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Polyglots mimic talking parrots | ||
Tags: Youtube Polyglot | Polyglot | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Polyglots |  | |
| John Smith Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Australia Joined 6041 days ago 396 posts - 542 votes  Speaks: English*, Czech*, Spanish Studies: German | Message 1 of 65 03 June 2010 at 4:57pm | IP Logged | ||
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After watching a few youtube videos I have noticed one thing. Most polyglots don't seem to learn the same way most of us do.
They just copy everything they hear. They seem to absorb languages. Their secret must be a perfect memory. Imagine a talking parrot. You can teach it to say anything. The parrot doesn't ask you why your using the words your using. It doesn't ask it just does. I am blown away by their abilities. Their language skills are truly amazing. They aren't flawless though. I was wondering has anyone else noticed that they sound perfect for a few seconds at a time only????? I should get to my point. lol. It seems to me that most of the polyglots who post videos of themselves are people who can perfectly repeat stuff that they have heard once before. When surprised or placed in a situation that requires them to actually use the language. Not mimic what they have heard before... but actually construct a sentence out of thin air... they stumble.. Like a parrot they need something to copy. They mimic native speakers to sound like native speakers. I'm not saying that they can't create their own sentences. I'm just saying that they no longer sound like native speakers when they try to use the raw building blocks that make up every language to say something unique. They only sound like a native when repeating stuff they have already heard. Edited by John Smith on 03 June 2010 at 5:01pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Volte Tetraglot Senior Member Switzerland Joined 6438 days ago 4474 posts - 6726 votes Speaks: English*, Esperanto, German, Italian Studies: French, Finnish, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 2 of 65 03 June 2010 at 5:36pm | IP Logged | ||
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Whether someone sounds perfect for a few seconds or longer depends on how well they know the language. If they only know a few phrases perfectly, they won't sound native-like if they stretch too far beyond that; if they know the language well and also have excellent mimicry abilities, they do.
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| Derian Triglot Senior Member PolandRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5307 days ago 227 posts - 464 votes Speaks: Polish*, English, German Studies: Spanish, Russian, Czech, French, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 3 of 65 03 June 2010 at 5:57pm | IP Logged | ||
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It's ridiculous to think this would be a general rule. Don't be silly.
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| ReneeMona Diglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 5334 days ago 864 posts - 1274 votes Speaks: Dutch*, EnglishC2 Studies: French | Message 4 of 65 03 June 2010 at 6:24pm | IP Logged | ||
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I agree that mimicking is an important part of language learning, especially in acquiring an authentic accent. However, I don't think this needs to be a barrier when speaking the language as long as you've heard and mimicked enough. For instance, when I write or speak English I am aware of the fact that I am basically reproducing things I have read or heard countless times before. I started out as a kid by repeating things like "Hands up!" and "What's up, doc?" and have now reached a stage where I have assembled a huge number of phrases and idioms learnt through immersion and can use these little bits of English to formulate my own sentences. I don't think polyglots who cannot create their own sentences can be considered to speak a language, no matter how native they sound. I think they are simply at a stage in their acquisition where they are still in the process of internalizing the language and are not yet ready to really use it. Edited by ReneeMona on 03 June 2010 at 6:26pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Splog Diglot Senior Member Czech Republic anthonylauder.c Joined 5668 days ago 1062 posts - 3263 votes Speaks: English*, Czech Studies: Mandarin | Message 5 of 65 03 June 2010 at 6:25pm | IP Logged | ||
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One well know Youtube polyglot is currently in Prague, and I have had the good fortune of spending quite a lot of time with him.
He mentioned how frustrating it is to hear people asking what his "secret" is, as if there is some trick that can turn us all into polyglots. As far as I can gather, he appears to rely on two "secrets": - Devoting many years to learning languages - Loving the process of learning just as much as the end result 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| John Smith Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Australia Joined 6041 days ago 396 posts - 542 votes Speaks: English*, Czech*, Spanish Studies: German | Message 6 of 65 03 June 2010 at 6:27pm | IP Logged | ||
I didn't say it was. I said that I personally think that most, not all, polyglots share this trait. I'm just trying to understand what makes youtube polyglots so good. It's more than hard work. It's a gift. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| John Smith Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Australia Joined 6041 days ago 396 posts - 542 votes Speaks: English*, Czech*, Spanish Studies: German | Message 7 of 65 03 June 2010 at 6:32pm | IP Logged | ||
Yes... that's very important. When I studied psychology I was taught that the brain remembers things you find important better than it remembers things you are not interested in. It's as if your interest acts as a filter. Your brain will only easily absorb information that's important to you. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Splog Diglot Senior Member Czech Republic anthonylauder.c Joined 5668 days ago 1062 posts - 3263 votes Speaks: English*, Czech Studies: Mandarin | Message 8 of 65 03 June 2010 at 6:32pm | IP Logged | ||
Instead of me having to guess who you are talking about, could you please be more specific about which people you mean? I only know of a very tiny number of polyglots on youtube, and none of them have shown the basis of their approach is mimicking as far as I can remember. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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