1. I don’t speak any foreign language; can I join your events?
Yes, certainly mate!
2. Can people really learn many languages as an adult?
Certainly yes. Multilingualism is a state of human mind. In fact, monolinguals are a minority on Earth. More than 50% of the world population is multilingual.
3. What is the difference between “polyglot” and “multilingual”?
They both mean “being able to speak many languages”. However, there is a minute difference. Polyglots learn languages mainly by studying them while multilingual acquire languages naturally in a multilingual environment like Africa.
5. You don’t get confused by all the languages you speak?
Just like bilingual and multilingual people, if you follow the process of “language acquisition”, you rarely get confused; however, if you rely on traditional methods and study languages, you easily get confused when the number of languages exceed two.
6. What is a linguist?
The linguists of the past might be able to speak many languages but most linguists of our era certainly don’t. Today, linguistics is a branch of cognitive science. Linguists study how brain processes languages and their roles in human cognition but not languages themselves. Therefore, linguistics may not be the best advisors for language learners. Like relationship, investment and sports, experience is your best teacher.
