Polyglot – Is it still a valid term?

A somewhat controversial question for those who like languages ​​or those who consider themselves polyglots, right? But the purpose of this article is not to offend anyone, but rather to lead you to reflection.

To begin with, one must understand what the word “polyglot” means. According to Google, it is “a person who knows and is able to use several languages”. Etymologically, the word originates from the Greek poluglōttos, and when translated, it means “one that speaks many tongues”.

Now, let us understand how you can become a polyglot.

To learn a language, you need to study it. So, being polyglot is a consequence of the effort of your language studies. Some polyglots take this with an ‘air’ of superiority over those that became polyglots by chance (work or study abroad, moving from country to country all the time etc.). But, remember that being a polyglot is not being superior or better than anyone else. It is not for competing or bringing glory to oneself.

To learn a new language is to open doors to meet people, cultures, ways of thinking different from yours, to have access to many other worlds; use ALL of these benefits to be a better person and even help others.

Polyglots and Hyperglots

But, there is a term that you may not know. It’s used to name polyglots that truly LOVE languages: a hyperglot. It’s an individual who simply enjoys learning languages.

But, what’s the difference?

A polyglot is anyone that knows more than three languages. Multilingualism is commonplace in some countries of the world such as India, Iceland, Indonesia and you will easily find polyglots in these places.

But, hyperglots by definition are people that speak and are proficient in at least six languages. Other experts argue that to be a hyperglot you have to speak at least 10 languages. What’s interesting, there are many hyperglots that speak more than 10 or 15 languages. There have been cases where individuals speak proficiently up to 25 languages or more (see video).

 

But is it common to find people who speak more than six languages?

No, it is not common to find hyperglots. Polyglotism is much more common. But, the number is growing day by day due to the fact that the world is becoming more and more connected. The only problem for polyglots or hyperglots is that with each new language learned the world gets much smaller place for them.

Anyway, more and more people are having access to knowledge and study facilities, so it will be much more common to find polyglots and hyperglots. In time, the term polyglot will no longer bare any significance as people will have broken the language barriers.

To become a hyperglot, you need to be very dedicated and patient and probably you will need all the time you can get during the day. Do not give up, but choose your own method of studying a language and preferably choose a language that you feel most comfortable with and motivated to learn.

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