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Motivations for becoming a polyglot | ||
Tags: Polyglot | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| Via Diva Diglot Senior Member Russian Federation last.fm/user/viadivaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4039 days ago 1109 posts - 1427 votes  Speaks: Russian*, English Studies: German, Italian, French, Swedish, Esperanto, Czech, Greek | Message 9 of 60 02 October 2013 at 3:48pm | IP Logged |
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I don't think that being a polyglot and fluency in one or more foreign language are the same things too.
For some time I spent time learning English because it's the modern demanding. I have had no real interest for the language even when I was studying it in school for quite a time. Only when I understood that English can actually open a world of many interesting things, I started pay more attention to it. Actually, the whole "polyglot" thing was stopping me for a long time. I haven't found any easiness in learning English in school, nothing was clear for me, and I decided that the last person who I'll ever can be (ok, one of the last) would be polyglot. I just consider that I have no talent for languages. Now I understand that work and immersion can do the whole thing, but I still wouldn't consider myself as a future polyglot. I'm learning German now because I want to get close to the culture (all the mess started - as far as I can feel it consciously - from music and books), I like the sound of language and, eventually, I hope that under some circumstances it could be useful for me in life (in case in Germany/ Austria/ any other German-speaking country lacks of chemical engineers - in case if I'll finish university, of course). Sometimes I even think of some crazy ideas like "Au Pair" in Germany. Eventually it all depends on individual thoughts and reasons, but I certainly wouldn't learn Mandarin just to have opportunity to tell everyone that I did that, I learned a hard language. No, that's certainly not enough for me. And for polyglot (as I see them) that should be more than enough. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4512 days ago 5310 posts - 9399 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish | Message 10 of 60 02 October 2013 at 4:08pm | IP Logged |
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Because I really hate going somewhere and not knowing what the hell people are on about.
So I learn the language just so I can do everything I want to do when I am abroad, at home, travelling, whatever. I don't really want to have so many barriers in communicating with people from all over the world if we are so globalised, and I'm focused on learning those whose cultures and people interest me the most. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Juаn Senior Member Colombia Joined 5150 days ago 727 posts - 1830 votes Speaks: Spanish* | Message 11 of 60 02 October 2013 at 5:46pm | IP Logged |
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I learn languages for the same reason others do drugs, I guess. Being able to smoothly read a paragraph of elementary Hindi or Arabic for the first time gives me a rush I want to experience over and over again.
Well, obviously not just that. Being a voracious reader and having an interest in many subjects from literature to philosophy not just in a contemplative but in an active sense implies discovering sooner or later that "languages are the first duty of the intellectual". 7 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Medulin Tetraglot Senior Member Croatia Joined 4473 days ago 1199 posts - 2192 votes Speaks: Croatian*, English, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Norwegian, Hindi, Nepali | Message 12 of 60 02 October 2013 at 5:48pm | IP Logged |
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It's all about what you can do in a language.
I'd rather be (more than) fluent and 100% literate in an ''easy'' language (for example Norwegian) than semi-fluent and 50% literate in a ''difficult'' language (Mandarin or Japanese). Languages are only means, and should never be definite aims./ends. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| darkwhispersdal Senior Member Wales Joined 5845 days ago 294 posts - 363 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Ancient Greek, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, Latin | Message 13 of 60 02 October 2013 at 11:36pm | IP Logged |
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I was tired of being the only monoglot among my friends at university.
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| Henkkles Triglot Senior Member Finland Joined 4058 days ago 544 posts - 1141 votes Speaks: Finnish*, English, Swedish Studies: Russian | Message 14 of 60 03 October 2013 at 8:26am | IP Logged |
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The Finnish educational system made me a polyglot without asking for my permission. I'm quite glad they did though.
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| Solfrid Cristin Heptaglot Winner TAC 2011 & 2012 Senior Member Norway Joined 5139 days ago 4143 posts - 8864 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian Studies: Russian | Message 15 of 60 03 October 2013 at 9:03am | IP Logged |
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It just happened. I never set out to, In fact I had hardly heard the word polyglot before I discovered this forum.
I learned languages like real writers write: Because I felt the need to. English and German were learned in school, French and Spanish by immersion, Italian because Ifelt I could learn it with minimal effort, and I do Russian because I need it for work and to communicate with friends. Being here of course inspires me to dabble in more languages than I should - but hey, we all need to be a little naughty sometimes :-) 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| garyb Triglot Senior Member ScotlandRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5012 days ago 1468 posts - 2413 votes Speaks: English*, Italian, French Studies: Spanish | Message 16 of 60 03 October 2013 at 10:40am | IP Logged |
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"Becoming a polyglot" has never been my motivation, but that's just semantics really. It's hard to say exactly what got me interested in languages; I did some French at school and went to the country a few times, and after meeting a few people who spoke it conversationally as a second language I decided I could do that too. My initial goal was just to be able to get by, but the more I learnt the more interested I became. Then after making friends with a lot of Spanish and Italian people who seemed more fun and interesting than many of the local people and hearing the languages a lot, I decided I wanted to learn these as well. I suppose partly out of intellectual curiosity/interest and partly out of wanting to understand them and feel more a part of the group.
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