Mr. Dayuhan, I totally agree with you on both points. Learning a language is to communicate with locals and best way is though the play scenario (playing toys when younger, and drinking when older- and after a few, even the locals will start slurring and the linguistic barriers start wearing out).

I was trying to point out that the requirements that the testing that is conducted for linguists by the government (a lot of it outsourced) is skewed in disfavor for those who speak a more street version versus an academic version a language. It is not fair and I have not passed a language test in a certain language despite being fluent because of I spoke too colloquially. The tester was a total snob and none of that would have mattered in a deployed environment. Sometimes it is just based a who scores the test. The DLI website and the "helpful phrases" modules they have for various languages are not really colloquially accurate, you hear some words and think that people just don't speak like that.

Regarding the lazy versus the eager- I think we have to give some credit to the eager ones and like Mr. Xfswo said, attending wine parties is also work if you're trying to speak with locals. Unless there is a drive to learn whether it be through study, music/films or going to medieval pubs etc.etc.. without that will, I personally don't think one can get too far.