ON PERFECT ENGLISH AND OTHER LINGUISTIC ILLUSIONS

In my opinion, a word that sometimes describes Spaniards linguistically is hubris: excessive confidence in one’s own abilities.

Why do I say this? Because it is not uncommon to hear claims of “perfect English” that do not quite withstand scrutiny. Many people will say, in all seriousness, that they speak flawless English—or that their children do—based on rather limited experience. One hears statements such as: “My daughter speaks perfect English; she spent a month in London washing dishes,” or that someone’s command of the language is impeccable because he works as a translator at a certain firm.

Yet, when the chips are down, this supposed perfection often proves less solid than advertised. The gap between confidence and actual performance can be striking.

This is not to say that Spaniards are uniquely guilty of such overconfidence, but there does seem to be a tendency, at times, to equate familiarity with mastery. In that sense, “hubris” may not be entirely misplaced. Spaniards speak “perfect” English—until they are required to demonstrate it, or until proven otherwise.