[NWDC]

Just a quick thought. If by fluency one means grammar, and by accuracy one means vocabulary, pronunciation, making the right word choices, and certain other elements of language not directly related to syntax, then of course both are very important.

However, if we are judging someone's overall success with a language, whether it be her first or second, then I think we ought to give considerable weight to her fluency, her grammar, that is, how well she has mastered the rules of putting words together to generate meaning.

We use language to facilitate communication, but without linguistic fluency, how can one properly and effectively communicate ? I think a student who is fluent but not necessarily consistenly accurate is in a better place than a student with great pronunciation and an excellent knowledge of things, actions, etc., but who cannot string words together well or remember how to conjugate verbs, thus sounding, perhaps, a little broken.