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Language Lessons from Polyglot Language Learners

2023.04.24
Photo credit: Tessa Kavanagh on Pixabay

Polyglots are people who have learned many languages. The most famous polyglots can speak over 10 languages. Some of the current famous polyglots are Richard Simcott, Steve Kaufmann, and Luca Lampariello. You can look them up on the internet to find out in detail how they study. They might study a little differently than your teachers have told you but it is hard to argue with their success. This article will summarize what I found out from researching polyglot language learners. 

The first thing to know is there isn’t one way to learn a language. Polyglots used a lot of different methods. Some of the methods they recommended were the opposite of what other polyglots recommended. The lesson here is to research what others recommend, try many different methods, and when you find one that works for you personally, use that method. Despite there being many opinions on what is the best way to learn languages, there were some main themes that emerged. 

Maximize Comprehensible Input. Most polyglots were big fans of the American Linguistics Professor Stephen Krashen. Krashen recommends learners expose themselves to as much of the target language as they can. This input should ideally be just above your level and interesting to you. This includes reading easy books, watching videos, and listening to music. The key is to listen and read as much as you can in your target language. Some people call this the immersion approach. Use the time you have such as when you are travelling to school, doing housework, or winding down at the end of the day. 

Review Words, Phrases, and Sentences from the Input. Most polyglots advised reviewing what was learned from the input using a Spaced Repetition System. This is similar to studying from flashcards but the Spaced Repetition software tells you when to study the information again just before you forget it. There are many computer applications you can use but the most famous one is called, “Anki”. When a word or phrase repeatedly catches your attention make a study card and review it until you can recall it easily. 

Practice Speaking and Writing. Although most polyglots advise to focus on listening and reading at the beginning stages of learning a language, speaking and writing can help to reinforce and solidify language already learned. To practice writing, the most obvious example given is to write a diary. For speaking, the most obvious thing to do is to speak to others in the target language. If this is not possible, recording yourself can also be good practice. 

Learning a language should be fun if you follow the polyglot language learners’ advice. Immerse yourself with as much interesting content in your target language as you can. Pick out bits you want to learn and review them with a spaced repetition system like Anki. When you have progressed beyond the beginner level, use speaking and writing to reinforce what you have learned through listening and reading. 

But most of all, make sure to have fun! 

Questions:

1: What is a "polyglot"? 
 A parrot
 A person who speaks many languages well. 
 A person with many “glots”.

2: What is the first advice from polyglots? 
Eat food from around the world.
Feed your parrot many seeds and fruits.
Maximize comprehensible input. 

3: What is the name of the most famous SRS Flashcard Application? 
Anki.
Google
Tik-Tok

Scroll down ↓ for the answers







Answers:

1 – B
2 – C
3 – A 

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