Question:
Today I called a local language school (I live in Indianapolis)
looking for a tutor who can help me learn Arabic. In the process, I
spoke to an American lady there who claimed that she knew seventeen
(17) languages. Alas, Arabic wasn't among them. While I am highly
skeptical of the depth and extent of her so-called "knowledge" of so
many, the experience set me to wondering about famous polyglots.
I know that Sir Richard Francis Burton (who translated "The Arabian
Nights" and the Kama Sutra among other things) supposedly knew around
30.
Heinrich Schliemann, the discoverer of Troy, is reputed to have known
around 20.
I read somewhere that Mario Pei supposedly was second in the world in
the number of languages that he knew (behind a nameless employee of
the United Nations, according to the bookjacket I read).
Edward Sapir was supposed to have known most of the major European
languages as well as a slew of American Indian ones. Moreover, he was
supposed to have known them well!
So, I'm curious! Who, in history knew the most languages? And as a
follow up question, is there a secret to learning so many? If so,
what is it?
Any takers?
Answer:
As another amateur, I can only offer an opinion, based on pickings over
time.
The basis of any strong talent seems to be based on early exposure to
the subject in childhood (if Mozart's dad hadn't been a musician, Wolfie
might have ended up being a good plumber). The number of synapses and
neurones we are born with fall by half very early in life, the brain
only hanging on to those that are exercised. This is followed by a
period of years where the interconnections between these survivors have
a chance to grow in number and determine the effective intelligence and
mental versatility of the individual.
So, if a child is exposed to a number of languages in early life, and
has adequate intelligence, then a polyglot ability stands a good chance
of emerging, and if an abiding interest in language persists throughout
the major learning period of life (approximately teens through to age
30) then he/she may well become a great linguist.
I read the autobiography of one man, who had a deep interest in
languages (prior to his premature death in WWII) who remarked that his
interest had led him to a point where he could dismantle any Indo-
European language he encountered like a car engine and learn it very
rapidly. That was the way his brain was wired up from early in life.
It gets harder after 30! My 10 year old niece could not understand why
an adult (me) lacked the ability to look at two lines of music and play
them with both hands at once on a piano. Heavens, she had been able to
do it from the age of 6!
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