Are you a polyglot?
No, I don't mean a ghost that walks around the attic making loud noises and moving objects. That's a poltergeist!
A polyglot, on the other hand, is a more tame individual who is fluent in several languages.
Then there are the hyperpolyglots – those who actively learn and master six or more languages, like Emil Krebs, a 19th-century German diplomat who had mastered around 65 languages by the time of his death.
While only 1 percent of people are polyglots; more than half of the world's population is bilingual (those who speak fluently in two languages).
Being bilingual (or multilingual) is said to enhance your better problem-solving abilities, and improve your concentration and focus.
These are valuable resources in everyone's life! And reason enough to start learning a new language.
If you are geared to pick up a new language or just want to get better in your mother tongue, use these five amazing hacks:
And while you practice your German or French, ask yourself this:
Will Being Bilingual Help You Get a Healthier Brain?
Seriously:
There is a ton of research backing claims that being fluent in more than one language is good for your brain.
More importantly:
Unlike other areas of science and memory, few articles evoke grave doubts on the advantages of being bilingual.
That said…
A 2015 article in the New Yorker by Maria Konnikova "Is Bilingualism Really an Advantage?" makes an interesting point:
Konnikova says the bilingual advantage seems to have more of a protective effect on the aging brain than it does anything to enhance executive-control functions of healthy individuals.
While the Konnikova's arguments are persuasive, I am sure of one thing:
When you learn a new language and use new words and grammar rules, multiple areas of your brain work together. This is a great long-term workout for your brain.
And since your brain is a muscle, it needs regular workouts to remain strong, supple and stable!
The Inside Story: Why Bilingualism Is Not Just About Speaking Two (Or More) Languages
Contrary to general perception, bilingualism is not just about the ability to speak two languages fluently.
There are a lot of little nitty-gritty aspects involved.
For instance:
You could be a "simultaneous bilingual" who learns two languages from birth.
Or, you could be an "early sequential bilingual."
What the heck do those terms mean?
"Early sequential bilingual" is a fancy term for those kids who speak one language at home but learn to speak the community language at school. There is also the "late sequential bilingual" – someone who grew up with one language and then moved to a country that speaks another.
Why are these terms important?
The differences in how and when you learned your second language often leads to different levels of proficiency and fluency. This, in turn, affects your level of being bilingual.
For instance, if you were fluent in French (along with English) in high school but have been using only English ever since, your bilingualism and its related advantages may have deteriorated.
In fact, according to a study, simultaneous bilinguals and early sequential bilinguals show different levels of behavioral performance in a lexical representation task that measures how quickly you c
Published on 7 years, 7 months ago
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