday conversation.
  * 流暢。 This is a formal word which means "flowing"/"fluent". Again, this can have the sense of (a) beautiful, uninterrupted speech, and by extension, (b) being skilled in the language.
  * ネイティブレベル。 The problem with the previous two terms is that they are applied to all sorts of different skill levels. The minimum to apply the term is that the person can speak uninterruptedly, I think, but of course language skill goes far beyond that. So, if you want to be more specific, you can say ネイティブレベル ("native level"). It is perhaps slightly informal (due to "レベル" being slightly informal).

For "native":

  * ネイティブ。 As mentioned in the other answer, this is probably the most common term for "native speaker". (ネイティブスピーカー is also used, but not as much, probably just due to being longer.)
  * 母語話者。 A rather formal and technical term for native speaker.

Here are some example usages in case it helps you get a feel for how to use
the different words:

> 「彼は、英語のネイティブじゃないけど、もうネイティブレベルだから、とてもいい先生になると思うよ。」
>
> 「英語が母国語ではないが、非常に流暢な英語が話せる、いわゆる母語話者に匹敵する人が最近増えています。」




I think you have a couple choices.

For "fluent":

  * ペラペラ。 This is a slightly colloquial word (due to being an onomatopoeia sounding like quick speech), which can mean "fluent", both in the sense of (a) speaking uninterruptedly, and by extension, (b) being skilled in the language. This might be the most common word you hear when describing someone as "fluent" in everyday conversation.
  * 流暢。 This is a formal word which means "flowing"/"fluent". Again, this can have the sense of (a) beautiful, uninterrupted speech, and by extension, (b) being skilled in the language.
  * ネイティブレベル。 The problem with the previous two terms is that they are applied to all sorts of different skill levels. The minimum to apply the term is that the person can speak uninterruptedly, I think, but of course language skill goes far beyond that. So, if you want to be more specific, you can say ネイティブレベル ("native level"). It is perhaps slightly informal (due to "レベル" being slightly informal).

For "native":

  * ネイティブ。 As mentioned in the other answer, this is probably the most common term for "native speaker". (ネイティブスピーカー is also used, but not as much, probably just due to being longer.)
  * 母語話者。 A rather formal and technical term for native speaker.

Here are some example usages in case it helps you get a feel for how to use
the different words:

> 「彼は、英語のネイティブじゃないけど、もうネイティブレベルだから、とてもいい先生になると思うよ。」
>
> 「英語が母国語ではないが、非常に流暢な英語が話せる、いわゆる母語話者に匹敵する人が最近増えています。」

