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You are here: Home Education Languages How to be a polyglot

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12/09/2008How to be a polyglot

Almost all the adults I know think that learning a foreign language in adulthood is impossible. “I’m terrible with languages,” they say. Linguists agree, at least in part.

Steven Pinker, for one, thinks the “language instinct” is lost somewhere around puberty. Children are linguistic geniuses, adults linguistic dolts. Pinker points out that Walter Kissinger (Henry’s younger brother) has no German accent, though sixty years after his emigration, Henry famously does. They came to the United States at the same time, in the crucial years around puberty. Walter’s advantage, Pinker surmises, was being a few years younger than his brother when they moved. This allowed him to absorb more English and kick his accent. (According to Pinker, the accent is as much a part of the language instinct as is grammar.)
 
Learning a language in adulthood is difficult—nothing can replace the childhood environment, much less the childhood brain. However, with patience and persistence, it can be done. To produce a foreign language requires more than lips, teeth and tongue—it requires ears, eyes and mental agility. You must listen carefully and then imitate.
by-tanakawhotext
 
Language is like jazz: both are spontaneous compositions derived from a finite set of elements (notes or words). But the jazz analogy may compel people to think that they simply don’t have the talent. What they don’t realize is how obsessively John Coltrane practiced, repeating scales and arpeggios over and over again to build up the skills he would need to make that freeform composition on the stage seem so effortless.
 
It is exactly the same way when composing a foreign language.
I’ve learned Spanish, German, French, Portuguese and Russian—all post-puberty. And recently, I started Arabic—by far the hardest language I’ve studied. Though I was frustrated at first, now that I have a better teacher and a good textbook, I’m making rapid progress. Every student of language is different, but here are some strategies that have helped me:
 
Slow and steady
by-xueexuegtext
Regular practice is by far the most important element in learning a language. Students often try to cram as much into their heads as fast as they can which leads to frustration and fatigue. If taking a class, they are exposed to the language only one to three times a week, plus the time they spend on homework.
It is far more helpful to spend five minutes twice a day, every day, thinking, reading and talking in the language. Where and when, though? As you learn, practice out loud whenever you are alone. While you walk to the train station, or sit in stop-and-go traffic, review to yourself. Start simple: “I go to work. I am in the car. I live in New York.” Repeat these basics over and over, and then vary the subject. “Steve goes to work. Steve is in his car. Steve lives in New York.” Repeat, repeat, repeat. You will then feel a thrill as you proceed to compound sentences, tenses, and modal verbs (should, would, must, may). “I am going to work, because I have to. I live in New York, and I love it here.” Those steps beyond baby talk are exciting.
 
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Benny the Irish polyglot posted: 07-10-2009 | 1:24 PM

Definitely some interesting points, although I have to say that most of these apply to learning just one language, which you would repeat to be a polyglot.
I wrote my own advice which is specifically about the aspect of being multilingual rather than just learning one language, it's on my blog and titled <a href="http://www.fluentin3months.com/how-to-become-a-polyglot/">How to beome a polyglot</a>; a similar google search is how I found this article.

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