Polyglotism

Polyglotism is the ability to speak several languages with a high degree of proficiency. A bilingual person can speak two languages fluently, whereas a trilingual three; above that the term multilingual or polylingual may be used.

Hyperpolyglot

Hyperpolyglotism is the ability to speak six or more languages fluently. The term was coined by the linguist Richard Hudson in 2003 and derives from the word "polyglot", meaning one who can speak multiple languages.^[1]

Notable hyperpolyglots:

• Dr José Rizal (1861-1896), Filipino National hero. Also an optometrist, artist, author, and scientist.
• John Bowring could speak 100 languages.^{[citation needed]}
• Timothy Doner has studied 23 languages.^[2]
• Friedrich Engels mastered over 20 languages.
• Hans Conon von der Gabelentz worked on over 80 languages.
• Ioannis Ikonomou, chief translator at the EU parliament, speaks 32 languages fluently.^[3]
• Nicolae Iorga could speak Aromanian, Romanian, French, Italian, Latin and Greek fluently at the age of fifteen.
• Emil Krebs (1867-1930) German polyglot and sinologist. He mastered 68 languages in speech and writing and studied 120 other languages.
• Uku Masing (1909–1985), an Estonian linguist, theologian, ethnologist, and poet. Claim: fluent in approximately 65 languages, translated from 20.^[4]
• Nikola Mauracher (1941) owner Pension Mozart, Vienna speaks over 13 languages^{[citation needed]}
• Giuseppe Mezzofanti (1774-1849), Italian Cardinal, fluently spoke 39 languages.^[5]
• Mario Pei (1901-1978), Italian-American linguist and writer. Claim: fluent in at least 38 languages and acquainted with the structure of over 100 of the world's languages.
• R.M.P. Sosrokartono (1877–1918) claimed to speak 34 languages (24 non-Indonesian languages, 10 local Indonesian languages)^[6]
• Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) could speak Serbian, Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, and Latin.
• Faizan Ali Varya claimed to speak 26 languages^{[citation needed]}
• Harold Williams (1876–1928), New Zealand journalist and linguist. Claim: over 58 languages.^[7]
• Chinmayi Sripada Indian playback singer, linguist and voice-over artiste
• Richard Simcott has posted a video in youtube where he fluently speaks 16 languages.

Learning abilities

There are several theories as to why some people learn many languages with relative ease, while others struggle learning even one foreign language. One theory is that a spike in testosterone levels in the womb can increase a brain’s asymmetry.^[2]

The neuroscientist Katrin Amunts studied the brain of Emil Krebs and determined that the area of Krebs' brain responsible for language—Broca's area—was organized differently than in monolingual men. On the other hand, the neurolinguist Loraine Obler has suggested a link with the Geschwind–Galaburda cluster, which shows a high coincidence of left-handedness, auto-immune disorders, learning disorders and talents in art, mathematics, and, possibly, languages.^[8]

See also

• Polymath

References

• Newscientist.com, The Gift of the Gab", 2481, 40-43.

Further reading

• Babel No More: The Search for the World’s Most Extraordinary Language Learners. By Michael Erard. Free Press; 306 pages.

External links

• Data on multilingualism in India
• Discussion forum about polyglots
• Non-profit Polyglot Community
• Multilingualism and Word Memorizing
• Stuart Jay Raj - Polyglot Language Blog