Tomato Salad

20230119 #breakfastdiary 654, -7°C/mostly cloudy, 11min/workout Today's newspaper — Since the 1950s, foreign language proficiency has been evaluated across speaking, listening, reading, and writing, on a scale running from 'unable to use the language' (level 0) to 'equivalent to an educated native speaker' (level 5). Most diplomats aimed for 'professional working proficiency' (level 3), while those generally considered 'fluent in a foreign language' were rated level 4, and those at a 'near-native level' were rated 4+. But an interesting shift appears in the new standard adopted in 2022. Level 5 ('equivalent to an educated native speaker') and level 4+ ('near-native level') were merged into a single 'level 4,' dropping the term 'native speaker' altogether in favor of 'advanced proficiency.' In other words, the goal of achieving 'native-like' skill was removed from foreign language learning altogether. This reflects a shift, since the 2000s, in how foreign language education has come to view the whole idea of the 'native speaker.' (Robert Fouser, 'As the Age of Native-Speakerism Comes to a Close') This change in the evaluation standards of the Foreign Service Institute, which teaches foreign languages to American diplomats, hints at a broader shift of the times. What matters now isn't sounding like a native speaker so much as 'the ability to understand and adapt across different cultures.' Big tomatoes and small tomatoes with the most tempting burrata cheese in the world, olive oil, and balsamic. #tomatosalad