How Many Languages can your Learn? Let’s Unveil the Mystery!

Posted by elanie hodges on December 20th, 2019

Language translation services have gained grounds in the past few years. The need to translate document online has emerged as a significant demand for businesses all across the globe. Language translators all across the globe are making themselves proficient to make accurate translations. But there’s more to it. So let’s dip in!

You seriously cannot help but impressed when you come across someone capable of speaking one or two languages other than their mother tongue. So, if you ever meet a hyperpolyglot, it’s gonna blow your mind for sure.

But how do you define someone who is a hyperpolyglot?

At first, let us see how we label people by the number of languages he or she is able to speak fluently or effortlessly. Let us know about the various terminologies:

  •          A monolingual speaks only one language. Monolinguals account for 40% of the world’s population.
  •          A bilingual person speaks two languages with almost same level of fluency in both the languages. Around 43% of the world population is bilingual.
  •          When we say a person is trilingual, it means that the person is proficient in three languages. 13% of the global population is trilingual.
  •          However, if a person can speak four or more than four languages, the person is said to be multilingual. Only 3% of global population falls under the category of multilinguals.
  •          Almost less than one percent of people all across the globe are proficient in many languages. And if someone is fluent in more than 5 languages, the person is called a polygot.

If you come across someone having a high degree of proficiency in over 12 languages, that rare person is said to be a hyperpolyglot.

How our Brain learns a Language?

The brain of Emil Krebs, a German diplomat, was examined by the scientists in 2004. Emil Krebs studied and spoke almost 65 languages. Scientists wanted to learn if the unique formation of Krebs brain could be directly related to his skills with languages.

The Broca’s area is the part of the brain that is responsible for language. And, some unique features were found in the Broca’s area of Kreb’s brain. Though, the scientists were not able to discover whether they were inborn or acquired at some point in the life.

The researchers at Sweden’s Lund University in 2012 performed a study, pitting a group of students choosing other courses against language students. They all went through an intensive course in a foreign language. The brains of all participants were scanned post completing the course. The researchers then found that the Broca’s area of the language students expanded whereas those belonging to students learning the other subjected remained the same.

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elanie hodges

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elanie hodges
Joined: October 16th, 2019
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