In the modern world, the topic of learning languages is incredibly relevant. In our time, when there is unlimited access to information and travel, knowledge of one, or better several foreign languages can be compared to a key that opens many doors. The polyglot possesses these keys. What is he doing for this?
English is not the limit
Polyglots are people who know several foreign languages. Knowledge of at least five is usually implied. There is no single standard for how many languages a polyglot should know. What are five languages for him? Now it is not so rare to know several languages. A self-respecting polyglot speaks 10 or more languages. And all because educational materials are now available more than ever. It is enough to connect to the Internet, and you can watch movies, videos, read books in foreign languages, communicate with people from the most remote corners of the world.
However, polyglots are also ordinary people, not supercomputers. Most polyglots can speak a language fluently, but do not necessarily know it well enough, and being able to read several languages, cannot speak them well.
Famous polyglots
Since ancient times, knowledge of foreign languageswas considered a distinctive feature of educated and cultured people. Most of the historical figures known to us spoke several languages.
The first known polyglot was Mithridates Eupator, the ruler of the Pontic kingdom. Contemporaries claimed that he knew 22 languages. It helped him manage the army and his subjects, who came from different nations.
Egyptian Queen Cleopatra is known not only for her beauty and novels, but also as a wise and educated woman, a brilliant diplomat and orator. She spoke ten languages.
Vatican librarian Giuseppe Mezzofanti read and spoke 60 languages, and wrote poetry in 50 of them. According to some reports, he spoke 80 languages.
Kato Lomb is a Hungarian writer who became one of the world's first simultaneous interpreters. Interestingly, at school she was a lagging student. Then she independently mastered 16 languages, and even wrote a book about her own method of learning languages. She is best known as a polyglot. English, Hungarian, Russian, French, German, Chinese - this is an incomplete list of her achievements.
Many people throughout the centuries have carried the proud title of a polyglot. What was so special about these people? It is likely that you too can become one of them.
How to become a polyglot
There is an opinion that it takes a special talent to learn languages. However, the polyglots themselves say that ability is only a small part of potential success.
Are there special qualities thathas a polyglot? What is perseverance and motivation, they definitely know better than most people. The most difficult thing is to learn the first foreign language, in the future it will be easier and faster. It is easiest to learn several languages of the same group, such as English and German, Spanish and Italian.
